Ways To Keep Your Heart Healthy During Durga Puja

Durga Puja is just around the corner and for most Indians, it means having lots of fun and eating lots and lots of food for the 4 whole days.

It also means having hearty chats, hopping from one pandal to another, finishing off various lip-smacking food items and of course, offering prayers to Goddess Durga, the warrior Goddess.

People welcome the festive season with lots of enthusiasm; and Durga Puja is the perfect occasion for families and friends to come together and enjoy the festival. Get-togethers mean eating lots of mouth-watering delicacies.
However, it is also important to take care of one's health and, most importantly, one's heart, as most of these delicacies contain calories and can be bad for your health.

But, why is it important to keep one's heart healthy even during Durga Puja? There are several reasons behind it. Some of them are:

1) A healthy heart at any age is important to maintain cholesterol and blood pressure that in turn helps reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, etc.

2) It is important to maintain a healthy heart to reduce feelings of depression.

3) You should take care of your heart to lower the risk of dementia.

With Durga Puja just around, let us look at some of the ways to keep your heart healthy during Durga Puja.

1) Eat Homemade Foods:

Even though Durga Puja means eating out a lot, you should still continue eating homemade foods before stepping out, as restaurant-based foods contain high calories and can also cause your cholesterol levels to rise, which in turn can be bad for your heart.

2) Walk:

Walking is extremely important to maintain heart health. So, pandal hopping can actually be good for you, as sitting at one place for too long can be bad for the heart. However, you should take rest and stop at pandals at regular intervals.

3) Avoid Alcohol:

You should avoid excessive drinking, as it can even lead to a stroke. Also, if you have a weak heart, it is best to avoid drinking alcohol.

4) Avoid Second-hand Smoke:

Pandal hopping also means sharing cigarettes with friends. But, studies suggest that second-hand smoking increases the chances of developing heart diseases. Therefore, you should avoid it at any cost.

5) Consume Less Salt:

People have get-togethers during Durga Puja and it is advisable to use less salt while cooking food at these Puja get-togethers. Also, you should limit the consumption of outside food to keep your heart healthy, as restaurant foods contain more salt.

6) Get Enough Sleep:

Many people love to go out for pandal hopping during nights and often stay awake the whole night during Durga Puja. But staying awake for a longer duration of time can increase the risk of certain heart diseases. Therefore, you should get enough sleep during the night, as 6-8 hours of sleep is absolutely necessary for the proper functioning of our body.

7) Stay Away From Loud Noise:

You should stay away from loud speakers in pandals because heart-thumping music exceeding permissible decibel levels can actually be bad for your heart.

8) Drink Plenty Of Water:

You should hydrate yourself with water and healthy fruit juices and avoid aerated drinks.