Show your heart some love. Photo: Unsplash.
Recently Hawaiian surfing icon, Kaiborg Garcia, suffered a Heart Attack. This mountain of a man normally dominating towering waves; was taken down by a sneaky & deadly health issue NOT reserved for the overweight and unhealthy, despite what people may think.
My father, also a very fit active man recently suffered a heart attack caused by Coronary Heart Disease. Unfortunately, fit does not necessarily mean healthy, and that’s where so many get it wrong. Assumptions are made that our heart is built without fail to go the distance no matter what we put it through. Assumptions are the mother of all mistakes. The heart is like a muscle; it works hard and it too gets tired. Without proper care, consideration, and recovery time the heart can fail. So it stands to reason that we should be doing everything we can to support the ONE HEART we have just to be safe!
This isn’t to say that Kai has not done exactly that! After all the heart is a complicated muscle and there are many factors that go into one not working properly.
Another reason to take extra care of your heart – A strong heart = strong pumping action = oxygenated blood = MUCH BETTER performance in the water!
My thoughts go out to Kai for a quick recovery, and in the mean time I want to share with you 3 things you can do to minimize your chances of being struck down by a faulty ticker as well as improve its efficiency.
WATCH WHAT YOU CONSUME
The most obvious and effective way to avoid heart failure is to watch what you eat. The deadly artery clogging foods such as refined sugars, dairy especially butter & cheese, meat products high in fat, baked or fast food goods, and that traditional bowl of ice-cream for dessert. Basically avoid trans fats and saturated fats. If you steer clear of the obvious ones you should be safe.
Consumption also applies to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. I don’t need to go into depth here; we all know the risks associated with these substances and heart failure is DEFINATELY one of them.
GET A CHECKUP
You don’t have to feel wheezy, short of breath, or have a pain in your chest to get a checkup. There is nothing tough about avoiding the doc! They are there for a reason, and they have much more advanced ways of looking into your chest cavity than the old palm on the chest method. Get a full body check every year to put your mind at ease and stay on track. Knowing where you’re at is a great stress reliever too, another cause of heart failure.
STAY ACTIVE
Active living combined with healthy consumption is the ultimate recipe for a healthy strong heart! Get your heart rate up every day for at least 30 – 40mins, which helps to strengthen your heart and lower your blood pressure. Cycling, running, surfing, swimming, skipping, boxing, and plyometric exercises are all good options. Mix up your strength training between body weight, lightweights, and heavy weighted exercises 3 – 4 times a week.
Don’t forget to check out the Little Bantam Facebook page and follow us on Instagram for daily surf fitness inspiration!
Cheers,
EC x
