Each year, 33% of deaths in New Zealand are caused by cardiovascular disease. Every 90 minutes, someone in the country dies from heart disease. Then we’ll top that off by saying that 172,000 people in New Zealand, or one in twenty adults, are living with heart disease (NZ Heart Foundation). If these statistics weren’t enough to encourage you to improve your heart health, how about this:

In New Zealand, the number one cause of death for both Maori and non-Maori New Zealanders is ischaemic heart disease.

As a male, your chances of dying from a heart attack or heart disease are enormous. Yet so many men fail to take some simple steps to help improve their heart health. So we’ve put together some easy tips for you to implement into your daily life.

Easy Ways You Can Improve Your Heart Health

As a man, it often falls to us to take care of the family. Yet while we do this, we tend to forget to care for ourselves. We put good food, exercise and other hobbies on hold to give our families the best of everything.

But have you stopped to consider what would happen to your family if you had a heart attack? Do you have the right insurance policies in place to pay the mortgage, specialised medical treatment and put food on the table? If you do, awesome! If not, let’s get that sorted now – give us a ring today.

However, there are some easy steps you can take today to begin to improve your heart health. They are:

• Exercise for 30 minutes a day – research shows that exercise can help reduce your risk of heart disease. Take the kids with you too for some family fun time!
• Eat more fruit and vegetables – the majority of your food intake should be made up of fruit and veges.
• Aim for 7 hours sleep per night – research showed adults who slept for seven hours per night had less calcium in their arteries than those who slept less than five or more than nine.
• Choose olive oil – olive oil is good for your heart as it contains antioxidants which protect red blood cells from damage.
• Do more of what you love – it’s important to manage your stress levels to achieve a healthy heart. You could try walking, running, meditation, reading and hanging out with the boys!

The health of your heart is something worth taking care of, as is your family! Let us help you take care of what matters to you by checking that should the worst happen, you’re covered. Give us a call now for a check up of your insurance policies.