York fitness expert MIKE PHAN looks at keeping your heart healthy

PEOPLE in York are being asked to make a promise this year on World Heart Day and help to create a global community of Heart Heroes.

The aim is for people from all walks of life to take action to live longer, healthier lives.

World Heart Day is on September 29 and every year it is celebrated around the world with the aim to reduce cardiovascular disease-related deaths and to raise awareness about the risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Reducing these risk factors would help prevent at least 80 per cent of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke.

Heart disease is the world’s number one killer, but it doesn’t need to be this way.

By making just a few small changes to our lives, we can reduce our risk of heart disease and improve our quality of life.

By taking action by becoming a Heart Hero today you will be setting a goal for yourself and setting an example for those around you – hopefully creating a movement where we all look to take better care of our hearts as we head toward a new decade.

What promise will you be making on World Heart Day?

Here are some suggestions on what you could do to change your life for the better:

1. A promise to try something new that you’ve not tried before as a way to get active again

2. A promise to our children to do more exercise and help them to be more active, to say no to smoking and help our loved ones to stop (note, there are activities in York such as: Energie Trampoline Park; cycling together on the Stellar Path York to Selby; swimming at York Sports)

3. A promise as a healthcare professional to help patients give up smoking or lower their cholesterol

4. A promise as an employee to invest in heart-healthy workplaces

5. A promise to quit smoking and look after ourselves better (always look to gradually wean the body off the nicotine by whatever means necessary, as most forms of smoking have an immediate and long term effect on the heart and lungs, which can then take years for them to be completely free from all the harmful chemicals that come with them)

6. A promise to take more time for and to look after yourself

7. A promise to take responsibility for the one body (and heart) that you have

8. A promise to get excited about food, and to cook and eat more healthily.

With this in mind, here is a heart-healthy recipe for you to try at home...

Spaghetti Courgetti (serves 4):

10g organic butter or coconut oil

3 small white onions, finely chopped

sprig fresh basil leaves and stalks, chopped roughly

500g lean beef mince/low fat vegetarian mince*

100g closed cup mushrooms, sliced

1 vine-ripened tomato, diced

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1⁄2 green pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

25g of tomato purée

4 large courgettes

salt and pepper to season

Method:

Heat the butter or oil in a frying pan, over a medium heat. Sauté the onions until soft. Add the chopped basil and fry for 30 seconds. Add the mince and season well with salt and pepper. When the mince is browned, add the mushrooms, vine tomato, celery, pepper and garlic.

Cook gently for five minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes and purée. Cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes.

Chop the courgettes into thin spaghetti strips or use a vegetable spiralizer if you have one. Steam gently for 3-4 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Serve.

So what would you like to pledge as a promise for World Heart Day?

Find out more: michaelphan.co.uk