5 easy steps to pump up your heart !

Want to keep your heart healthy? Then you need to know the following.

Holly Andersen, director of education and outreach at the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has offered some easy steps to improve heart health and overall well-being throughout the year.

Step 1: Know your numbers. Your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels are the most important numbers you will need to know before you begin on the path to good heart health.

Step 2: Start walking. Exercise is the fountain of youth. A simple 20- to 30-minute walk a few days a week can actually reduce the risk of premature death by more than 50 percent.

Step 3: Laugh out loud. Laughter really is the best medicine. Just 15 minutes of laughter is about equivalent to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise with respect to our cardiovascular health. Laughter has also been linked to the healthy function of blood vessels, an increase of the brain hormones that improve mood, and reduction of pain and anxiety.

Step 4: Focus on your waistline, not your weight. Your waistline is a better measurement of your overall health than your weight because the amount of fat around your waistline is directly linked to high blood pressure and high cholesterol and can place you at increased risk for diabetes.

Step 5: Get a good night's sleep. Sleep is one of the most undervalued elements of our daily routines, but it is absolutely vital to good health. Lack of sleep increases your blood pressure, induces stress, increases your appetite and slows down your metabolism, dampens your mood and decreases your cognition.

Do You Have an Athletic Heart ? - Part 2

Facts :

Athletic heart syndrome is not uncommon

Abnormal ECG and abnormal echo cardiography in an athlete should alert us about AHS.

Employment, marriage and day-to-day life are absolutely not a problem with AHS

High-level athletes should have a periodic check for AHS.

If detected early, the training programme can be modified.

After stopping of high-level activity, a majority of the changes due to AHS can get reversed in a period of months or years.

AHS is not a famial  or genetically transmitted condition

Awareness about AHS will oversome the fear psychosis caused by abnormalities in cardiac investigations.

Concluded

Source : TOI

Do You Have an Athletic Heart ? - Part 1

Athletic Heart Syndrome (AHS)

Excessive exercise can put you at risk of athletic heart syndrome. protect the heart from stress of strenuous physical training.

Regular moderate exercise is of paramount importance to good health - for prevention of heart attacks, strokes, for better management of diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, sexual performances - but the flip side of excessive exercise training is athletic heart syndrome (AHS)

Causes :

AHS occurs due to hypertrophy of the heart muscle. Typically it is described as increased heart muscle mass, increased chamber dimensions and wall thickness. Generally, AHS is a far more efficient heart than a normal heart. It is accompanied by slow heart rate. The heart muscle hypertrophy is the same as seen in biceps or arm muscles after continued weight training. The muscle fibres of the heart increase in length, diameter and number with prolonged endurance training like long-distance running, dancing and sports. The muscles become thickened by pressure overloads like weight training, rowing, etc. These changes in heart have to be differentiated from pathological hypertrophy of the heart muscle.

Diagnosis :

Most athletes with AHS have no symptoms at all. It gets diagnosed by an abnormal ECG, X-ray and echocardiography. Most tests get normalised after some years of stopping the exercise. high-level training athletes should be aware of AHS. If breathlessness, graying (syncope), chest pains occur, they should be evaluated. AHS should not be a cause of concern to any employment. After cessation of athletic activity, most heart-related changes will regress to normal, over a period of months.

To Be Continued...

Source : TOI

Reduce Blood Pressure Naturally - Part 1

High Blood Pressure contributes to an alarming number of deaths each year. Although it may not have apparent symptoms, high blood pressure leads to heart attacks and strokes aside from also causing kidney failures. You can reduce your blood pressure by reducing your weight (if you are obese) and making a few small changes in your life, say doctors.

WALK IT OUT

Walking at a brisk pace can help lower your pressure. A good workout will ensure the heart uses oxygen more efficiently. Getting a rigorous cardio workout 4 to 5 times a week can make a huge difference. Start by incorporating about 15 minutes of exercise in your daily routine and slowly increase the time and difficulty level.

DEEP BREATHING

Learning some slow breathing and meditation techniques can do you wonders. It will help reduce stress drastically and keep your blood pressure in check. Try taking 10 minutes every morning and at night. Inhale and Exhale deeply. If you can, join a yoga class for some time, so that you can learn the proper method.

GO FOR POTASSIUM-RICH FOODS

You have probably heard of the negative effects of sodium on the body and potassium is an essential mineral to counter the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium. Try adding sweet potatoes, tomatoes, orange juice, potatoes, bananas, peas, and prunes and raisins to your regular diet.

To Be Continued....

Source : Health Wellness, TOI