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.

Benefits & Uses of Carrots !

Carrots are known for their high nutritional and medicinal qualities and are useful for a range of ailments. Here's why you should include them in your daily diet :

• Carrots are known to be excellent for healthy skin, hair and bones.

• They are also known to be great for the eyes. Eat them raw, cooked or boiled or have carrot juice regularly.

• Suffer from heart problems? Experts say that carrots can reduce the risk of heart ailments.

• Had a long day work? Freshly made carrot juice is known to give instant relief from stress and fatigue and will also clean your body from inside.

• An upset tummy gets great relief from carrot soup. An excellent remedy for diarrhoea, carrots calm down your bowel system.

• Choose your carrots well. The deeper the orange color, the more carotenoids (source of vitamin A) it has, which makes it a healthier option for you.

• Carrot juice improves and increases your immunity more than any other vegetable. Having two glasses of carrot juice daily is known to increase your immunity by up to 70 per cent.

• Carrot juice will lower cholesterol and blood pressure if had everyday.

• Since carrots are high in fibre, they are very good for your colon. Another benefit? They regulate blood sugar as well.

Source : TOI