Life is short, so let's not make it shorter. Here are a few simple steps to keep your heart healthy and happy.

Here are some simple advices to avoid diseases in the heart and blood vessels and to help you recover from such diseases if you are already under attack!

1. Kick the butt : "Stop smoking or consumption of tobacco in any form. Smoking causes circulatory problems as it leads to cholesterol deposition and damages the inner lining of the blood vessels. It is very risky for women on oral contraceptive pills as smoking tends to increase blood clotting problems and cause blockages".

2. Walk your way : "Exercise at least 5 days a week for 40 minutes. It helps decrease heart ailments by 20%, "adds Dr. Seth. "If you can't take out time for jogging, cycling, playing ball, swimming or other activities, a simple technique is to indulge in a brisk 5 kilometer walk every day. Walking is the best medicine for a healthy heart. Walking increases your blood circulation," Dr Colonel C.P. Roy VSM, Senior Consultant Max Heart Institute, adds further.

3. Sleep well : "Get enough sleep. Sleeping well reduces mental stress and stabilises one's heart rate. Avoid stress over a long period. Manage stress by prioritising your jobs from the most important to lesser vital ones. One needs to do a proper time-management," advices Dr. Roy.

4. Dealing with your diet : "Being careful of your diet can help you lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also prevents obesity, heart disease and strokes," mentions Dr. R.R. Kasliwal. A good diet should include vegetables and fruits together with each meal for vitamins, minerals, fibres and anti-oxidants. They should be raw or gently cooked so that the content of the nutrients remains intact. Dr. Roy further adds, "We must not only stick to fish to increase our level of Omega 3 that is good for our heart, but also try and balance our meal".

5. Moderate your alcohol consumption : Alcohol has a devastating effect on your heart and raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, and strokes. "Wine can be replaced for your regular drinks; wine increases the good cholesterol HDL level, which takes the bad cholesterol away from the blockages. But it should be consumed in limited quantity otherwise it becomes counter productive," suggests Dr. Roy.

6. Watch your weight : Keeping a healthy weight is very important. "There is a lot of fat deposit in the Indian body; it's the metabolic syndrome which leads to more chances of contracting diabetes and waist circumference or the waist – hip ratio. If the waist is more than the hip it leads to heart disorders, and this is very common in India. The simplest and common advice to a healthy weight is proper diet and regular physical activity, " points out Dr. Ashok.

7. Monitor your diabetes : Keep your diabetes under control. Suffering from diabetes exposes you to heart diseases in addition to other ailments. "Blood sugar leads to hardening of the blood vessels and the deposition of cholesterol in all the arteries of the body," says Dr Ashok. Testing for diabetes and keeping it under check is a must, blood sugar reference during fasting must ideally be 70-110 mg/dl. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and maintain a healthy weight to keep diabetes at bay.