Not only is heart disease THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH among Americans, it decreases the quality of life of millions. Heart disease is in large part related to the way we live. Changing to a healthier lifestyle is a choice to help prevent new and reoccurring heart problems.
Family history of heart disease is not a choice. Therefore, if your family has history of heart disease, it is especially important for you to try to reduce other risks and change to a heart healthy life style.

What can you do?

First, know where you stand. There are certain medical conditions that increase your risk of developing heart disease. These include tobacco use, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. Stopping or controlling these risk factors, under the direction of your physician, will reduce your risk for heart disease. In other words, you get two for one or, perhaps many for one. For example, medicines for blood pressure such as ACE inhibitors also reduce the workload of the heart and protect your kidneys from the damaging effects of diabetes.

Second, ACT NOW! Medical science provides medications and procedures which are invaluable in treating and preventing heart disease. Discussing your risk and developing a plan with your doctor is important. However, the most important part of the process is you! Your day to day health choices will have the greatest impact on your heart and your health. Here is a brief review of what you can do.
Get regular exercise!
It helps blood circulation.

• It helps keep blood pressure and blood cholesterol within normal limits.
• It keeps muscles tone.
• It helps prevent obesity by burning calories.
• It improves your mood and memory.

Start by talking with your doctor. Start out slowly. If you've been inactive for years, you can't run a Marathon after 2 weeks of training. Adults should begin with a 10-minute period of light exercise or a brisk walk every day and gradually increase how hard you exercise and for how long with a goal of at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise most days of the week, preferably daily. Regular mild exercise is far better for you than occasional strenuous exercise.

If you smoke, stop!
Smoking is a major risk for heart disease. It causes narrowing of the arteries (vessels that carry blood around the body). Smoking increases your likelihood of forming clots in the arteries of the heart causing heart attack. Smoking also damages the lungs, which in turn may cause heart damage. Smokers who choose to quit can reduce their risk of heart disease.

Loose those extra pounds!
Extra weight increases blood pressure, causes strain on the heart, and increases the risk for heart disease. It also increases the risk for type 2 diabetes, which is also a risk factor for heart disease.
Recommended weight-for-height tables will give you your healthy weight range. Talk to your doctor about weight control if you are overweight. Weight loss should be slow, steady and sustainable. Honestly, you didn't get it in a few weeks so you shouldn't try to loose it in a couple weeks. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week and celebrate your success, not with unhealthy food.

Eat a healthy diet!
Here we're talking about choosing to change your eating habits for life. Extreme dieting is not healthy. While there are many major dietary approaches for protecting health, there appears to be consensus on the following guidelines for heart protection:

• Choose fiber-rich food (whole grains, legumes, nuts) as the main source of carbohydrates, along with a high intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Avoid saturated fats (found mostly in animal products) and trans fatty acids (found in hydrogenated fats and many commercial products and fast foods). Choose unsaturated fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids (found in vegetable and fish oils).
• In selecting proteins, choose soy protein, poultry, and fish over meat.