Making Your Lifestyle Heart-Healthy

Everyone can benefit from making healthy choices in their day-to-day lives. This is especially true for the millions of Americans diagnosed with heart and vascular diseases.

Eating a variety of healthy foods is a good way to reduce the risk for heart disease. These are elements of a heart-healthy diet:

• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Aim to eat a variety of types and colors throughout your day.
• Limit saturated and trans fats by using olive oil or other vegetable oils instead of butter or margarine. Consume less than 10% of calories per day from saturated fats.
• Eat a variety of protein foods, such as beans, lentils, seafood, eggs, poultry, and meat. Meat and poultry should be lean or low-fat, such as skinless chicken breasts. Avoid eating processed meats like bacon, sausage, and deli meats.
• Choose mostly whole grains. This includes foods like oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain bread, and whole-grain cereal.
• Focus on high-fiber foods. Dietary sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, breakfast cereals, bran, whole-wheat products, beans (legumes), and nuts.
• Limit added sugars. This includes sugary drinks, such as soda, energy drinks, juice, and sweetened coffee drinks. It also includes foods like desserts, candy, pastries, and other sweet, packaged foods.
• Limit alcohol. For some people, it's best to avoid alcohol completely.
• Limit your salt (sodium) intake to 2,300 mg per day. Foods that are frozen or canned tend to have more sodium. If you have high blood pressure or another heart condition, your doctor may advise limiting sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg per day.
• Choose low-fat or nonfat dairy products. You can also choose fortified nondairy alternatives, like soy milk.

Nutritional needs depend on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity. They can also depend on whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Regular exercise keeps your heart and the rest of your body in shape. Here are some ways to add more activity to your life:

• Check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. This is especially important if you have not been active or if you have a chronic disease.
• Start slowly, and increase your activity bit by bit. Experts advise at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week for substantial health benefits. For instance, you can do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity 5 days a week.
• Do strength training exercises 2 or more times per week. Work all major muscle groups.

Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease. Here's how to live smoke-free:

• Decide to quit and set a quit date. If you fail, try again. Successful quitters often tried many times before they were able to quit.
• Ask your doctor for information about aids to help you stop smoking. These can include a nicotine patch or inhaler, medicines, and a counseling or support program.

Constant anger and stress can damage your heart. Try these tips to better cope with life's pressures:

• Try to be positive instead of negative in your outlook on life.
• Take 15 to 20 minutes a day to sit quietly and breathe deeply.
• Take time for yourself each day. Read a book, listen to music, or enjoy a hobby.
• Get regular exercise. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress. Yoga and tai chi are good activities for improving flexibility and easing stress.
• Drink more water. Also cut back on caffeine. Doing these things can reduce the physical stress on your body if you are sensitive to caffeine.

Take charge when it comes to your heart's health. To do so, work with your doctor to reduce your heart disease risk by following up with them for advised treatments. These may include treatment for high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.