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Step 1
Don't smoke. Smoking creates a general physical environment for poor health. It creates lung problems, heart problems, allergy and sinus issues and a whole range of other ills. Studies have shown for many years that nonsmokers have better health generally and far fewer cardiac problems or heart attacks specifically.
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Step 2
Lower your blood pressure. There are a lot of things you can do to accomplish this. Eating oatmeal and taking fish oil or flax seed oil pills daily will make a good and very painless beginning. Keeping your weight down, staying active, eating and sleeping properly are also necessary to reducing elevated blood pressure. If your blood pressure is higher than it ought to be and it remains high for more than a couple of weeks, talk to your doctor about blood pressure reducing medications.
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Step 3
Reduce your cholesterol levels. This goes hand in hand with elevated blood pressure and the ways to lower it are much the same. Healthy foods, exercise and weight all play a factor but cholesterol medication is often needed to keep very high levels down.
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Step 4
Get moving. Being physically inactive is a huge part of poor health. It leads to obesity and high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Walking thirty minutes at least five days a week will work wonders for your health, weight and sense of well being. It will especially help to protect your heart. If you can walk briskly or add some bicycle riding or aerobic exercise to get your heart rate up, that will help even more.
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Step 5
Keep your weight down to what is normal for your height, body type and age. Obesity adds greatly to your risk of a heart attack but it also ups the odds on a huge range of health problems. Eating a well balanced, healthy heart diet will protect your heart and everything else in your body. too.
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Step 6
Lower your sodium intake. Salt is something almost everyone eats far too much of. When you start watching your sodium intake, you will be amazed at what foods are high in salt. Things such as ketchup, bullion and most canned foods are full of sodium. Read the labels, eat fresh and leave the salt shaker alone. It will help you live a healthier life.
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Step 7
Make better food choices. Eat more fiber. It helps digestion and weight and it makes for a healthier heart. Choose skim or one percent milk. Cook with unsaturated vegetable oils--peanut, safflower, sunflower, sesame, soybean, canola, corn and olive oil rather than lard, butter, palm or coconut oil. Eat only lean meats, use egg whites instead of whole eggs, and low fat dairy products. Avoid sauces and choose low fat cheeses. Leave salted snacks alone.
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Step 8
Do your homework. Know your numbers--cholesterol, lipids, cholesterol and blood pressure. Ask your doctor for a copy of a heart healthy diet. Go to the diet channel for information on a healthy heart diet (see Resources).
