Healthy Heart Tips

1. All activity helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity. Take the stairs routinely, or take the first available parking space and walk the extra distance to the office.
2. Ask your doctor about the ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein (us-CRP) blood test.
3. Be flexible. Set realistic goals and decide which ones you need to focus on first.
4. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S. - it is not a man's disease.
5. Don't rush - Get up 15 minutes earlier.
6. Don't try to do everything at once. Make a to-do list and prioritize what needs to be done first.
7. Eat Healthy: Avoid prepared foods. Most are loaded with fat, salt and sugar
8. Eat Healthy: Avoid snack foods that contain partially hydrogenated oils, an ingredient that indicates the food contains trans fat.
9. Eat Healthy: Balance your animal, fish and vegetable sources of protein.
10. Eat Healthy: Challenge yourself to try a new healthy recipe each week. Enjoy new foods and establish a family favorite.
11. Eat Healthy: Choose 5 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables each day.
12. Eat Healthy: Choose healthy snacks - Try fruit, yogurt, cut-up vegetables, or mix cereal with dried fruits and a small amount of nuts.
13. Eat Healthy: Choose nonfat or skim milk dairy products.
14. Eat Healthy: Don't fry that chicken. Broil it. Microwave it. Bake it.
15. Eat Healthy: Drink plenty of water (unless you are fluid restricted).
16. Eat Healthy: Eat breakfast. Start the day on the right foot.
17. Eat Healthy: Eat more fiber. Try to include at least 3 whole grain foods each day.
18. Eat Healthy: Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.
19. Eat Healthy: Eat no more than 6 ounces of meat, fish and poultry each day - Fill your plate with healthy vegetables and fruits.
20. Eat Healthy: Front-load your calories - to help you lose weight and stay energized, eat the majority of your calories during "daylight" hours.
21. Eat Healthy: If you're cooking meat, fish or poultry, try roasting, poaching or braising instead of frying.
22. Eat Healthy: Lay off the regular mayonnaise. Try mustard, fat-free dressings, or vinegar.
23. Eat Healthy: Less than 7 percent of your fat intake should come from saturated fats (animal fats and tropical oils).
24. Eat Healthy: Limit your simple carbohydrates (soda pop, sugar, and sweets).
25. Eat Healthy: Read food labels. Make heart-healthy choices.
26. Eat Healthy: Stay away from fad diets. Plan a safe, life-long nutrition plan. If you need help, speak to a dietitian.
27. Eat Healthy: To lose weight and lower cholesterol, eat fewer calories and exercise regularly.
28. Eat Healthy: Try eating meat-free one day a week. It will give you a new slant on eating.
29. Eat Healthy: Try stir-frying your meat, poultry and fish with broth instead of oil. It's called "stir-sizzling" and it's tasty.
30. Eat Healthy: When traveling, bring along heart healthy snacks to avoid fast food temptations.
31. Eat Healthy: When you go to the grocery, spend time in the produce aisle; discover new fruits and vegetables.
32. Eat Healthy: You don't have to cut fat out of your diet entirely; but you must choose your fats wisely.
33. Eat Healthy: Your daily fat intake should range from 25-35% of total calories; choose unsaturated fats most often.
34. Exercise boring? Buddy up with a friend and make it a fun, social and healthy experience.
35. Exercise boring? Listen to your favorite music or watch a TV program while exercising.
36. Exercise helps to decrease stress, body fat and blood pressure and increase your flexibility, strength, heart's efficiency, bone strength and self-esteem.
37. Fight Stress: limit sugar, caffeine and alcohol in your diet.
38. Focus on the cup half full - rather than the cup half-empty.
39. Get a yearly checkup.
40. Get enough sleep.
41. Get your family involved in helping to make your recommended lifestyle changes.
42. If you are on a weight loss plan - plan strategies to keep the weight off or maintain your healthy, new weight.
43. If you can't delegate, say NO to taking on more responsibilities.
44. If you feel overwhelmed by responsibilities - make a list. Focus on one at a time and check them off.
45. If you feel stressed or depressed, talk about it to a significant other, spouse, friend, or religious leader.
46. If you have a health problem, ask your doctor before your exercise.
47. If you have a medical condition (such as heart disease) or are on any medications, talk to your doctor before beginning a weight-loss program.
48. If You Have Cardiovascular Disease: An aspirin a day may do wonders; ask your doctor.
49. If You Have Cardiovascular Disease: Bring a list of all the medications you are taking whenever you visit your doctor.
50. If You Have Cardiovascular Disease: Exercise and stop smoking. These are the most consistently effective therapies for atherosclerosis.
51. If You Have Cardiovascular Disease: Exercise; it can save your life.
52. If You Have Cardiovascular Disease: Learn about your condition, keep accurate records, and ask questions.
53. If You Have Cardiovascular Disease: Learn about your medications; memorize their names and how often you take them.
54. If You Have Cardiovascular Disease: Studies show that appropriate exercise (walking, leg exercises, and treadmill exercise) can relieve chronic leg pain within three months.
55. If You Have Cardiovascular Disease: Talk to your doctor about medication options if you cannot lower your cholesterol level with diet alone.
56. If You Have Cardiovascular Disease: Your LDL ("bad cholesterol") should be less than 100 mg/dl and in some cases, less than 70 mg/dl.
57. Keep a log of your exercise - you can track the improvements in your stamina.
58. Keeping diabetes under control is essential to reduce your risk for heart and blood vessel disease.
59. Know the symptoms of a heart attack - Get help right away!
60. Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary recussitation). Save a life.
61. Learn the Heimlich maneuver. Help someone who is choking.
62. Lifestyle practices should start early in life. Go for a walk, bike ride or just play with your children regularly.
63. Long-term lifestyle changes are what count. Select and participate in lifetime activites such as tennis, walking, cycling, x-country skiing.
64. Make activity a family affair. Set at least 30 minutes aside each week to do a fun, family physical activity and improve family health.
65. Many people are able to avoid aggressive medical intervention by taking up a healthy diet and exercise, and controlling their cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.
66. Organize your space. Put things where you know you will find them. It will decrease your stress.
67. Plan ahead. Don't wait until your gas tank is on E to fill it up.
68. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Achieve and maintain your optimal weight.
69. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Choose an exercise activity you enjoy - it should be fun.
70. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Do not smoke - if you do STOP! Ask your doctor for more information about stop-smoking programs.
71. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Eat a healthy, balanced diet.
72. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Exercise 30 to 40 minutes 3 to 5 times per week.
73. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Fit your exercise into your daily routine. Brush your teeth, then exercise!
74. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Get your blood pressure checked. Normal BP is less than 120/80.
75. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Get your risk factors checked by your doctor every five years, beginning at age 20.
76. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: If you are more than 30 pounds overweight, you are at an increased health risk.
77. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: If you drink more than one drink per day for women and more than two drinks per day for men, you are at an increased risk for stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, high triglycerides, and heart failure.
78. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: If you have 2 or more risk factors, your LDL ("bad cholesterol") should be less than 100 (may be lower based on your risk factors and medical history).
79. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: If you have high triglycerides, try decreasing the amount of sugars in your diet (pop, sweets, fruit juices and alcohol).
80. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: If you have too much fat, especially in the waist, you are at higher risk for high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
81. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: If your waistline is measured at more than 35 inches for women or more than 40 inches for men, you are at increased risk for heart disease and diabetes.
82. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Know your LDL "bad cholesterol" level and adjust your lifestyle to optimize the value.
83. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Make your exercise count. It should be moderate intensity, aerobic, 30 to 60 minutes, at least 3 and ideally 5 times per week, and safe.
84. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Park farther away and walk to where you are going.
85. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Put on an hour-long movie on your video player and walk on the treadmill until it is done.
86. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Regular physical activity, at moderate intensity) helps reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
87. Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Your HDL, the "good cholesterol," should be higher than 45 mg/dl.
88. Reality is the greatest source of stress but you can change how you REACT.
89. Remember, STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS - try avoiding both.
90. Review your stressors - focus on things you CAN control.
91. Select activites that fit into yourlifestyle. minimize barriers to optimize success.
92. Spend some time each day for YOU.
93. Spend time with people who care about you.
94. Stop trying to be perfect in everything - you are setting up unrealistic expectations.
95. Stress overload often results from having too many responsibilities: Delegate, delegate, delegate.
96. Studies suggest: 90% of heart disease risk factors can be controlled by modifiable, lifestyle issues.Take control of your life and reduce your risk of heart disease.
97. Take a stress break- Take 15 minutes to do a relaxation technique, meditate, or take a relaxing walk.
98. Talk nice to yourself. Stop negative self talk. Focus on your positive side.
99. There is no such thing as a non-serious stroke. Learn the classic warning signs of stroke and do not ignore them, thinking they will pass.
100. To control high blood pressure: limit your intake of sodium (salt) and add foods rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium.
101. To control stress, focus on the issues you can change and don't waste energy worrying about the things you don't control.To lose weight - Take in (eat) fewer calories than you expend. Control your portions, eat a variety of foods, and don't starve yourself of vitamins, minerals, and protein.
102. To prevent sports injuries, remember to stretch out before and after exercise.
103. Try a relaxation exercise - you will feel relaxed, less muscle tension, and more rested afterwards.
104. Try to do a fun or fulfilling activity every day.
105. Understand your limitations. Know what you can do and don't try to control things you cannot.
106. Watch for TIAs (transient ischemic attacks), or mini-strokes. Symptoms include sensations of weakness, tingling or numbness, blind spots or blurred vision, loss of balance.
107. See your doctor: a serious stroke may be on the way.
108. When you exercise, remember to warm up and cool down.