Healthy lifestyles include eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, quitting (or not starting) smoking, and minimizing stress. (Note: Specific guidance for maintaining a healthy lifestyle may change over time as new scientific recommendations become available.)
A heart-healthy diet is one that is:
~nutritious and well-balanced
~low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and salt
~high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
Exercise improves heart function, lowers blood pressure and blood cholesterol, helps manage diabetes, and helps control weight.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at NIH recommends that adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week.
Smoking cigarettes significantly increases your risk of coronary heart disease.
Facts about smoking and coronary heart disease:
Tobacco smoke increases your risk or atherosclerosis.
Smokers have more than twice the risk of having a heart attack as non-smokers.
Smoking is the biggest risk factor for sudden cardiac death.
Smokers who have a heart attack are more likely to die than non-smokers who have a heart attack.
The link between stress and coronary heart disease is not entirely clear. However, people who have too much stress or who have unhealthy responses to stress may be at greater risk of having coronary heart disease.
Facts about stress and coronary heart disease:
Stress speeds up the heart rate.
People with heart disease are more likely to have a heart attack during times of stress.
People sometimes respond to stress with unhealthy habits such as smoking or eating salty or high-fat foods.