These are the important components of maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle:
Eat a healthy diet. Making healthy meal and snack choices can help you avoid heart disease and its complications. Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber. This can help prevent high blood cholesterol. Limiting salt or sodium in your diet can also lower your blood pressure.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can increase your risk for heart disease. To determine whether your weight is in a healthy range, doctors often calculate a number called the body mass index (BMI).
Exercise regularly. Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that adults should engage in moderate-intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
Don’t smoke. Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for heart disease, stroke, and cancer. So, if you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk for disease. Your doctor can suggest ways to help you quit.
Limit alcohol use. Avoid drinking too much alcohol, which causes high blood pressure.