1

Make sure you know your own heart-healthy information such as blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and body fat. If you don’t, make an appointment to see your doctor.

2

Give your children household chores that require physical exertion. Vacuuming and taking out the garbage teach responsibility, and also are good exercise.

3

Remember to watch your sodium intake. Try to limit it to no more than 3,000 milligrams per day. Spices and sodium-free seasonings make foods more flavorful – without the salt!

4

If you can, take a walk during your lunch break, around the grounds or in the building. It will help you be more alert in the afternoon.

5

Schedule an after-dinner walk with your family or friends. If it’s too cold outside, meet at the mall!

6

Make physical activity a part of your life every day. Remember, toting laundry and groceries, cleaning and vacuuming briskly all count as exercise.

7

Help your children develop good nutrition and physical activity habits by practicing good heart-healthy habits yourself.

8

It’s never too late to start an exercise program. Take regular walks, enroll in an exercise class, or join a mall-walking program. (Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program.)

Click Here to learn about You’re in Charge!sm activities and classes.

9

Encourage your friends and family to see their doctor on a regular basis. Many people with heart disease go for long periods of time without being diagnosed or treated.

10

A pedometer is a fun way to monitor the number of steps you take in a day. Set a daily step goal and challenge yourself by increasing your goal as you become more fit.

11

Look at food labels to guide your choices. Claims like “low cholesterol,” “low sodium” and “fat-free” can be used only if a food meets legal standard set by the government.

12

Don’t let bad weather keep kids from being active. Consider activities such as skating at an outdoor rink, indoor racquetball or tennis, dancing, bowling, or jumping rope.

13

Eat foods rich in fiber, especially soluble fiber, found naturally in oats, barley, beans, and peas.

14

Show your love - serve as a support structure for someone trying to give up smoking.

15

Stress may be a contributing factor in heart disease. Find healthy ways to manage your stress such as physical activity, counseling, or other options that work for you.

16

While you are watching TV, get up and do a chore during commercial breaks.

17

Approximately 25 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight, giving them a significantly increased risk of heart disease as they get older.

18

Switch to skim or 1% milk.

19

Diabetes increases your risk of developing heart disease. Work with your doctor to manage it and control any risk factors you can.

20

Limit television and videos games to under two hours a day.

If your children are bored, try one of Preferred Care's
25 Cool Ways
to Live Well

21

Use cooking methods that require little or no fat: boil, broil, bake, roast, steam, sauté or stir-fry.

22

Learn about CPR. While you probably may never need it, you could prevent a death by being prepared.

23

Choose a fitness-oriented gift for a child in your life – a jump rope, tennis racket, baseball bat, even a youth membership to a local fitness center.

24

Menopause increases a woman’s risk for heart disease. Discuss this with your doctor.

25

Find a partner to exercise with. Not only will you help support him or her, but you will help yourself, too!

Search out health information on the Internet (visit the Preferred Care online Health Encyclopedia for information on more than 6,000 health topics!), or take a class to improve your computer skills.

27

Have your cholesterol checked. One in four Americans has high cholesterol, which is a level of 240 or higher. More than half of all American have a blood cholesterol level of 200 or over, which is considered undesirable.

If you smoke, get help to quit. A smoker’s risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers. Smoking also greatly increases the risk of coronary heart disease.

29

Check your heart-healthy information. Keeping track of your blood pressure, cholesterol and other heart-healthy information can help you stay on track.