Sherri's Helpful Hints

Steps to a Healthy Heart

Don't Smoke. Smoking hurts your entire body, including your heart, lungs, blood, stomach and cervix. If ou smoke, try to quit. Try until you're successful.

Get Your Cholesterol Tested. If it's high (above 200), talk to your doctor or nurse about losing weight, if you're overweight. Talk to them about how you can get more aactive. Ask if there's a medicine that can help.

Know Your Blood Pressure. Your heart moves blood through your body. If it's difficult for your heart to do this, your heart works harder. Then your blood pressure will rise. Have it checked to make sure you're on track. If it is high, talk to your doctor or nurse about how to lower it.

Get Tested for Diabetes. Diabetes can raise your chances of getting heart disease. If you have diabetes, keep our blood glucose levels in check. This is the BEST way for you to take care of yourself and your heart.

Eat Heart-Healthy Foods. Eat whole grain foods, vegetables and fruit. Choose lean meats and low-fat cheese and dairy products. Limit foods that have lots of saturated fat, like butter, whole milk, baked goods, ice cream, fatty meats and cheese.

Keep a Healthy Weight. Being overweight or obese raises your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Eat Less Salt. Choose foods with less salt. Use spices, herbs, lemon and lime instead of salt. Making this small change is really important if you have high blood pressure.

If You Drink Alcohol Don't Have More Than One Drink a Day. Too much alcohol raises blood pressure and can raise your risk for stroke and other problems.

Get Moving! Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, if not all days, of the week.

Take Your Medicine. If your doctor has prescribed medicine to lower your blood pressure or cholesterol, take it exactly as you have been told to.

Take Steps to Treat Your Sleep Problems. If you snore loudly, have been told you stop breathing at times when you sleep and are very sleepy during the day, you may have sleep apnea. If you don't treat it, it raises your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. Talk with your doctor or nurse about treating this problem.

Find Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress. Sometimes, people cope with stress by eating, drinking too much alcohol or smoking. All these ways of coping can hurt your heart. Lower your stress: talk to friends, be physically active, meditate and try not to take on more than you can handle.