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Strategies to prevent heart disease. You can prevent heart disease by following a heart-healthy lifestyle. Here are strategies to help you protect your heart. Heart disease is a leading cause of death, but it's not inevitable. While you can't change some risk factors — such as family history, sex or age — there are plenty of ways you can reduce your risk of heart disease. Get started with these seven tips for boosting your heart health: 1. Don't smoke or use tobacco. One of the best things you can do for your heart is to stop smoking or using smokeless tobacco. Even if you're not a smoker, be sure to avoid secondhand smoke. Chemicals in tobacco can damage the heart and blood vessels. Cigarette smoke reduces the oxygen in the blood, which increases blood pressure and heart rate because the heart has to work harder to supply enough oxygen to the body and brain. There's good news though. The risk of heart disease starts to drop in as little as a day after quitting. After a year without cigarettes, the risk of heart disease drops to about half that of a smoker. No matter how long or how much you smoked, you'll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit. 2. Get moving: Aim for at least 30 to 60 minutes of activity daily. Regular, daily physical activity can lower the risk of heart disease. Physical activity helps control your weight. It also reduces the chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on the heart, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. If you haven't been active for a while, you may need to slowly work your way up to these goals, but in general, you should do aim for at least: 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise, such as walking at a brisk pace. 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running. Two or more strength training sessions a week. 3. Eat a heart-healthy diet. A healthy diet can help protect the heart, improve blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. A heart-healthy eating plan includes: Vegetables and fruits. Beans or other legumes. Lean meats and fish. Low-fat or fat-free dairy foods. Whole grains. Healthy fats, such as olive oil. Two examples of heart-healthy food plans include the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan and the Mediterranean diet. Limit intake of the following: Salt. Sugar. Processed carbohydrates. Alcohol. Saturated fat (found in red meat and full-fat dairy products) and trans fat (found in fried fast food, chips, baked goods). 4. Maintain a healthy weight. The body mass index (BMI) uses height and weight to determine whether a person is overweight or obese. A BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight and is generally associated with higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. 40 inches (101.6 centimeters, or cm) for men. 35 inches (88.9 cm) for women. 5. Get good quality sleep. People who don't get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. Make sleep a priority in your life. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it by going to bed and waking up at the same times each day. Keep your bedroom dark and quiet, so it's easier to sleep. 6. Manage stress. Some people cope with stress in unhealthy ways — such as overeating, drinking or smoking. Finding alternative ways to manage stress — such as physical activity, relaxation exercises or meditation — can help improve your health. 7. Get regular health screenings. High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage the heart and blood vessels. But without testing for them, you probably won't know whether you have these conditions. Regular screening can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action. Cholesterol levels. Adults generally have their cholesterol measured at least once every four to six years. Cholesterol screening usually starts at age 20, though earlier testing may be recommended if you have other risk factors, such as a family history of early-onset heart disease. If you have a condition such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, your health care provider may prescribe medications and recommend lifestyle changes. Make sure to take your medications as your health care provider prescribes and follow a healthy-lifestyle plan. Please subscribe to this channel and hit the notification bell for more health video updates. Note: Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have watch on this channel. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial emergency hotline in your country. Thank you for watching Health Meteor Vlog.