3 Essential Steps to Keep Your Heart Healthy

A healthy heart is at the core of a long, vibrant life. Adopting daily habits that support cardiovascular wellness can help you avoid disease and feel your best. Here are three proven steps you can take—starting today—to keep your heart beating strong:

1. Embrace a Heart-Healthy Diet

The journey to a healthy heart begins on your plate. Fill your meals with colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins like fish and poultry, legumes, and healthy fats from nuts and olive oil. These foods are packed with nutrients that reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol, two key factors in protecting your heart.

• Prioritize whole foods: Fresh produce, whole grains, and unprocessed ingredients.

• Limit unhealthy fats: Steer clear of trans fats and cut back on saturated fats, both of which can clog arteries over time.

• Go easy on salt and sugar: Excess sodium raises blood pressure, while added sugars can lead to dangerous weight gain and diabetes.

  
  

Small, consistent changes in your diet can make a big difference over the years.

2. Get Moving—Make Physical Activity a Daily Habit

Exercise is one of the most powerful tools for keeping your heart healthy. Physical movement lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels, boosts circulation, and helps manage weight—all critical factors for a healthy heart.

• Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise like brisk walking, cycling, or swimming each week.

• Include muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week to build overall fitness.

• Stay active throughout your day: Take the stairs, enjoy a walk during lunch, or stretch while watching TV. Every extra bit of movement counts.

  
  

Find activities you enjoy, and make them a regular part of your schedule.

3. Ditch Tobacco—Protect Your Heart

Smoking and any use of tobacco are among the biggest enemies of heart health. Harmful chemicals in tobacco damage blood vessels, reduce oxygen supply, and significantly increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. Quitting smoking is one of the fastest, most effective choices you can make for your heart.

• Seek support if needed: There are many programs, apps, and support groups designed to help people quit for good.

• Avoid secondhand smoke: It can be just as harmful, so ask others not to smoke nearby.

• Celebrate your progress: Every tobacco-free day strengthens your heart.

  
  

Adopting these core habits helps you set the foundation for a healthy, happy heart and a longer, more energetic life. Your heart—and your future self—will thank you for the efforts you make today