Heart Health Recommendations

Helpful Highlights

• Tips to support smoking cessation

• Tips for eating nutritious, balanced meals

• Tips for managing weight and staying active

• Tips for reducing stress and getting restorative sleep

Practical and sustainable lifestyle changes can help anyone manage and even improve their heart health.

Smoking Cessation

Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, especially atherosclerosis. Quitting is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of heart disease and related complications. If support is needed to quit, it’s best to speak with a healthcare provider.

Helpful Hints:

• Learn about how smoking impacts heart and lung health.

• Approach smoking as an addiction, not a simple habit—it often provides a sense of comfort or control.

• Create a detailed stop-smoking plan with support from a healthcare provider or smoking cessation program.

Eat Healthy by Eating Intentionally

Control portion size and avoid eating until uncomfortably full.

Choose more whole, fresh vegetables and fruits.

• The easiest way to do this is to exchange a protein (meat, egg, cheese) or high fat/high sugar/high sodium item for another vegetable or fruit at meals.

Select whole grains (look for "whole grain" or "heart healthy" labels).

Limit saturated and trans fats; increase healthy fats like those from fish, olive oil, or avocado.

Choose low-fat protein sources such as skinless poultry, fish, or legumes.

Limit salt (sodium) intake to under 2,000 mg per day (look at labels).

Plan meals ahead and allow for occasional, portion-controlled treats.

• Always denying ourselves the things we enjoy is the fastest way to wreck a healthy diet, in addition to making us irritable and even resentful.

• Think of "occasional" as one small treat a few times throughout the week (a handful of gummy bears, a couple of small cookies, a single scoop of ice cream without toppings, a snack-size bag of chips), or one large treat once a week (a slice of pie or cake, an ice cream sundae or milkshake, a serving of french fries or slice of pizza).

Helpful Hints:

• Use smaller or divided plates for portion control.

• Make grocery lists and check food labels for fat, sodium, and sugar content.

• Utilize portion-controlled treats such as single-serve desserts, chips, or cookies rather than large bags, containers, or packages.

Manage Weight

Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease. A healthcare provider can help identify a healthy weight goal based on height, age, and medical history.

Helpful Hints:

• Create a weight chart and put it in an easily accessible and visible place, preferably next to the scale - although the refrigerator is also popular.

• If weight loss is a goal, put that goal at the top.

• Understand that skipping meals is not a sound approach to weight loss and cannot only cause other health problems but also lead to weight gain.

Activity and Exercise

Regular exercise helps manage diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure, promotes restful sleep, and strengthens heart health.

With provider approval, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. Any activity that safely raises heart rate counts—walking, swimming, dancing, or gardening.

If recovering from a heart procedure such as coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), your provider will tell you when it's safe to begin exercising again, and at what intensity and duration.

Helpful Hints:

• Take walks at a comfortable pace, in familiar or enjoyable places.

  • A grocery store or other retailer walks

  • Paved park and nature hike pathway

  • Around the neighborhood.

• Explore accessible options such as:

  • Swimming

  • Yoga, seated yoga

  • Resistance training (bands, weights, isotonic exercises)

  • Recumbent bikes or pedal exercisers (that can be used on the floor and tabletop)

Manage Stress 

Find ways to help reduce emotional stress. Try avoiding negative people, planning events that are demanding (like hosting large gatherings), offering too many favors, or generally agreeing to take on too much. Make time for peace and fulfillment through hobbies, meditation, lunch with a friend, or a book club.

Practice mindfulness (be present in the moment and in tune with feelings).

Connect with others in social situations and/or support groups. Sometimes church attendance serves as both.

Talk to the provider about strategies to manage anxiety and depression.

Get Good Sleep

Poor sleep may increase the risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions, as well as exacerbate (worsen) existing ones.

Adults should aim to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily.

Sleep environments should be dark, quiet, and cool.

Helpful Hints:

• Make sure the bed is comfortable. Change the mattress, if necessary, and consider the number and texture of pillows and bedding.

• Provide a way to raise the head of the bed if shortness of breath is a problem.

  • Raise the head of the bed on blocks designed for safety

  • Place a wedge under the head of the mattress

  • Consider an electric adjustable bed

• Get 30-60 minutes of activity and exercise during the day.

• Avoid caffeine and sugar after dinner (use decaf coffee or tea in the evening, and if a snack is needed, ensure it's low in sugar).