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8 Tips for a Healthy Heart

Heart Health Advice

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First published: 29. Jan.2025

Overview

Promoting and maintaining your cardiovascular health isn't difficult. It involves acting upon eight factors; four related to a healthy lifestyle: Diet, Physical Activity, Sleep (duration and quality), and no tobacco. Four related to measurable health parameters: Blood pressure, Blood glucose levels, Blood lipids levels (cholesterol and triglycerides), and Body Mass Index (an indicator of obesity or being overweight).
Avoid the number one killer in America: Cardiovascular disease, and live longer and healthier.

In this Article (Index)

The current state of Americans and their cardiovascular health, and 8 tips to keep your heart healthy.

drawing of a broken heart in red and gray
Keeping your heart healthy is the key to a longer and better life. A. Whittall

Cardiovascular Disease is the #1 cause of death in America

The 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics (1), (2) released by the American Heart Association in January 2025 reported dismal figures regarding the heart health of Americans.

Did you know that in the U.S., someone dies of cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds? Nearly 2,500 people in the U.S. die from cardiovascular disease every day. Those are alarming statistics to me – and they should be alarming for all of us, because it's likely many among those whom we lose will be our friends and loved ones. Too many people are dying from heart disease and from stroke which remains the 5th leading cause of death. Together, they kill more people than all cancers and accidental deaths - the #2 and #3 causes of death – combined. Keith Churchwell, M.D., FAHA, the volunteer president of the American Heart Association (2)

Heart Disease in America

The 2025 Heart Disease statistics report that:

  • Almost 47% of adult Americans have high blood pressure
  • Over 72% of U.S. adults have unhealthy weight (body mass index or BMI above 25), and nearly 42% are obese (BMI of 30 or more)
  • 57% of American adults have type-2 diabetes or prediabetes.
  • Most Americans don't follow a healthy diet. The Healthy Eating Index which measures compliance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans shows a score of 59 on a scale from 0 to 100.
  • In 2022 (the most recent year for which data is available), there were 941,653 cardiovascular disease (CVD) related deaths in the U.S. An increase of more than 10,000 from 2021 values.
  • Kidney disease has been on the rise for over the past decade, and its death rate grew by 1.5%, while prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among Medicare beneficiaries grew from 9.2% in 2011 to 14.2% in 2021. This is important because cardiovascular disease is a major contributor to CKD and both share risk factors like obestity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Now is the time to take action and protect your heart health. In the following section, we provide some tips and advice on how to keep healthy and avoid cardiovascular disease.

Eight Tips for a Healthy Heart

This advice is inspired by the American Heart Association's "Cardiovascular Health: Life's Essential 8" approach, which focuses on eight different factors that influence cardiovascular health. (3)

By acting on these eight factors, one can enhance and preserve cardiovascular health.

  1. Diet
  2. Physical Activity
  3. Nicotine exposure
  4. Sleep health
  5. Cholesterol (blood lipids)
  6. Blood Pressure
  7. Diabetes (blood glucose)
  8. Weight (Body Mass Index)

The first four are linked to lifestyle and behavior, the last four are linked to health factors that can be quantified by medical tests. We will explore each factor in the following sections.

1. Diet

Eating a Heatlthy, Balanced Diet

The typical Western diet adopted by most Americans does not follow the Nutrition Guidelines for Americans set down by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS). The American Heart Association rates diet with a score of 44.4 out of 100.

A Mediterranean-style diet or a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet are the best for maintaining heart health.

  • Eat vegetables and fruit (at least 5 servings per day)
  • Consume healthy fats: Unsaturated fats found in avocado, nuts, seeds, oily fish, Olive Oil. Avoid saturated fats. Try to increase your omega-3 fatty acid intake and lower your omega-6 intake.
  • Lower your salt intake (it will help lower high blood pressure) and avoid processed foods (laden with salt and unhealthy fats, and sdded sugars).
  • Add fiber from natural sources, and whole grain to your diet.
  • Lean protein from fish, seafood, poultry (not beef, pork, or mutton).

Take-home point

>> Learn more about Eating A Balanced Diet

cucumbers, tomatoes and splashing water
Vegetables are a key ingredient in your balanced diet

2. Physical Activity

The Physical Activity Guidelines defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lays down the recommended amount and type of physical activity needed to maintain health. With a minimum of 150 minutes per week (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity activity.

Only 25.3% of Americans met these guidelines in 2022.

If you belong to the 75% who isn't getting enough physical activity, you can start now. Any activity is better than none. Read our Guide to Getting Started and become more active. You can try walking or cycling, even dancing!

couple riding bikes, trees and lawn beyond
Recreational cycling is fun and good for your heart. Source

3. Nicotine Exposure

Smoking, vaping, or chewing tobacco is bad for your health. Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure is also unhealthy and increases the risk of total mortality by 18%, Cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease (CHD) by 23%, and stroke by 29%.

The Surgeon General's 2020 report on smoking informed that 1 in 5 deaths in America is caused by smoking (480,000 deaths per year due to cigarette smoking, and 41,000 due to secondhand smoke.

11.5% of adult Americans smoke every day or some days.

Nicotine affects heart health by increasing heart rate, blood pressure and narrowing blood vessels, which constricts blood flow forcing your heart to work harder.

Personal Experience

I started smoking at the age of 17, and tried quitting many times, I smoked low-tar versions, tried rationing my cigarettes, used filters to trap the tar. But, none of these measures were effective. At the age of 45, I was smoking 2 packs a day (40 cigarettes). I decided to quit smoking on the January 1, 2005. Cut, cold turkey. Stubbed out the last cigarette and haven't smoked since the.

The first fortnight was tough, I had a headache, ans was constipated. I ate a healthy diet. I suffered from insomnia, and anxiety, typical withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine is highly addictive. So I changed my daily routines, I walked a lot, drank plenty of water, quit coffee (I always smoked after my breakfast coffee). Then things improved. I put on weight (food smelled and tasted better), nicotine also suppresses appetite. But felt great.

Twenty years later I still feel great and I am glad that I quit smoking.

Take-home point

Quit smoking (and vaping) now!

4. Sleep Health

Sleeping well is important for your overall health. Many studies have found that poor sleep quality is a risk factor for all-cause mortality.

Altered sleep affects blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and promotes inflammation.

Tips for restful sleep

Many factors can affect sleep, its duration and quality. But there are quite a few things that you can do to improve them. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends the following:

  • Limit exposure to blue light. Turn off the TV and electronic devices 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime and keep them away from the bed all night.
  • Limit the intake of alcohol, caffeine and heavy meals before bedtime. Dinner should be light, without sugar laden foods and easy to digest.
  • Set routines for bedtime and waking up. Leave yourself time in the morning to wake up and get ready for your daily activities without rushing, and in the evening foster an environment and conditions that promote relaxation and calmness.
  • The bedroom is a very important room. To rest well it should be kept dark, cool, and comfortable. It is also important to use the bed to rest or sleep and not for activities that require concentration such as watching televsion, devices or reading.

More on Sleeping Better

The secret to better sleep: A good night's sleep is very important for your health and wellbeing. Here are scientific-based tips to sleep better every night.

Sleep Better

smiling woman asleep in bed
Sleep and Rest is important. Source

Mental Health and Well-Being & Heart Health

Cardiovascular health is also influenced (both positively and negatively) by the brain-mind-heart-body link.

Positive emotions such as optimisim, self-esteem, happiness, sense of purpose are associated to better heart health, while negative ones like (stress, depression, and anxiety) increase the risk of heart disease.

The negative emotions increase inflammation, blood sugars and lipids levels, and alter coagulation. They may also promote unhealthy behaviors (eating poor diets, lack of physical activity, smoking, alcohol and substance abuse).

There are many options to improve mental well-being and reduce anxiety, like physical activity or other coping strategies:

This is the last of the four CVD health factors associated with lifestyle and behavior. Now come the four that are linked to health factors that can be quantified by medical tests. These can also be acted upon using diet, exercise, quitting smoking, and sleeping better.

5. Cholesterol (blood lipids)

44.7% of American adults have total cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dl.

Roughly 1 in 4 Americans has high levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (130 mg/dl or higher); this is the "Bad" cholesterol.

16.9% of U.S. adults has low levels of "Good" high density lipoprotein cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dl); in this case the optimal value is over 40mg/dl.

A Healthy Lifestyle can Improve Cholesterol levels

Factors like a healthy diet (Mediterranean diet), eating fruits and vegetables rich in polyphenols (antioxidants), and regular physical activity enhance the beneficial effects of "Good" cholesterol, while smoking and chemical compounds known as obesogens impair its functions. Foods high in fiber like whole grains, including psyllium, oats, and barley (high in soluble fiber), healthy unsaturated oils (canola and Olive Oil), flaxseeds, almonds, avocados, tomatoes, turmeric, and green tea help lower "bad" cholesterol levels. Processed foods and sugar can increase it.

Take-home point

>> Learn more about Cholesterol in our fact sheet webpage

6. Blood Pressure

In 2022, 131,454 deaths were attributed to high blood pressure in America, and 46.7% of American adults suffer from hypertension.

Hypertension puts extra strain on the blood vessels, and organs like the heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes. It is an important risk factor for heart failure, coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, heart valve diseases, aortic syndromes, and dementia.

High alcohol intake, smoking, stress, sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, and consuming too much salt are all factors that increase blood pressure.

Exercising, eating a healthy diet, reducing salt intake, and losing weight are lifstyle changes that can help you lower your blood pressure.

7. Diabetes and Prediabetes (blood glucose)

Blood sugar levels are regulated by insulin, a hormone which is produced by the pancreas. Insulin moves glucose from the blood into the cells where it supplies energy for their normal functioning. Diabetes alters the balance between insulin and glucose, which builds up in the bloodstream and causes health problems.

High blood sugar levels damage blood vessels, in the heart and kidneys, increasing the risk of a heart attack, stroke, and chronic kidney disease.

People with high blood glucose levels (above the normal) but not high enough to be considered diabetic are diagnosed as pre-diabetic or suffering from Non-diabetic hyperglycemia. This condition may evolve into type-2 diabetes, but lifestyle changes can reduce this risk.

Genetics can promote diabetes, but the most common factors of high blood glucose levels are an unhealthy diet, high blood-pressure, and being overweight or obese.

8. Weight (Body Mass Index)

Being overweight is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

41.8% of American men and women are obese, and another 6.6% of men and 11.7% of women suffer from severe obesity.

Two out of every ten children and teenagers in America are obese. BMI (Body Mass Index) is a parameter that lets you know if you are overweight or obese.

two overweight women view of rear and thick waist
Obesity, full hips, and wide waist are health risk factors.

Weight management programs include a healthy diet and physical activity.

Visit our Weight Loss page for more resources.

References and Further Reading

(1) Martin, S. S., et al., (2025). 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of US and Global Data From the American Heart Association. Circulation. doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001303

(2) The American Heart Association, (2025). Heart disease remains leading cause of death as key health risk factors continue to rise. News. January 27, 2025

(3) Lloyd-Jones DM, Allen NB, Anderson CAM, Black T, Brewer LC, Foraker RE, Grandner MA, Lavretsky H, Perak AM, Sharma G, Rosamond W;, (2022). American Heart Association. Life's Essential 8: Updating and Enhancing the American Heart Association's Construct of Cardiovascular Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2022 Aug 2;146(5):e18-e43. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001078. Epub 2022 Jun 29. PMID: 35766027; PMCID: PMC10503546

About this Article

8 Tips for a Healthy Heart, A. Whittall

©2025 Fit-and-Well.com. First Published: 29.Jan.2025. Update scheduled for 29.Jan.2028. https://www.fit-and-well.com/fitness/heart-health-tips.html

Tags: heart, diabetes, weight, diet, cholesterol, sugar, exercise, BMI (Body Mass Index), sleep, stress, anxiety, nicotine, blood pressure

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