8 Tips for Long-Term Heart Health

February is Heart Health Month, which was established to inspire Americans to recognize the nationwide problem of heart and blood vessel disease, and to support programs that address this problem. So now is a great time to think about the steps you can take to live a healthier lifestyle.
More: The Diet Detective: 9 Habits to Improve Your Lifestyle
Here are eight tips for long-term heart health.

1. Start Moving

It sounds simple and in many ways it is. You want long-term heart health? Start moving. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise five days a week or 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise three days per week.

It's great if you can do this; but, the key is to start moving. Go for a walk. Do some work around the house. Ride your bike. Sign up for an organized athletic event and bring a friend. Join a group exercise class. More: Your Heart-Health Exercise Routine

2. Improve Your Diet

Decrease your intake of high-fat foods (especially saturated and trans fats), cholesterol and sodium. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. There are other heart-healthy foods you can eat such as whole grains and low-fat proteins including lean meat, poultry and fish. However, a great way to start this is to increase your fruit and vegetable intake.
More: 7 Heart-Healthy Habits

3. Get Some Sleep

Poor sleep is connected to heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes, heart attack and stroke. While sleep needs can differ significantly from one person to the next, try to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.

4. Manage Your Stress

Stress is a normal part of everyday life but if left unchecked, it can lead to emotional, psychological and physical problems such as high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, headaches, chest pains and heart disease. The good news is you can manage your stress with regular exercise, a healthy diet and sufficient rest.

5. Maintain a Healthy Weight

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two out of every three American adults are overweight and more than one-third are clinically obese. This obesity is widespread throughout the United States. As of 2011, all 50 states had obesity prevalence rates in excess of 20 percent. Obesity rates for children are approximately 17 percent and have tripled since 1980.
Of course, this has serious implications since there is a direct link between a sedentary lifestyle, obesity and diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, stroke and gallbladder disease. If your body mass index, BMI, (a relative measure of body height to body weight) is in the overweight or obese category, your most important heart-health goal is to reduce your body fat.
More: 5 Daily Diet Tips for a Healthy Heart

6. Know Your Numbers

There are four numbers you should be aware of: blood pressure, cholesterol level, blood sugar level and BMI.

7. Get Regular Check-Ups

There is no better way to identify early indicators of potential heart disease than regular trips to your general practitioner. So go get a check-up this year.
More: 6 Tests That Can Save You From a Heart Attack

8.  Avoid Destructive Behaviors

This should go without saying but I will say it anyway. If you don't smoke that's great. Make sure you never start. If you smoke, you need to stop. While that is much easier said than done, you should consider the massive health risks smokers incur. In addition to respiratory problems and lung cancer, smoking is a major cause of coronary artery disease.
The risk of heart disease greatly increases with every cigarette, so use that as a motivation to quit. Excessive alcohol use, particularly binge drinking, is another problem when it comes to heart health because it can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and cause weight gain.