These seven steps have one thing in common — any person can make these changes. The steps are not expensive to take, and even modest improvements to your health will make a big difference. Start with one or two. These seven simple steps can help you live a long and healthy life.

1. Get active
Finding time in our busy lives for exercise is hard for most Americans, This is especially true for parents or grandparents and those who are working full-time. But the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices it takes to make that time. Everyone who has successfully managed to do so will tell you how happy they are to have found the time. They’ll tell you how much more energy they have, and how they are actually able to do more than before they started exercising regularly. So no more excuses! Take an active role in determining your future. Give yourself the gift of living well with good health.

The facts are clear: By exercising for as little as 30 minutes each day you can reduce your risk of heart disease. And without regular physical activity, your body slowly loses its strength and ability to work well.
Regular physical activity helps:

• Lower your blood pressure
• Increase HDL, the “good” cholesterol, in your blood
• Control blood sugar by improving how your body uses insulin
• Reduce feelings of stress
• Control body weight
• Make you feel good about yourself

American Heart Association Guidelines suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise, or a combination of moderate and vigorous exercise. Physical activity is anything that makes you move your body and burns calories, for example, climbing stairs and playing sports. Aerobic exercises, such as walking, jogging, swimming, or biking, benefit your heart. Strength and stretching exercises are best for overall stamina and flexibility.

2. Control Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in your bloodstream and cells. Cholesterol is a normal and important part of a healthy body because it's used for producing cell membranes and some hormones, and it serves other necessary bodily functions. But too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke.

Cholesterol comes from two sources: your body and food. Your liver and other cells in your body make about 75% of blood cholesterol. The other 25% comes from the foods you eat. LDL cholesterol is the “bad” cholesterol. When too much of it circulates in the blood, it can clog arteries, which increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. LDL cholesterol is produced naturally by the body, but many people inherit genes that cause them to make too much. Eating saturated fat, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol will also increase your LDL.

American Heart Association(AHA) Recommendations: Know you cholesterol level. Total blood cholesterol is the most common measurement of blood cholesterol. It's the number you receive in your test results. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). A cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL or higher puts you in a high-risk category and is a sign that you need to take action. Lower your cholesterol if necessary to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Whether you've been prescribed medication or advised to make diet and lifestyle changes to help manage your cholesterol, the AHA recommends that you carefully follow your doctor's orders. In addition, schedule a cholesterol screening, eat foods low in cholesterol and saturated fat, avoid trans fat, maintain a healthy weight, and stay physically active.

3. Eat Better
A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to fight heart disease. However, you probably receive a lot of mixed messages regarding healthy eating, so it’s not surprising that you may be confused about the different types of fats. You may also have questions about sodium, meat, and dairy products and may not be sure how to find the right answers. With all the differing opinions, it’s best to get information from good sources, so you can make smart choices for long-term benefits to your heart and health.

The American Heart Association (AHA) is a good source of health-related information. The AHA recommends that you eat a wide variety of nutritious foods from each of the basic food groups every day. While you may be eating plenty of food, your body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Nutritious foods have vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients, but are lower in calories. To get the nutrients you need, choose foods like vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products most often.

4. Manage blood pressure
High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor for heart disease. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can injure or kill you. It's sometimes called "the silent killer" because it has no symptoms. One in three adults have high blood pressure, yet about 21% don’t know they have it. Of those with high blood pressure, 69% are receiving treatment, but only 45% have their blood pressure under control.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a widely misunderstood medical condition.
The blood running through your arteries flows with too much force and puts pressure on your arteries, stretching them past their healthy limit and causing microscopic tears. Your body then repairs these tears with scar tissue. Unfortunately, the scar tissue traps plaque and white blood cells, which can form blockages and blood clots and harden and weaken your arteries.

Blockages and blood clots mean less blood can get to your vital organs, and without blood, your tissues die. That’s why high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and even heart failure.

By keeping your blood pressure in the healthy range, you:

• Reduce the risk of your vascular walls becoming overstretched and injured.
• Reduce the risk of your heart having to pump harder to make up for blockages .
• Protect your whole body so that your tissues receive a regular supply of the oxygen-rich blood your body needs.

American Heart Association Guidelines — While there is no cure, high blood pressure is manageable.
Even if your blood pressure is normal (less than 120/80) and your goal is to prevent high blood pressure, lifestyle changes can help. The following changes may reduce your blood pressure without the use of prescription medications:

• Eat a heart healthy diet, which may include reducing salt intake
• Engage in regular physical activity
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Manage stress
• Limit alcohol
• Quit smoking and avoid tobacco smoke

5. Lose weight
Among Americans age 20 and older, 145 million are overweight or obese (BMI of 25. or higher). That’s about 77 million men and 68 million women. This is of great concern , especially since obesity is now recognized as a major, independent risk factor for heart disease. If you have too much fat — especially if a lot of it is at your waistline — you're at higher risk for health problems such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes.

Body mass index uses your weight and height to show whether you are normal weight, overweight, or obese..

If you're overweight or obese, you can reduce your risk for heart disease by losing weight and keeping it off. When coming up with a fitness and nutrition plan to lose weight, it’s important to understand how many calories your body needs. You need to know the number of calories you take in e compared with the calories you burn with physical activity. It’s a matter of balancing healthy eating with the energy you use through exercise.

6. Reduce blood sugar
The American Heart Association considers diabetes one of the six major risk factors for cardiovascular disease that people can control through lifestyle changes. Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or strokes than adults without diabetes.

Diabetes can be treated. But even when glucose levels are under control, diabetes greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, most people with diabetes die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease.

Diabetes can cause your blood sugar to rise to dangerous levels. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use as energy. The pancreas, an organ near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into our cells.

Pre-diabetes along with type 2 diabetes usually results from insulin resistance. In some people, the tissues stop responding to insulin. Doctors refer to this condition as insulin resistance. If you have insulin resistance, your body will make more and more insulin, but because the tissues don't respond to it, your body won't be able to use sugar properly. When insulin resistance or diabetes occur with other cardiovascular risk factors (obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and high triglycerides), the risk of heart disease and stroke rises even more. Controlling glucose can help avoid long-term complications. Many small changes often add up to surprising improvements in diabetes control, including lowering the amount of medication you need.

American Heart Association Guidelines — When diabetes is detected, a doctor may prescribe a particular food plan, weight control, exercise programs, and medication to keep it in check. It's very important for people with diabetes to have regular checkups. Work closely with your health care provider to manage your diabetes and control any other risk factors. Your blood pressure, for example, should be lower than 130/80 mm Hg.

7. Stop smoking
Smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Smokers have a higher risk of developing chronic disorders, including atherosclerosis — the buildup of fatty substances in the arteries — which can lead to heart disease, heart attack (myocardial infarction), and stroke. Controlling or reversing atherosclerosis is an important part of preventing a future heart attack or stroke.

Smoking by itself increases the risk of heart disease. When it acts with the other factors, it greatly increases your risk from those factors, too. Smoking makes you want to do less physical activity, increases the tendency for blood to clot, and decreases HDL (good) cholesterol. Your risks increase greatly if you smoke and have a family history of heart disease.

During the quitting process, people often slip and have a cigarette. If this happens, it's important not to feel like you failed at quitting. Give it another chance, and if you need more support, look for quit-smoking programs at local hospitals. Also, many states have hotlines with trained staff to help you quit smoking.

Parents should talk to their kids about smoking. Once kids start smoking cigarettes, it can be very difficult for them to stop, even during adolescence.