The American Heart Association’s initiative, Life’s Essential 8, features key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health. Better cardiovascular health helps lower the risk for heart disease, stroke, and other major health problems. Learn more about the health factors and behaviors that can help you and your family become healthier in the coming year.
Eat better
Aim for a healthy eating pattern that includes whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds, and cooking in non-tropical oils such as olive and canola.
Be more active
Adults should get two and a half hours of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. Kids should have 60 minutes every day, including play and structured activities.
Quit tobacco
Use of inhaled nicotine delivery products, which include traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and vaping, is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., including about a third of all deaths from heart disease. Roughly 40% of U.S. children ages 3 to 11 are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Get healthy sleep
Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Children require more: 10 to 16 hours for ages five and younger, including naps; nine to 12 hours for ages six to 12; and eight to 10 hours for ages 13 to 18. Adequate sleep promotes healing, improves brain function, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
Manage weight
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight has many benefits. Body mass index (BMI), a numerical value of your weight relative to your height, is a helpful gauge. Optimal BMI is less than 25, but less than 18.5 is considered underweight. You can calculate it online or consult a health care professional.
Control cholesterol
High levels of non-HDL, or “bad,” cholesterol can lead to heart disease. Your health care professional can consider non-HDL cholesterol the preferred number to monitor rather than total cholesterol because it can be measured without fasting beforehand and is reliably calculated among all people.
Regulate blood sugar
Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose (or blood sugar) that our bodies use as energy. Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage your heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves. As part of testing, monitoring hemoglobin A1C can better reflect long-term control in people with diabetes or prediabetes.
Manage blood pressure
Keeping your blood pressure within acceptable ranges can keep you healthier longer. Levels less than 120/80 mm Hg are optimal.
Learn more about the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 initiative at heart.org
