A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to fight cardiovascular disease. It’s not as hard as you may think! Remember, it's the overall pattern of your choices that counts.
Make the simple steps below part of your life for long-term benefits to your health and your heart.
Use up at least as many calories as you take in.
Start by knowing how many calories you should be eating and drinking to maintain your weight. Don’t eat more calories than you know you can burn up every day. Increase the amount and intensity of your physical activity to match the number of calories you take in. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week or — best of all — at least 30 minutes every day. Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness. If you can’t do at least 30 minutes at one time, you can add up 10-minute sessions throughout the day
Be Physically Active
Being active brings many benefits for your heart and your health. Regular physical activity can help you improve your blood pressure and blood sugar levels and reduce your risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, depression, and breast and colon cancer.
How much activity do you need? Aim to get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week. If you are trying to lose weight, aim for 30 to 60 minutes on most days.
One way to live a more active lifestyle is to incorporate as much physical movement into your usual daily activities as you can. For example, decide to take the stairs instead of riding the elevator. It may sound simple, but small steps do add up. Instead of finding ways to avoid the physical aspects of daily tasks, try to improve your fitness by doing more, not less.
Keep a written log of your physical activity to help you figure out how much exercise you get versus how much you need.
Track and cut down on your "screen" time, including watching television, surfing the Web, and playing computer games.
Use this table to estimate how many calories you can burn in 30 minutes of continuous activity. Your current weight will affect the number of calories burned.
Calories Used in 30 Minutes by Activity and Weight
150 Pounds
200 Pounds
Playing basketball
282
376
Bicycling
163
217
Gardening
195
260
Hiking
204
272
Jogging at 5 mph
270
360
Mowing with a light push mower
135
180
Playing tennis (singles)
234
310
Walking at 1 mile per hour
68
90
Walking at 5 miles per hour
225
300
Being physically active can boost your ability to make other lifestyle improvements as well. You'll feel more confident, have more energy, and serve as a good role model for your family and friends.
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