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9 Things You Can Start Doing Now

Choose to change your health direction — big rewards can come from small steps.

1

Get tested!
Testing gives you a well-rounded, detailed look at how all the pieces fit together. It will help you make better sense of your health in the long run and prevent or delay many problems.

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Testing Timetable

2

Stop smoking
It may be the single most important change you can make. Daily cigarette smoking more than doubles the risk of stroke. After one year of not smoking, risk of coronary artery disease drops by half.

3

Check your blood pressure
Blood pressure control can reduce heart disease and stroke by 33% to 50%. If your blood pressure is between 120/80 to 139/89 mmHg, you may have prehypertension, a warning sign. Know what your blood pressure should be and work to keep it at that level.

4

Eat "heart-healthy" foods
Include fruit, soy to lower cholesterol, vegetables, and fish that contains omega-3 fatty acids.

5

Evaluate your risk factors and aim for your LDL and total cholesterol goals
Lowering your total cholesterol by just 10% may reduce the incidence of heart disease by 30%.

6

Get moving
Exercise helps keep your blood vessels clear, keeps your heart muscle strong, and improves blood pressure. Walking regularly can reduce your risk of cardiac arrest by 73%.

7

Lose weight
Losing weight can lower the risk of heart attack and stroke by reducing blood pressure and by making insulin work better in people with diabetes.

8

Practice reducing stress
Mental stress causes blood vessels to constrict, which may increase blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.

9

If you have diabetes, control your blood glucose levels
Heart disease is one potential complication of diabetes. For every 1-point reduction in A1c (HbA1c), your risk of complications drops by as much as 40%.

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