The Roadmap to Heart Health

There are three key steps to take on the road to having a healthy heart. The first involves understanding your level of risk for having a heart attack or stroke. The second step focuses on the important things you can do to prevent yourself from becoming at risk for heart disease. That means simply living a heart-healthy life. You can start doing that today, no matter what your risk is. And the third step is managing your risk. This could involve a number of treatment options depending on your individual level of risk and the plan that you and your clinician develop to meet your needs. Always talk first with your clinician about your health before you make any change to your diet, exercise, medication or lifestyle that is likely to impact your health.

The first step to maintaining a healthy heart is finding out how likely you are to develop a problem such as a heart attack or stroke. Take advantage of our health risk assessment tools to determine your risks.

Being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, quitting smoking and managing your stress are all essential if heart health is important to you. Learn what you can do today.

Conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes increase your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. Learn more about these and other risk factors and the best ways to manage them.

For more information about heart health, please visit kp.org on heart health.