Guide to keeping well
Making small changes to your lifestyle can help reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the future. Cardiovascular disease includes conditions such as coronary heart disease (angina and heart attack)and stroke. Find British Heart Foundation definitions of cardiovascular diseases (external link). Even if you have already been diagnosed with some form of heart disease, making changes to your current lifestyle and daily habits can reduce your risk of developing further problems.
Health benefits for you
The advice on these pages will reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and may have other positive impacts, including:
- weight loss
- lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol
- reducing your risk of developing diabetes.
Some risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease are unavoidable, such as age, sex, family history or where you live. However the following lifestyle choices and risk factors can greatly increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease. So visit the link next to each one for easy ways to help improve your health:
- inactivity - enjoy more physical activity
- smoking - help with giving up smoking
- being overweight - get tips and recipes for healthy eating
- eating too much salt and saturated fat, or not eating enough fruit, vegetables and oily fish - get tips and recipes for healthy eating
- drinking too much alcohol - suggestions to help you manage your drinking
- emotional stress and wellbeing - learn ways to manage your stress, plus simple relaxation techniques.
All-round health advice
- Easy ways to change your diet and get more active: Take Life On (external link)
- Keeping your heart healthy with the British Heart Foundation: British Heart Foundation (external link) provides information and resources aimed specifically at helping you reduce your heart health risk. Their website contains guidance and helpful tips on preventing cardiovascular disease.
- General health queries: NHS24 (external link) provides you with lots of useful information about your health, including a self-help guide with advice and information on how to look after yourself, plus a health library.
