Keep your heart healthy

The best way look after your heart is with a healthy lifestyle.

Be smoke-free
Being smoke free is one of the best things you can do to protect your heart. Read more about smoking

Manage your blood cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance carried in your blood. Your body needs cholesterol to be healthy, but an imbalance of cholesterol in your blood can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Find out more about blood cholesterol and how to manage it

Manage your blood pressure
Blood pressure isn’t usually something you can feel. If it’s too high, it needs to be treated. Read about blood pressure and what you can do to control high blood pressure

Manage diabetes
It’s important to manage your diabetes to help prevent a heart attack or stroke. For information on managing diabetes, visit the Diabetes Australia website.

Be physically active
Regular, moderate physical activity is great for your heart health. It’s never too late to start and get the benefits. It’s also important to sit less during your day and break up your sitting time. Find out what you can do about getting active and sitting less

Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce the risk of heart disease and other health problems. It can help to know your body mass index and waist measurements and what these mean. Find out how

Enjoy a variety of nutritious foods
Eating a varied diet of healthy foods can help with your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. Find out more about healthy eating

There are also specific changes you can make to your diet to help prevent heart disease:

• Eat less salt: Reducing your salt intake is good for your blood pressure. Read about salt in your diet and ways to reduce it
• Replace unhealthy fats with healthy fats: Replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats can reduce your risk of heart disease. Easy ideas for making the switch
• Limit alcohol: Read about alcohol recommendations and tips for cutting down on our drinks page.

Look after your mental health
We know that there can be a greater risk of heart disease for people who have depression, are socially isolated or do not have good social support. Having a good social life with family and friends can help.

Depression is more than feeling sad or low. If you feel depressed for more than two weeks, talk to your doctor, a family member or someone you know well.