Coronary artery disease: Making your action plan for heart health
When you have coronary artery disease, there's a lot you can do to lower your risk for a heart attack or a stroke. You're probably already doing some of these things.
Writing an action plan helps you focus on taking good care of yourself. Here's how to get started.
- Choose a heart-healthy goal.
Here are six goals for heart health. Decide which of these you want to be your goals.
- Take your medicines as prescribed.
- Eat heart-healthy foods.
- Be active.
- Stay at a healthy weight. Lose weight if you need to.
- Manage other health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Be smoke-free.
If you're already doing one or more things on this heart-healthy list, give yourself credit. These are important steps to a healthier future.
- Get answers to your questions.
For example, if you choose "Eat heart-healthy foods" as your goal, you might wonder: What are the basics about heart-healthy eating? What can make it fun and easy? How do I make healthy choices when I eat out? What is the first small step I can take toward healthier eating?
Talk with your doctor about how you can meet your goal. And ask for medical guidance like: What level of activity is right for me? What is a healthy weight for me? What is my target blood pressure?
- Make a note about what you want to change and why.
For example, you might say "I will eat more heart-healthy foods."
- Break your big goal into smaller, short-term goals.
Make these specific and within your reach. They should be things you know you can do.
For example: "Week 1, I'll add a fruit to my daily breakfast. Week 2, I'll add a vegetable to lunch or dinner each day."
- Plan ahead for handling what might get in your way.
For example: "I'll put fruit for breakfasts on my shopping list. Same goes for baby carrots that I can bring to work. That will help stop me from being tempted to buy chips from the snack machine."
- Include in your plan all the medicines you take.
Write down the type of medicine you take, what it's used for, the dose, and when to take it.
Also include any specific heart-health information, like your healthy weight range and your target blood pressure. And note if you need to pay attention to angina symptoms.
©2011-2025 Healthwise, Incorporated