It is impor­tant to keep track of how much you exer­cise, your blood pres­sure, your weight, and your cho­les­terol num­bers as ways to meet your heart health goals.

Here’s some ways you can do this:

  • Keep a log of your activ­i­ty to help you track your progress. Con­sid­er wear­ing a device that counts your steps to track how much you walk every day.
  • Cal­cu­late your body mass index (BMI). BMI is an esti­mate of body fat. The high­er your BMI, the high­er your risk for cer­tain dis­eases such as heart dis­ease, high blood pres­sure, type 2 dia­betes, and more. Check your BMI using this online tool.
  • Track your blood pres­sure. It’s impor­tant to get your blood pres­sure checked at least once a year at your doc­tor’s office. While you’re there ask your doc­tor what your tar­get num­bers should be and how often you should check it on your own. Use this blood pres­sure track­er or wal­let card to help you keep track of your numbers.
  • Get your cho­les­terol checked. A blood test can show whether your cho­les­terol lev­els are healthy. Talk with your doc­tor about hav­ing your cho­les­terol test­ed, how often you need it test­ed, and what your lev­els should be.
  • If you have dia­betes, check your blood sug­ars. Talk with your health care provider about how often to check your blood sugar.
  • Keep a record of what you eat. Write down what you eat and drink each day in a food diary to help you stay on track when try­ing to lose weight or main­tain a healthy weight. Keep your diary in a notice­able place such as on the refrig­er­a­tor, so you’ll remem­ber to update it each day.
  • Fol­low the DASH Eat­ing Plan. The Dietary Approach­es to Stop Hyper­ten­sion (DASH) eat­ing plan is a sci­ence-based way of eat­ing that can help you reduce high blood pres­sure and has oth­er heart health ben­e­fits. Find healthy recipes, calo­rie track­ers, tips for fol­low­ing the eat­ing plan, and more.

Ask your friends or fam­i­ly to remind you to do these or join you in the effort.

Orig­i­nal­ly post­ed on Nation­al Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

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