Taking care of your heart comes down to the little things in daily life, like walking to the shops, adding beans to your meals, and getting enough sleep.

These habits are good for the heart, but they don’t eliminate all risk. Age, family history and co-existing conditions all factor in. Focus on building habits you can stick to, and don’t hesitate to ask your doctor for advice.

Why several healthy habits work together: Heart health is about more than just exercise and diet. Blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, and blood sugar all affect your risk.

The key is to make progress in a number of areas, at a pace that is appropriate for you.

1. Make regular movement part of your week

For adults aged 19 to 64, the NHS recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, plus strength training on two days. During moderate activity, you should be able to talk, but singing would be difficult.

If you’re not very active at the moment then start off slowly and build up gradually over time. A short walk is a good first step. Try to break up any long periods of sitting by standing up and moving around. If you have any health issues or you’ve been inactive for a while then you should definitely speak to your GP prior to increasing your activity.

A simple way to get started is to just schedule a short walk on the days when you’d normally be sitting the majority of the time.

2. Build meals around nourishing everyday foods

Add in some healthy protein (fish, pulses or lean meat). Try and swap some of the saturated fat for unsaturated (olive or rapeseed oil for example).

Watch your salt intake too. The NHS recommend that adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day (that’s the total amount of salt in your food as well as the salt you add). Checking the labels can of course help you make the right choices.

Just try one thing, e.g. add some lentils to your normal stew or go for the wholemeal bread with your sandwich.

3. Give sleep a regular place in your routine

Make space for a wind down routine. Create a relaxing bedtime routine that works for you. That might be finishing work earlier or getting ready for the day ahead before you go to bed. If poor sleep is having an impact on your day to day life then take it seriously and get your doctor involved.

4. Get support to stop smoking

Quitting smoking is a key way of reducing your risk of heart disease. If you’ve had difficulty in quitting then there is help available.

Talk to a pharmacist, your GP or a stop smoking service to find out what your options are. You don’t have to work it out on your own.

5. Make room to manage stress

When it gets tough, a short break can be useful. The NHS recommends breathing exercises, planning ahead, or talking to someone you trust.

Ask your healthcare team what tests you need and how frequently you need them. Carry on taking your prescribed medication as you have been instructed, and of course talk to them if you’re at all thinking of making any changes or stopping any medication.

Rather than changing everything at once, focus on one thing this week. Make it specific and achievable, e.g., take a walk after lunch, add beans to two of your dinners, or set a time to start winding down.

What helps you stick with the habit and make the necessary adjustments is the fact that one bad day doesn’t undo all your progress. You can always go back to your plan when you’re ready. We’re looking at achievable changes that will support your wellbeing over the long term. Start with a step that feels realistic for you.

This is general information only and should not be taken as a substitute for individualised medical advice. If you have a heart condition or any other existing health problem, you should always discuss any major lifestyle change with your medical team.