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Heartfelt Advice for Women

New American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines urge women to adopt healthy lifestyle habits early as a way to prevent heart disease. That’s because every daily choice can add up to a lifetime of protection for women.

Unlike previous guidelines, the new recommendations concentrate on women’s long-term health. The AHA revamped the guidelines because almost every woman faces a risk for heart disease or stroke during her life.

Although the guidelines list many suggestions, here are a few reallife tips you can adopt.

GO FISH

One of the biggest boosts you can give your heart health is to eat fish high in omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week. Salmon and tuna are good choices. Other changes you can make to your diet include:

• Limiting saturated fat so that it makes up less than 7 percent of your daily calories
• Avoiding trans fats
• Having no more than one alcoholic drink and 1 teaspoon of sodium per day

MOVE MORE TO LOSE MORE

You still need 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days to protect your heart. But if you want to maintain a healthy weight or lose extra pounds, increase your workout time to between 60 and 90 minutes a day.

WATCH WHAT YOU TAKE

Don’t rely on folic acid, hormone therapy, or vitamin C to prevent heart disease. Low-dose aspirin might work instead. Aspirin therapy is recommended as a heart disease prevention tactic only for women with a high risk for the disease or healthy women ages 65 and older. However, aspirin therapy might help protect women of all ages from stroke. Talk with your doctor first before taking aspirin to make sure it’s the right choice for you.