Your heart at every age

Understand heart disease risk factors, and the link between high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and (especially) smoking to heart disease.

Develop an exercise routine and create healthy diet habits that are low in saturated fats and focused on lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Begin tracking your vital stats, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and heart rate. This is one benefit of getting an annual physical.

Continue exercising while maintaining a healthy weight and diet. Also limit or eliminate unhealthy habits — alcohol consumption, fatty foods and recreational drugs.

Get plenty of sleep, and don’t let sleep apnea, insomnia or feelings of tiredness throughout the day go untreated.

Be mindful of any changes or sensations in how your chest feels.

Manage chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and various forms of heart disease, as part of an overall effort to lower the risk of a heart attack and/or stroke.

Talk to your doctor if anything “feels off.”

Continue to exercise and remain physically active (if you haven’t started, it’s never too late to start one), and this includes weight training. Keeping the body’s muscle mass up aids in good blood flow.

If you don’t have one, get a cardiologist and keep regular appointments with him or her.

Keep up preventive health measures, which include vaccinations, and all efforts to prevent illness, which can strain and harm the heart.