As a young person, if you start doing small things every day that keep your body healthy, you have a better chance of living a longer, happier and healthier life. The things that you do to keep your heart healthy will also make you less likely to develop many other types of diseases, like type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Avoid smoking/using tobacco products: If your friends ask you to try smoking smokeless tobacco, or electronic cigarettes, say no! Here’s why. Smoking traditional cigarettes or electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or vapes), or using smokeless tobacco (also called dip, snuff or chew) are some of the worst things you can do to your body. Using ANY tobacco product damages nearly EVERY organ in your body and can cause heart disease and cancer. Using smokeless tobacco is NOT a safe alternative to smoking!
Be physically active every day: Regular physical activity keeps your heart healthy and strong and it helps you build healthy muscles, bones and joints.
Eat a heart-healthy diet: Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables; choose whole-grain foods; eat fish, especially oily fish like salmon, trout, herring, at least twice a week; limit your intake of saturated and trans fats; limit the amount of red meat you eat and choose lean meats and poultry; select fat-free (skim), one per cent fat and low-fat dairy products; limit your intake of beverages and foods with added sugars; learn about sodium and the common foods that have too much of it; if you want to snack, go nuts! Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Keep a healthy weight: As your body grows and changes, gaining and losing some weight is part of developing into a healthy young adult. Keeping your body weight in a healthy range goes a long way towards keeping your heart healthy.
Keep your blood pressure healthy: When your heart and blood vessels are healthy, the vessels are flexible enough to expand and contract.
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