10 Cardiologist-Recommended Heart Health Tips

A busy, stressful life doesn’t just affect your mood — it can also take a toll on your physical health, especially your heart. Todd Langager, MD, UnityPoint Health, explains how protecting your heart isn’t about one single habit. It requires caring for your body and daily lifestyle choices in a balanced, consistent way.

The good news is that small, intentional changes can significantly improve your heart health and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease over time. Here’s a practical look at 10 cardiologist-recommended steps to strengthen your heart and feel your best in the years ahead.

5 Things to Do For a Healthy Heart

It’s never too late to start making heart healthy changes to your routine. Here are some ideas to build a physically healthy heart.

Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet 

Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and protein such as legumes, nuts, fish, seafood, low-fat dairy and lean, unprocessed meats. These foods are all considered heart healthy because they support healthy blood vessels, improve cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation and help control blood pressure. Additionally, they help maintain a healthy body weight and limit harm from too much salt, sugar, undesirable oils and preservatives.

These are all major factors in preventing cardiovascular disease.

A heart-healthy diet and regular exercise also help manage conditions like peripheral artery disease, where plaque buildup narrows or blocks arteries, by improving circulation and supporting cardiovascular health.

Exercise Regularly

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise (or an equal combination of both) each week. Keep your workout routine interesting by changing up how your move your body. Walking is a good, low-impact way to get started.

If you have an existing heart condition, before beginning a new, intense exercise program to lower your pressure, your doctor might perform a stress test or a heart screening to ensure your heart is healthy enough for high activity.

Stop Smoking 

Smoking dramatically increases your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, damaged arteries, blood clots, stroke and aneurysms. Quitting smoking is one of the most powerful steps you can take to improve your heart health and overall well-being.

If you’re struggling to quit, identify what’s holding you back — whether it’s stress, nicotine addiction or fear of withdrawal. Remember, all forms of tobacco are harmful, including cigarettes, vaping devices, smokeless tobacco and even secondhand smoke. If you use tobacco, talk to your doctor about proven smoking cessation treatments and support programs to help you quit for good.

Get Enough Sleep 

Quality sleep benefits your whole body including your heart and brain with effects such as improved mood, memory and reasoning. Bad sleep habits can also increase your calorie intake and may put you at risk for high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Additionally, untreated sleep disorders — like sleep apnea — can lead to an abnormal heartbeat or a slow heart rate, which strains the heart over time.

Adults should aim for seven to nine hours a night. In addition to quantity, how well you sleep is important, too. Set specific bedtimes and wake-up times and stick to a consistent schedule as much as possible.

Get Vaccinated and Boosted to Protect Your Heart Health

Staying up to date on recommended vaccines — including the flu vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine and pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccine — does more than prevent infection. Vaccination plays an important role in protecting your heart by lowering the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and serious cardiovascular complications.

People with heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions are especially vulnerable to respiratory viruses like influenza and COVID-19. These infections can increase inflammation and place added stress on the cardiovascular system, potentially triggering heart attacks, stroke, arrhythmias, myocarditis or worsening heart failure.

By strengthening your immune response, vaccines help reduce systemic inflammation, limit cardiac strain and decrease the likelihood of virus-related cardiovascular events.

Talk to your healthcare provider about which vaccines are right for you.

5 Ways to Improve Your Emotional Heart 

Emotions also have a major impact on your heart health. Chronic stress can raise blood pressure and contribute to heart attack risk. Here's how to keep your heart healthy by caring for your emotional and mental health.

Reduce Stress for Heart Health

Chronic stress is a significant contributor to hypertension and can worsen conditions such as peripheral artery disease. Over time, unmanaged stress may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Persistent stress is also linked to other cardiovascular disease risk factors, including smoking, overeating, poor sleep and lack of physical activity.

Depending on your personal triggers and lifestyle, there are plenty of ways to reduce stress, such as:

• Expressing gratitude
• Getting regular exercise
• Keeping challenges in perspective
• Learning healthy coping strategies
• Practicing mindfulness
• Spending time in nature
• Staying socially connected 

Maintain a Healthy Social Life 

Strong social connections and positive relationships can have a meaningful impact on heart health. Interacting with loved ones helps lower stress, promotes healthy blood pressure and supports overall cardiovascular health.

Experiencing love or emotional connection triggers the release of oxytocin, a hormone that encourages relaxation and can reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Over time, these effects may lower the risk of heart disease, including hypertension and stroke.

Make time for meaningful relationships, engage in social activities and nurture emotional bonds to enhance your emotional well-being and support long-term heart health.

How Can Focusing on Love Help My Heart Health?

Positive social interactions may help lower stress and support healthy blood pressure. When we feel the emotion of love, a feel-good hormone called oxytocin, is released and helps us relax, lowering our blood pressure and heart rate.

Laugh More Often

Laughing not only improves your mood, but it can decrease stress, depression and anxiety with the positive feeling it generates. Make sure you take note of what makes you laugh — Do you have a funny friend? Do rom-coms make you giggle? Whatever it is, add it in often.

How is Laughing Important for Heart Health?

Stress, depression and anxiety can increase your risk for heart problems. Laughing regularly may help reduce stress and support overall heart health. While laughter isn’t a direct cure, it can improve mood, promote relaxation and contribute to a healthier lifestyle.

Practice Mindfulness for Heart Health

Daily mindfulness can be a valuable part of your overall heart disease treatment plan. By helping to regulate the body’s stress response, mindfulness may support healthy blood pressure levels and reduce the cardiovascular strain caused by chronic stress.

While it doesn’t replace medical treatment, incorporating mindfulness and relaxation techniques can complement your care and improve overall well-being.

Simple practices include slow, deep breathing exercises, listening to calming music or taking a few minutes in a quiet space to meditate.

Enjoy a Hobby to Support Heart Health and Reduce Stress

Regularly participating in hobbies has been shown to lower stress, improve mood and promote healthy blood pressure, all of which contribute to long-term heart disease prevention.

Mixing up your hobbies exposes your brain and body to new challenges, keeping both active and engaged.

So if it’s painting, gardening, walking or playing music, making time for stimulating activities is a simple, effective way to support both emotional well-being and heart health. 

We’re Here for You and Your Heart 

Whether you’re focusing on improving your physical health, supporting your emotional well-being or both, your doctor can help you create a plan that fits your lifestyle and reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Small, steady changes — like improving your diet, managing stress or controlling high blood pressure — can make a meaningful difference over time. You don’t have to overhaul your life overnight. Start with one manageable step today and build from there.

Your provider can also help determine whether a heart screening, stress test or a personalized heart disease treatment plan is appropriate based on your individual risk factors.

Taking action early is one of the most effective ways to protect your heart for the long term.