Today is World Heart Day Jane Seymour supports the World Heart Federation's advice to women to keep their hearts healthy. A healthy heart is vital for living life to the full. The majority of women, over 60 percent, identify breast cancer as their greatest health concern, yet heart disease and stroke claims more than eighteen times the number of lives. I've learnt that a healthy lifestyle dramatically helps prevent heart disease. Being fit and healthy is very important to me and my family and as Goodwill Ambassador for the World Heart Federation, this is our advice to help you keep your heart for life. A few small changes can bring big rewards!

Smoking more than doubles your risk of heart disease, which is why medical experts strongly advise smokers to quit and for everyone to avoid passive smoking as much as possible. As a non-smoker, I try to help the people I care about to quit smoking, especially my female friends who smoke and take oral contraception as this increases their risk of heart disease by 20 times. ­

The key to maintaining a healthy weight is through a balanced diet, which includes plenty of fruit and vegetables and a variety of whole grain products. It's better to substitute animal fats (butter, etc…) with soft margarines and monounsaturated oils (olive or canola), or polyunsaturated oils (corn or sunflower) and to limit fried food, fatty meats and salt intake.

It's recommended that women should have no more than one alcoholic drink a day and men only two.

To educate my six children to avoid eating sweets and unhealthy snacks I encourage them to eat fruit as treats and rewards!

As Goodwill Ambassador for the World Heart Federation I have learnt that everyone should exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes a day and that a brisk walk every day can help to halve my risk of heart disease. I love staying fit and at the moment I take an exercise class several times a week.

Good exercise tips are to avoid the lift and take the stairs whenever possible and walk rather than drive. To encourage your family to exercise, try taking a long walk together or participate in your favourite sport every week.

It is important to visit your doctor once a year if possible to have your weight and cholesterol measured to monitor your level of risk. It is also important to check for diabetes if you are overweight, obese or have close relatives with premature coronary heart disease.

Hypertension makes the heart work harder to move blood through the body and puts you at greater risk of both heart disease and stroke.

If you are short of breath when you exert yourself, tell your doctor. You should have your blood pressure checked at least once a year.

During pregnancy you should talk to your doctor about checking heart disease risk factors such as diabetes and blood pressure. This is very important, as your heart becomes responsible for a larger amount of work when you are pregnant.
An easy way to reduce your risk of heart disease is to find regular times to relax. I relax by spending my free time with my family and enjoying my hobby, which is painting and watercolours.

Medical findings show that- being in love and being loved is good for the health of your heart and helps to limit stress. Yoga and meditation are also great ways to reduce stress.
To learn more about heart disease, I regularly visit websites for great prevention advice.

And lastly, remember that you are the heart of your family and friends. Taking care of your heart is taking care of you all.
Press release from World Heart Day information and articles.

See also: Eating For a Healthy Heart

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your Personal Heart Disease Risk

World Heart Federation