Secondary Prevention

It's already known that aspirin itself can help prevent heart attacks. What makes it so beneficial?

See how smoking damages your heart and learn several common strategies that have helped others quit.

Understand what cholesterol is, how it affects your body, and what you can do to help keep your levels in a healthy range.

Understand the health concerns of having high blood pressure and learn several strategies to help keep your blood pressure within a healthy range.

Understand that having diabetes increases your risk for heart disease and learn steps you can take to better manage your blood glucose levels, lowering your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

Understand the relationship between unmanaged stress and heart disease and learn several useful management techniques to reduce the stress in your life.

Learn that getting regular physical activity is one of the best things people with heart disease can do to prevent another heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular procedure, and increase their overall well-being.

People with heart disease are at an increased risk of health problems caused by excessive heat and humidity. This video describes how heat affects your heart and gives tips on how to avoid heat-related injury.

Learn which foods to choose and which to limit when eating heart healthy to reduce your risk factors for heart disease.

Small changes in what you eat can make a big difference in your heart health. Watch and learn how easy it is to improve your health by eating right.

Certain foods can make your blood pressure go too high. Watch and learn how easy it is to have delicious meals without harming your health.

Understand the potential health benefits from the Mediterranean Diet and learn what foods are included and limited in the eating pattern.

Learn tips for safely taking your heart medications as prescribed to reduce your heart disease risk factors and your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Recognize the amount of stress being overweight puts on your heart. Learn tips for choosing healthier foods and increasing your activity so you can lose weight and keep it off.

Heart disease changes many aspects of life, and heart patients often wonder if sex is still safe. This video helps viewers understand how to have a healthy, safe sex life after a diagnosis with heart disease.

American Heart Association Activity Log: Date Type of Activity Total Minutes How I felt Personal Goals © AHA

Document the time of day you eat specific meals and snacks, the type and amount of the food and beverage you consume, the number of calories and any important notes. © AHA

Most foods in the grocery store have a Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list. When you go grocery shopping, take time to read the Nutrition Facts labels on the foods you purchase. Compare the nutrients and calories in one food to those in another. The information may surprise you. Make sure you aren't buying foods high in calories, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and added sugars! © AHA

It's very important to quit smoking, even if you gain a few pounds. The good news is that the average weight gain after quitting is less than 10 pounds. And even if you do gain a few pounds, that's not as important as saving your life — and the lives of others. When people gain weight, it's usually because they start to eat more once they quit smoking. If you watch what you eat and stay physically active, you may not gain at all! © AHA

A healthful eating plan means more than just choosing the right foods to eat. It's important to prepare foods in a healthy way. Some ways of cooking are better than others for cutting saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, added sugars and calories. At the same time, you want to maximize your nutritional benefits. © AHA

No one says that quitting tobacco is easy. But everyone says it's worth it! Quitting will reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. It will also lower your chance of developing lung disease and cancer. Most of all, quitting can save your life and the lives of others around you. © AHA

Taking care of your heart is one of the most important things you can do in life. Planning a healthy diet and a regular physical activity program is the key to success. © AHA

Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight can be a challenge. You may have tried to lose weight before without much long-term success. Be assured, you are not alone. There is no magic weight-loss formula that works for everyone. The key is to find a plan that works for you and provides the right balance of calories and nutrition with the appropriate amounts of physical activity. © AHA

It's important to learn how to recognize how stress affects you, learn how to deal with it, and develop healthy habits to ease your stress. What is stressful to one person may not be to another. Stress can come from happy events (a new marriage, job promotion, new home) as well as unhappy events (illness, overwork, family problems). © AHA

If you smoke or vape, you have good reason to worry about its effect on your health and the health of your loved ones and others. Deciding to quit is a big step. Following through is just as important. Quitting tobacco and nicotine addiction isn't easy, but others have done it, and you can, too. © AHA

If you aren't in the habit of being physically active, you're probably being told you should start. That's because regular physical activity reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke. It also helps you reduce or manage other risk factors — high blood pressure, high cholesterol, excess weight and diabetes. But the benefits don't stop there. You may look and feel better, become stronger and more flexible, have more energy, and reduce stress and tension. © AHA

Use recipes with ingredients that are low in saturated fat, sodium and added sugar and rework your favorite recipes with healthier substitutions to cook more healthful meals. There's a lot you can do when you cook and bake to control the amount of saturated and trans fats, sodium and added sugar in your diet. In other words, you can have your cake and eat it, too! © AHA

The American Heart Association recommends a healthy eating pattern that emphasizes vegetables, fruits and whole grains. It includes skinless poultry, fish and legumes (beans, peas and lentils); nontropical vegetable oils; and nuts and seeds. Limit your intake of sodium, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages and red and processed meats. Everything you eat and drink is part of your diet pattern. Make healthy choices today and they'll add up to healthier tomorrows for you! © AHA

If your doctor has suggested that you begin a physical activity program, follow that advice. The American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. People who don't get enough physical activity are much more likely to develop health problems. © AHA

You may have been told by your health care professional to reduce the sodium, or salt, in your diet. Most people eat too much sodium, often without knowing it. Reducing the amount of sodium in your diet can help you lower or avoid high blood pressure.

People who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke, even if they have no other risk factors. Obesity is unhealthy because excess weight puts more strain on your heart. It can raise blood pressure and cholesterol and can lead to diabetes. Losing weight is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of heart problems and other diseases. © AHA

Most foods in the grocery store have a nutrition facts label and list of ingredients. When you go grocery shopping, take the time to read the nutrition facts labels on the foods you purchase. Compare nutrients and calories in one food to those in another. The information may surprise you. Make sure you aren't buying foods high in calories, saturated and trans fats, sodium and added sugars! © AHA

Exercise is a lot more than an energy booster and a stress reliever. It also strengthens your heart muscle, lowers your blood pressure and blood cholesterol, and burns calories.

Lower your risk: Control stress. When you're stressed, your heartbeat speeds up and your blood pressure skyrockets. The next time you feel tension taking over, sit back and look at what's bothering you.

Read on for helpful tips to get started losing extra weight for greater heart health.

If you feel safe and comfortable while exercising, you are more likely to stick with your exercise program.

If you have been diagnosed with a heart condition, your healthcare provider may advise exercise to help stabilize your condition. Follow these tips to get started.

High blood pressure can damage your heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and other organs. You and your healthcare provider can manage your blood pressure with lifestyle changes and medicine.

When your blood pressure is lower than normal, you have hypotension. I can make you dizzy or faint. Home care can help you manage this condition.

Malignant hypertension is a medical emergency. It means you have dangerously high blood pressure that could result in organ damage.

Your doctor prescribed a medicine called a calcium channel blocker for you. This type of medicine can treat high blood pressure, fix abnormal heart rhythms, and ease a type of chest pain called angina.

Diuretics help reduce the amount of water in the body. They are often prescribed for high blood pressure, heart failure, and certain other conditions.

Your healthcare provider has prescribed a vasodilator for you. These medicines treat high blood pressure and heart failure. They work by relaxing your blood vessels.

Taking your pulse is a way to measure your heart rate. Follow these step-by-step instructions to find and measure your pulse.

Learn about the 3 stages of cardiac rehabilitation and how each is important to your journey of living a heart healthy lifestyle.

Learn about the different kinds of exercises your cardiac care team may prescribe for you as you recover, and how your progress can be monitored.

Recognize that you don't have to go through cardiac rehabilitation alone and learn who will be available to support you along the way.

Understand that by identifying your risk factors for heart disease and making lifestyle changes, you can improve the health of your heart and prevent further damage.

Recognize the importance of setting healthy lifestyle change goals that are doable for you. Learn about making your goals SMART; specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

Understand that following your exercise plan is key in making sure you are exercising safely and are benefiting the health of your heart. Learn how to monitor your heart rate to ensure you are exercising within your target range.

Learn tips for shopping in the supermarket and for using the resources available to help you fill your cart with heart healthy foods.

Understand what is included on the nutrition facts food label and how to use that information to help you make heart healthy choices now, and in the future.

Learn how to use the resources available to you to make dining out an enjoyable and heart healthy experience.

Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program designed to improve your heart health after heart problems or surgery. It can take place at an outpatient clinic or in a hospital rehab center. © AHA

Use this checklist when touring a rehab facility to help you decide if the facility is right for you. © AHA

Cardiac rehabilitation is a program designed by your healthcare team. It'll help you recover from your heart problem and reduce your risk of future heart problems.

Having CAD (heart disease) can be stressful. You may have worries about your health and future. If you ignore these feelings, they can slow your recovery.

A big part of a cardiac rehab program is exercise. Regular exercise will make your heart and coronary arteries healthier. It helps increase strength, lower blood pressure, relieve stress, and control your weight.

Learn about the symptoms of a heart attack in women.

Learn how hormone replacement therapy affects the risk of heart disease, breast cancer, and other conditions.

Watch this to learn about the symptoms of heart attack in women and what to do if you experience them.

Learn how stress and depression can affect the risk of heart disease in women.

Learn why quitting smoking is the most important lifestyle change you can make to protect your heart, and your overall health.

Learn how managing your weight, gaining control of your diabetes and exercising regularly can reduce the risk factors that lead to heart disease.

Learn what certain medications do to help reduce heart disease risk factors, and ways to remember when to take your medications.

Women may be surprised to learn heart disease is the biggest threat to their health - even more so than breast cancer. And the same factors that put women at risk of a heart attack also increase their chances of stroke and other health problems. If your heart's in trouble, your body may send you warning signs. It's up to you to notice these and talk to your healthcare provider about them.

Making even one lifestyle change for your heart reduces your risk for heart disease. Change is hard for everyone, so take it one step at a time. Here are some tips to help you get started on making changes that are good for your heart.

Risk factors are habits and conditions that make heart disease more likely. The more you have, the higher your chances of heart attack. Most risk factors can be managed to help make your heart healthier.

A weekly glucose tracker that includes the time of day a reading takes place and the MG/DL at that time. © AHA

In any treatment plan, your health care professional will likely ask you to start with lifestyle changes first, but over time you may also need medications to reach your targets.

If you have type 2 diabetes, learning about your higher risk for heart disease and stroke is one of the best ways you can take care of yourself.

Knowing five numbers can give you a more accurate picture of your health. At your next appointment, talk to your doctor about how to keep them in target range to lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

A heart-healthy recipe for chicken and black bean tostada with avocado cream.

A heart-healthy recipe for tuna melt with sweet potato chips.

A heart-healthy recipe for Persian salad.

A heart-healthy recipe for zucchini salad.

A healthy recipe for Oatmeal Pumpkin Pie.

A healthy recipe for BBQ Skillet Chicken.

A healthy recipe for Mushroom Meatloaf.

A contrast echocardiogram helps your doctor see how your heart is working. It uses ultrasound and a contrast fluid to help highlight the structures in the heart.

An exercise stress test shows your heart's response to exercise. The test records your heartbeat while you walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike. It can be done in a hospital, a test center, or a healthcare provider's office. The test is also called a stress electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG).

Cardiac nuclear imaging measures the flow of blood in your heart at rest and then during exercise. Learn what to expect before, during, and after the test.

This type of echocardiogram uses the medicine dobutamine and sound waves to help see if any blood vessels in your heart are blocked.

Tilt table testing is a simple test that helps the doctor find the cause of your fainting. It checks how changes in body position can affect your blood pressure. Read on to learn more.

To help you listen to each other's feelings, you might try this "talker and listener" approach. First, one person is the talker and the other is the listener. Then you change roles.

When you both feel ready for sex, start slowly. Having sex with a partner you know well doesn't cause a heart attack. In fact, it takes only about as much energy as climbing 2 flights of stairs. Here are tips for resuming safe sexual intimacy.