While early detection of heart disease can make a difference in your health, it’s far better to do all you can to prevent heart disease. It’s true that some factors cannot be controlled, such as age and family history. But adopting a healthy lifestyle can help put the brakes on risk factors that are within our control. Here are some ways AtlantiCare makes it easy for you to make heart disease prevention part of your life:

• Smoking Cessation
• Healthy Eating
• Exercise
• Stress Management
• Wellness News from our Health Library
• Visit AtlantiCare's Calendar of Wellness Events

Smoking Cessation

The American Heart Association says cigarette smoking causes more than 135,000 deaths every year as a result of smoking-related cardiovascular diseases. In fact, cigarette smokers are two to three times more likely to die from heart disease than nonsmokers. One of the single best things you can do for your heart is quit smoking. AtlantiCare can help.

AtlantiCare's Department of Health & Wellness is offering FREE smoking cessation classes. Please call 407-2336 to for more information about the six-week series or call the AtlantiCare Access Center 1-888-569-1000 to register for the classes.

You can also access the resources linked below for more help in quitting smoking.

Smoking Cessation Resources

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Healthy Eating

Believe it: eating right can help you stave off heart disease. And it’s not as hard as you think. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), it’s your overall pattern of food choices that counts. The AHA recommends choosing nutrient-rich foods, eating from your fruits, veggies and whole grains, and avoiding extra fats. You can learn more about making your diet healthier by clicking on a link below.

• http://www.deliciousdecisions.org/
  Heart-healthy recipes, tips for eating out, and a heart-friendly food shopping guide
• http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200010
  The American Heart Association's Diet & Nutrition web site
• http://www.healthyfridge.org/
  How to make sure your fridge is heart-friendly and much more
• http://www.nutrition.gov/
  Consumer-friendly information on food and nutrition
• http://www.mypyramid.gov/
  A new, personalized take on the old food pyramid
• http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines/
  Dietary guidelines from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• http://www.4woman.gov/faq/healtheat.htm
  Information about women and heart disease
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-diet/NU00196
  Heart healthy eating to prevent cardiovascular disease
• http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/h_eating/h_eating.htm
  How to lower your blood pressure by maintaining a healthy diet
• http://www.fda.gov/opacom/lowlit/hlyheart.html 
  Eating for a healthy heart
• http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3023924
  Fruit and veggie tracker from the American Heart Association
• http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/syah/index.htm
  Heart-healthy recipes from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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Exercise

Whether it’s part of your daily routine or a structured fitness plan, exercise can help you combat heart disease. Be sure to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. The AtlantiCare LifeCenter offers a host of programs to help you stay fit.

The American Heart Association's Exercise & Fitness web site

Exercise and Heart Disease
The importance of exercise in preventing and treating heart disease ... more

Physical Activity
Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke ... and "How Can I Keep Track of Exercise and Eating?" ... more

Exercise and Heart Disease
Exercise not only helps fight heart disease, but for sedentary people, just adding a little exercise to your daily routine reduces the risk of high blood ... more

Heart Disease and Heart Attacks: What Women Need to Know
Information for women about heart disease and heart attacks from the American Academy of Family ... Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. ... more

From The Cleveland Clinic: Exercise for a Healthy Heart
HeartDisease: Exercise for a Healthy Heart. A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. Fortunately, it's a risk ... more

Reducing heartdisease through exercise :: Overnights
How does exercise benefit our hearts? That's our health and fitness question this week. ... more

HeartDiseaseandExercise | AHealthyMe.com
Not every heart, in fact, can handle all the rigors of exercise. If you have heart disease, you should have a thorough checkup before starting an exercise ... more

5 strategies you can adopt today to prevent heart disease ...
Take steps to avoid heart disease by not smoking, getting regular exercise and eating healthy foods. Prevent heart problems in the future by adopting a ... more

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Stress Management

When you’re feeling stressed out, you’re more likely to make bad lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking, eating poorly, or skipping your workout – all things that can contribute to heart disease. So, finding healthy ways to cope with life’s ups and downs makes good heart sense. Here are some links to help you keep the upper hand with stress.

Stress and Heart Disease
Managing stress makes sense for your overall health. But current data don't yet support specific recommendations about it as a risk factor for ... more

Stress and heart disease
Does stress really cause heart disease? ... Most of the medical literature on stress and heart disease refers to physical stress. ... more

Stress and Heart Disease
WebMD looks at the connection between stress and heart disease. ... more

Stress and Heart Disease: How Stress Affects Your Coronary Health
You may have heard that there's a link between stress and heart disease. Here is the latest coronary research and advice to help you understand how stress ... more

Stress and Heart Disease - symptoms, causes and warning signs
Information on stressand its relationship to heartdisease including the causes of stress, warning signs of stress, how to cope, reducing stressors ... more

ManagingStress in a Fast-Paced World - Enjoying a Busy Life ...
Illustrated guide providing information on causes, effects, and tips for managing stress. ... more

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Wellness News from our Health Library

	Fitness - Learn new workouts, spice up familiar ones, and more, in the fitness section. go»
	Nutrition - Learn about the latest in nutrition news, healthy recipes and more in the nutrition section. go»
	Mind & Body - There's more to your health than what's physical. Learn how to stay healthy through and through in the mind & body section. go»
	Family & Home - From fun activities to home safety, the family & home section will have something new for your family. go»