Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans annually. The prevention of heart disease begins now with healthy lifestyle choices and conversations with your physician, which can pay off years down the road. “Preventive cardiology” is the making of risk reduction efforts to diminish high blood pressure and control cholesterol.

How aggressively your risk for heart disease builds is determined by exercise, diet, and genetics, which build over time. Though younger adults believe any bad habits in their early years can be mitigated by a healthier lifestyle later in life, this is not the case with our cardiovascular systems. The good news is, starting these habits anytime pays dividends in the future.

Ready to adopt these practices in your own life? Here are four key components to prevent your risk of heart disease.

1. Know your baseline numbers

Understanding your base numbers can help you and your primary care physician monitor for any future changes to be concerned about. For cardiovascular health, your doctor will primarily look at two main factors:

• Your blood pressure, which indicates how much pressure your blood exerts against your artery walls.
• Your cholesterol, which results in plaque build-up or fatty deposits in the arteries that can contribute to deadly blockages over time.

The earlier you begin monitoring and treating these numbers, the more you can prevent or slow down the process of hardening of the arteries, called atherosclerosis, over time.

2. Establish your family history

Lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease starts with education, a strong patient-doctor relationship, and regular follow-ups with your primary care provider, who can refer you to a cardiologist if needed. Sharing a thorough family history with your doctor is a key step in this education process.

If you don’t know your family history, it’s worth making a few phone calls before your next appointment. Start with immediate family, including grandparents, parents, and siblings. Ask if they’ve had heart disease or stroke, and at what age.

3. Strive for a balanced, healthy diet

Think of your diet as what you eat rather than something you’re on. When “going on a diet,” people often make momentary changes in what they eat to get the results they want. However, unsustained, those changes have no long-term effect. Instead, make healthy lifestyle modifications that you can continue for the long haul. This may look like eating what you enjoy, but also eating healthier things to balance it out.

There are many benefits to a vegan diet, but if you desire meat, then broiled or baked white meat or dark fish are the best options. If you eat red meat, consider a four-ounce steak rather than twelve ounces. Get the crunch of your favorite fried foods but broil them instead. Stock your cabinets with heart-healthy options, eliminate unhealthy fats, cut back on salt, and strongly consider a plant-based diet daily.

4. Develop an exercise routine you enjoy

Having a sense of “play” is a key component to any successful exercise program because it’s all about what you’ll enjoy and continue rather than pushing yourself too hard, resulting in burnout or injury.

Walking 30 minutes briskly every day cuts your risk of heart attack and stroke in half. Quality exercise doesn’t have to be difficult. The best form of exercise is the one you’ll keep up.

Often, when patients get to the point of needing to see a cardiologist, they come in feeling scared and unsure. After sitting down for a discussion and helping them understand these simple steps they can take to reduce their risk factors, they leave feeling much more confident and content.

Don’t forget the basics! Through education, healthy habits, and taking the time to have conversations with your doctor, you can move the needle.”