Lifestyle Changes for a Healthier Heart

Making Your Plan

Now you have set some goals to help you reduce your risks for heart disease. How do you reach these goals? You can make a plan. A good plan includes a time frame for reaching the goal. It also includes a way to keep track of your progress, people to support you, and a way to adjust your plan if you get off-track. Once you make the first change a part of your daily life, you can work on another change. Together, they'll add up to a healthier heart.

Steps to Planning

No matter what change you want to make, having a plan helps you set a goal and decide how you'll reach it. Here are the steps you need to take:

1. Set Your Goal

First decide what you want to change. Be sure to choose something that's important to you. Break it into small steps. Then decide how long you'll need to make this change.

2. Track Your Progress

Next you need a simple way to keep track of your progress. This could be a calendar to check off or a logbook to write in.

3. Ask for Support

Tell family and friends about your goal. And tell them how they can help you reach it. Suggest they join you. This will help you stick to your plan.

4. Look at What Gets You Off-Track

Making changes isn't easy. You may get off-track. This doesn't mean you've failed. It just means you need to look at what went wrong. Common roadblocks are lack of time, and people or events that distract you. Try to see what got in your way. Then think about what you could do to get around this block. Or maybe this isn't the right goal for you just now. If not, choose a new goal.

5. Adjust Your Plan

Once you know what got you off-track, you can adjust your plan. If you're not riding your bike 5 days a week, maybe you can walk on some days. Or you could ride an exercise bike on days when you get home late or it's raining.

Remember: Habits take time to change. Try to focus on one step at a time. And choose changes you really want to make. That way you can make them a lasting part of your lifestyle.

Your Plan

Look back at the goals you made as you read each section. Pick one goal. Use the following to make a plan. Work on your goal until the change becomes part of your daily life. Then make another plan. You can print out a copy of this page each time you make a new plan.

Sample Plan

My Goal: I'll increase my daily walk by one block each week until I walk for at least 30 minutes a day.

Tracking My Progress: I'll put a log on my refrigerator to record how many minutes I walk each day.

Getting Support: I'll ask my next-door neighbor to walk with me.

Where I Got Off-Track: It has been cold and raining so I couldn't walk.

My New Plan: When it rains, I'll walk in the mall. Or I'll ride my exercise bike while I watch TV.

My Goal:_______________________________________________________

Tracking My Progress:__________________________________________

Getting Support:_______________________________________________

Where I Got Off-Track:_________________________________________

My New Plan:___________________________________________________