• Quit Smoking
• Get Sensible Exercise
• Get Tested for Diabetes
• Control High Blood Pressure
• Form a Partnership for Health
• Keep Alcohol Use Moderate
• Strive for Balance
• Maintain a Health Body Weight

• What is Blood Pressure? What Happens When It's High?
• How is Blood Pressure Checked and What Do the Numbers Mean?
• What Causes High Blood Pressure?
• Preventing High Blood Pressure
• If You Have High Blood Pressure

• Activities and Calories Used in Exercise
• Sample Walking Program
• Test Your Physical Activity and Heart Disease IQ
• Successful Exercise at a Glance

• Low-fat Cooking
• Eating Right in Every Location
• Diet tips at a Glance
• Calculate Your Body Mass Index
• Using the Food Label
• What is Cholesterol and Why Does it Matter?
• What Your Cholesterol Numbers Mean
• What Affects Blood Cholesterol Levels
• What Can You Do to Lower Your Blood Cholesterol
• Eating Right and Staying Active
• A Daily Food Guide
• Shopping the Heart-Healthy Way

Although high blood pressure can easily be controlled by adopting healthy behaviors and possibly medication, it is far easier to prevent high blood pressure from ever becoming a part of your life. You can lower your risk of developing high blood pressure by incorporating the following healthy behaviors into your life.

• Maintain a Healthy Weight
  As weight increases, your blood pressure also increases. If you carry excess weight, you are 2-6 times more likely to develop high blood pressure than someone who is not overweight.

  Additionally, your risk is increased not only by the weight you carry, but where the excess fat is stored. "Apple-shaped" people, those who are thick around the middle, carrying excess weight in their waist, are at a higher health risk than those who are "pear-shaped," carrying weight on the hips and thighs.

  Losing even a small among of weight can make significant differences in high blood pressure. Healthiest and longest lasting weight loss is accomplished slowly (about 1 pound a week). Cutting back 500 calories a day by eating less and becoming more active can help you accomplish that goal.

• Be More Physically Active
  Increasing physical activity not only reduces your risk of developing heart disease -- lowering cholesterol and blood pressure -- it will help you feel better about yourself and actually increase your energy level. Even light activities done daily can help. Easy things you can do to incorporate more physical activity in your life include:
  -- Using the stairs instead of the elevator
  -- Parking your car in the farthest corner of the parking lot and walking to your destination
  -- Riding a bike
  -- Gardening
  -- Dancing.

Click here for a more complete look at how exercise can benefit you and your health.

• Choose Foods Lower in Salt and Sodium
  Americans eat too much salt and it shows. The United States has a higher rate of high blood pressure than other countries. Some people, such as African Americans and elderly people are more affected by sodium than others. However, there is no real way to predict who is going to be affected by sodium, so it is important to limit sodium intake as a precautionary measure.