February is the American Heart Association’s heart month. Cardiovascular disease is the nation’s # 1 killer with nearly 1 million people dying each year. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s health statistics database, Alabama ranks 6th in the highest rates of cardiovascular disease per 100,000 people.

The bulk of what goes into preventing and managing heart disease has to do with our individual behaviors, which means we can do something about it. Here is a list of lifestyle actions people need to take to prevent or manage heart disease: lose and/or maintain a healthy weight, control cholesterol levels, reduce salt intake, control blood pressure, exercise regularly, prevent or manage diabetes, do not smoke and reduce stress.

The problem for many people is that there are so many changes making it can seem like an impossible task — and so they do nothing. Making big changes in your habits and routines can be overwhelming so put the big changes aside and look at the simple actions that you can take. Here's a list of actions you can take today. Think of them as Valentine's gifts to your heart:

1. Check your blood pressure at a local pharmacy
2. Walk for 10-15 minutes around the house, at a park or at the mall
3. Drink one extra 8 oz glass of water
4. If you smoke, smoke at least one less cigarette or don’t smoke at all
5. Cut back on junk food
6. Don't add salt to your meals
7. Take 10-15 minutes and just relax your mind and body by listening to music, taking a causal walk or reading.

For more details on how to make changes in your habits and routines visit www.drjoshk.com.

Log onto Healthy Habits with Dr. Josh Klapow for more tips on how to build healthy habits and keep them.