Your Care Instructions

If you have diabetes, heart disease, or blood pressure or cholesterol problems, making healthy lifestyle changes can help. Changing your diet, getting more exercise, and getting rid of harmful habits can reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other serious health problems. Even small changes can help. Start with steps that you can take right away. Think about things such as time limits, stress, and temptations that might get in the way, and figure out how you can avoid or overcome them.

Work with your doctor to plan lifestyle changes to deal with your health problem.

How can you care for yourself at home?

• If your doctor recommends it, get more exercise. Walking is a good choice. Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk every day. Try for at least 2½ hours a week. You also may want to swim, bike, or do other activities. Visit the Alberta Healthy Living Program at www.ahs.ca/ahlp to learn about programs in Alberta.
• Eat a healthy diet.
  • Choose vegetables and fruits, whole grains foods, and protein foods.
  • Limit saturated fat. Saturated fat is solid at room temperature. You can also check food labels for saturated fat content.
  • Try to limit how much sodium you eat to about 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day.
• Talk to your healthcare provider for support with weight and health. Carrying extra weight can impact your health.
• Do not smoke. Smoking can make most chronic health problems worse. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines. These can increase your chances of quitting for good. Call the AlbertaQuits Helpline at 1-866-710-7848 to learn about programs in Alberta.
• If you drink alcohol, try to drink less. Your risk of harm from alcohol is low if you have 2 drinks or less per week, moderate if you have 3 to 6 drinks per week, and high if you have 7 or more drinks per week. Drinking can lead to cancer, liver problems, high blood pressure, and other health problems. The more you drink, the higher your risk for injuries to yourself and others.
• Take your medicines on time and in the right amounts. Use a pillbox to organize them, and use schedules, alarms, or other tools to help you stay on track. For medicines to work properly, you must take them as directed. Call your doctor or nurse advice line if you think you are having a problem with your medicine.
• Get your blood pressure checked often. Get a cholesterol test when your doctor tells you to. And keep track of your blood sugar if you have diabetes.