When you're busy balancing work, your family, friends and a personal life, it's easy to forget how important heart-health is to your overall well-being. With February being American Heart Month, it's a good time to look at ways to lower your risk for heart disease, heart attack, diabetes or stroke. Here are six tips to keep your heart healthy.

1. Load up on fruits and veggies: They're low in calories and high in heart-healthy vitamins, minerals and fiber. Get your daily fix by eating four to five servings a day.

ø 2. Choose whole grains: They're naturally low-fat, high in fiber and full of vitamins and minerals that help regulate your blood pressure and cholesterol. As little as three servings per day can reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

3. Do some aerobic exercise: Walking, biking, swimming, running and dancing make your heart and lungs stronger, improve your stamina, and get your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers down.

4. Get some sleep: Aim to get around eight hours of sleep nightly to protect your heart, stabilize blood sugar and stay trim.

5. Drink more water: Ø Dehydration and lack of water can cause blood to thicken, forcing your heart to work harder to pump it throughout your body. Drinking plenty of water each day will help regulate blood flow so your most important organ is not strained.

6. Quit smoking: Nicotine increases your cardiac muscle's need for blood and decreases the amount of blood that can flow through your blood vessels. Carbon monoxide bumps oxygen molecules off your red blood cells, which limits the amount of oxygen reaching your heart.

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