Check these five to-dos off your list and keep that ticker happy, healthy, and strong.

1. Eat more fruits, vegetables and fish
   
   Stock up on colorful foods that are rich in heart-healthy antioxidants, such as pomegranates, blueberries, tomatoes, and spinach. Antioxidants decrease your risk of heart disease because of the anti-inflammatory effect they have on the blood vessels.
   
   Many fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, bananas, and mushrooms, are also high in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure.
   
   Also learn to navigate your grocery's seafood section, and make it a habit to include fatty fish like salmon, sardines, or rainbow trout in your diet.  These help reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing your blood pressure and triglycerides.
   
   
2. Cut the fat
   
   These help reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing your blood pressure and triglycerides.  Try to eliminate trans fats from your diet too. They're the worst offenders, not only raising levels of bad cholesterol but also lowering levels of good cholesterol. Only 1 percent of your daily diet should consist of trans fats. Foods such as margarine, oils, fried foods, and pastries are prime spots for this heart foe, so beware.
   
   
3. Know your risk
   
   It's important to see your physician to check for high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, and signs of diabetes.  Another way to assess your risk is to know your family's history.  Knowing your numbers and risks allows you to be proactive about your health.
   
   
4. Move your feet
   
   Not up for an intense workout? Even walking for 30 minutes a day can help strengthen your heart.  Exercise can increase your high-density lipoprotein, commonly known as "good" cholesterol, and decrease your low-density lipoprotein, also known as "bad" cholesterol. The more you exercise, the better your chances of reducing your cholesterol.
   
   
5. Stop smoking
   
   It's time to give up cigarettes. For good. Besides the fact that they cause cancer, are expensive, and just plain smell bad, they could very well kill you. Smokers are two to four times more likely to develop coronary heart disease.
   
   Smoking tobacco narrows arteries, raises blood pressure, and thickens blood, making it more likely to clot—the perfect recipe for a heart attack.
   
   And if you don't care enough about your own health to stop, think of how you are affecting the health of those around you. Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause heart disease even in nonsmokers