When it comes to protecting your heart, it’s the everyday choices you make that can add up to a heart-healthy lifestyle. Start with your own two feet: Instead of walking on flat terrain or a treadmill, walk up and down hills or set your treadmill on an incline.

The payoff: “Brisk walking on a flat surface increases your metabolic rate by about three times over sitting and resting,” says American Heart Association spokesperson Barry Franklin, Ph.D. “By walking uphill, you work at five, six, seven or more times your resting metabolic rate, which markedly increases fitness and the benefits to your heart.” (Note: Check with your doctor before embarking on an exercise program.)

—Laura Flynn McCarthy

NEXT: Add some spice>>