Brush your teeth

Sometimes the best advice comes from your best friend or, in this case, a fellow Health reader. Barbara Haug of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, says she brushes her teeth right after dinner instead of at bedtime. “I can be a compulsive snacker in the evening,” she says, “but I don’t like messing up freshly brushed teeth.”

Step it up

“Get a pedometer and start walking,” says University of Colorado obesity expert James Hill, author of The Step Diet. To keep the weight off forever, the goal is to take 11,000 to 12,000 steps (around 90 minutes) a day. “You don’t need to do it all at once,” Hill explains. Start with 2,000 steps a day, or about 15 minutes of walking. Add another 5 minutes (500 steps) each week. You can find supercheap pedometers at drugstores and big-box retailers to help you keep count. There are lots of other sneaky little ways to add more steps to your day, too: Use a cordless phone and walk while you talk, or get up and walk during TV commercials.

Try the 3-hour rule

The secret to losing weight comes down to keeping your metabolism alive and active,” according to fitness guru Jorge Cruise, author of The 3-Hour Diet. How do you do that? By eating every 3 hours, give or take 10 to 20 minutes, he says, which translates to three moderate meals with three snacks (100 calories each) between meals. Though other experts say there’s nothing magic about 3-hour intervals, eating small, frequent, portion-controlled meals and snacks can keep your blood sugar level steady, your energy up, and keep you from overindulging.

Fitness - Exercising for a healthy heart

When you have coronary artery disease, it is very important to exercise regularly. If you aren't already active, your doctor may want you to begin an exercise program. Even if you can only do a small amount of exercise, it is better than not doing any exercise at all.
Key points:
Talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise program. Your doctor may do an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) and possibly an exercise stress test to assess how much activity your heart can safely handle.
Start an exercise program, such as walking, cycling, or jogging. Exercise for at least 30 minutes on most, preferably all, days of the week. Studies show that exercise effectively reduces the number of fatal heart attacks in people with coronary artery disease.1
A complete exercise program consists of aerobic exercise, strength training, and stretching.
After you start exercising, stop your activity immediately if you experience chest pain, feel faint or lightheaded, or become extremely out of breath.
Set goals you can reach. If you expect too much, you are likely to become discouraged and stop exercising.