Self-Care
Heart Health Self-Care for Women : 8 Steps You Can Take Today
Taking charge of your heart health starts with you. Here are eight evidence-based steps you can take today, independently.
You have read about the risks. You may have even recognised a few of them in yourself. So what now?
Bringing what you have learned to your next doctor’s appointment is a great next step, if you have one coming up. But access to a family doctor varies widely across Canada. According to the OurCare Survey 2025, an estimated 5.9 million adults in Canada do not have reliable access to a regular family doctor, nurse practitioner or primary care team.
Whatever your situation, most of what protects your heart is within your control, starting today.
Start with 8 important steps
Based on Life’s Essential 8 (ref – AHA), heart disease in women is driven by a short list of risk factors, and every one of them responds to something you can do yourself. The first three are numbers you can have measured at a pharmacy, free, with no appointment and no referral. The remaining five are habits.
You do not need a prescription or an appointment to begin any of them.
2. Manage your blood pressure
Keeping blood pressure in range protects your heart long-term. You can measure it at your local pharmacy, free, with no appointment and no referral.
GOAL
120/80 mmHg
If it is elevated, you can lower it naturally by:
Regular physical activity, which lowers blood pressure for hours after you finish
Cutting back on salt
Drinking less alcohol
Weight loss where that applies
3. Control your cholesterol
High cholesterol can lead to heart disease. It can be measured without fasting beforehand. Ask your pharmacist about screening options.
GOAL
LDL-C (the harmful cholesterol) under 2-3 mmol/L, or apoB under 0.80
Even without a blood test, you can gauge some of your risk. A family history of heart attacks, angioplasty (balloon procedures) or heart surgery can raise yours.
You can lower it naturally with a heart-healthy eating pattern, and with weight loss where that applies.
4. Check for pre-diabetes or diabetes
Over time, high blood sugar damages the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves. You can have this tested at your local pharmacy.
GOAL
A1C, the three-month sugar test, under 5.7
If it is elevated, you can lower it naturally by:
30 minutes of daily physical activity
Fewer sweets, and smaller servings of starches such as rice, couscous, pasta and bread
Choosing whole wheat over refined
Refer to Diabetes Canada meal planning.
1. Move more
Regular physical activity lowers blood sugar and blood pressure, can raise good cholesterol, helps manage stress and improves sleep. The blood-pressure benefit lasts for up-to 12 hours after you stop moving, not just while you are exercising.
GOAL
30 minutes or more daily
Any activity you like and enjoy. Have fun. A brisk walk counts.
5. Manage your weight
Obesity is designated a chronic disease and can cause other health problems.
GOAL
A body mass index under 30, or a waist circumference under 80 cm (31.5 inches)
You can lower it naturally by eating more healthy foods in smaller servings, and by more regular physical activity. Weight loss also helps lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, which is why this single step does more than one job.
6. Quit smoking/Vaping
There is no safe level of smoking/vaping, and the cardiovascular risk of smoking it carries is greater in women than in men. Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death.
GOAL
Zero
How you quit is an individual choice. Cold turkey, hypnosis, acupuncture and cognitive behavioural therapy all work for different people. Your pharmacist can advise on quit aids such as the nicotine patch or prescription medications, and can tell you what is covered where you live.
According to the CDC, the risk of heart attack drops sharply within one to two years of quitting.
7. Rethink alcohol
Alcohol can raise blood pressure, increase risk in diabetes and make weight loss harder.
GOAL
Fewer than 2 to 3 drinks per week, or none
Non-alcoholic options have improved enormously. Choosing them is not a compromise.
8. Protect your sleep
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Adequate sleep promotes healing, improves brain function and reduces the risk of chronic disease.
GOAL
7 to 9 hours each night
Regular physical activity, quiet environment, less screen time and no caffeine in the evening helps in promoting better sleep cycles.
The most powerful thing you can do
Take care of yourself. Talk about it. As women, we have an amazing support network. Share what you learn here with your mother, your sister, your friends. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Canadian women, yet most women remain unaware of the risk factors specific to them. That number can change one conversation at a time.
You do not need a referral to take your heart health seriously. You need information, and a place to start. This is that place.
Sources
- American Heart Association. Life's Essential 8. 2026.
- American Heart Association. Warning Signs of a Heart Attack.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Effects of Cigarettes: Cardiovascular Disease.
- Global News / Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada. Questions about blood pressure? A pharmacist explains the help they can provide. 2022.
