Living a healthier lifestyle can help to prevent heart disease. This means eliminating all tobacco, following a heart-healthy diet, and getting regular exercise.

It is always important to talk with your doctor before starting an exercise program, particularly if you have certain health conditions.

To improve your heart and lung fitness, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times a week.

Lack of physical activity has clearly been shown to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Physical inactivity is just as big a risk factor for heart disease as high blood pressure and smoking are. So, be the exception rather than the rule. Here are eight ways to exercise for a healthier heart.

Which is more important to you -- being able to wear the jeans you wore five years ago, or being able to move better, have more energy and improve your health?

You know it's important to stay active but still find yourself falling back on old habits. What can you do? Planning for exercise isn't hard if you make it a priority.

A private advisory group's call for 60 minutes of physical activity each day are in line with the 2005 USDA Guidelines for exercise of 30 to 60 minutes. The new advice was meant to get people moving, but some experts are worried about recommending 60 minutes.

Some excuses—I weigh too much, I'm too old, I have too many health problems—are in themselves strong arguments for increasing physical activity.

Weight lifting is one of the fastest-growing U.S. fitness activities. And the American Heart Association recently threw its weight behind weight lifting, too.