Health Library

The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.

Lifestyle Changes

  • Hear how one woman found the support she needed to make heart-healthy choices.

  • Learn five tips to help you keep a healthy lifestyle change going.

  • Learn how prediabetes motivated one woman to change her habits.

  • So, you're ready to make a change that matters to you. You've planned for this change. You have your larger plan and smaller steps defined. Let's get started. As you start, it may help to know that you don't have to do it all at once. Taking one step at a time helps you stay focused. It makes it easier to manage...

  • Thinking about change, planning for change, and making your change happen all take work. Keeping a change going can be just as hard. It takes time to make it your new "normal." And you can expect to have a few tough times. To make this change part...

  • Guides you through the decision to use the medicine metformin, lifestyle changes, or both to prevent type 2 diabetes. Provides specifics about metformin and goals for lifestyle changes. Lists benefits and risks. Includes interactive tool to help you decide.

  • See how a diagnosis of heart disease inspired others to care for their heart.

  • Learn how heart disease affects you and how to help prevent a heart attack.

  • Learn what you can do at home to slow down kidney damage.

  • Almost everyone wants to change or improve some part of his or her life. For some people, it's eating better or getting more exercise. For others, it might be quitting smoking or drinking less. But whatever the change, you have to be ready to make it. And the reality is that only you know when you're ready for a change...

  • Maybe you're fine with the way your life's going right now. Or maybe the timing is wrong, and you need to wait to plan for a change. Either way, there might be something here that interests you. Don't change anything This may not be the time to make a change in your life. Instead, maybe it can be a time to...

  • Changing anything big in your life can be stressful. It can seem like a lot to do. This can be especially true when the change involves tobacco, a drug, alcohol, or changing how you eat. For some people, knowing that something has to change happens...

  • Deciding to make a change that matters is a big step. Maybe you're feeling hopeful, excited, and ready for the change. You could be feeling nervous about changing. Or maybe you're worried that you'll let down yourself and others if you're not able...

  • Hear why some people choose medicine and why others try to change their habits first.

  • Learn how healthy lifestyle changes can help lower your blood pressure.

  • High cholesterol is treated with heart-healthy lifestyle changes and medicine. These can lower your cholesterol and your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. You and your doctor may decide to first try treating your high cholesterol without medicine. Changing some of your habits may be all you need to do to...

  • When Joe turned 60 last year, he decided he was overdue for a good, old-fashioned physical. He had always been blessed with good health, but he knew that at his age he should be having regular checkups, especially since he was overweight. His doctor gave him a full exam and found no serious health problems. She also...

  • Experts believe that one-third to one-half of all cancers can be prevented. That's because there are certain things about our lifestyles—our daily habits—that can make us more likely to get cancer. Here are some steps you can take today to help...

  • Below are some of the most common and helpful strategies people use to get through the tough period of nicotine withdrawal. Make a list of your smoking triggers. It is wiser to avoid triggers after you have quit smoking than to tempt yourself too soon. If you cannot avoid them early on, be cautious when they are...

  • Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can be painful and, if allowed to continue, can lead to complications including esophagitis. Esophagitis is irritation or inflammation of the esophagus. You can make changes to your lifestyle to help relieve your symptoms of GERD. Here are some things to try...

  • The goal in treating cholesterol is to lower your chance of having a heart attack or a stroke. The goal is not to lower your cholesterol numbers alone. The following guidelines are from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart...

  • Guides you through the decision to take or not take medicine to treat high blood pressure. Explains what high blood pressure is and risks of not lowering it. Covers treatment choices and lifestyle changes.

  • If you have decided to start a healthy eating plan, congratulations! Making that decision is an important step in becoming a healthier person. Keep these key points in mind: When you're trying to develop new habits—whether it's healthy eating, getting more exercise, or quitting smoking—you have a better...

  • Replacing a bad habit with a good habit takes time and patience. It requires several steps, from setting your goals to getting support. One of the important steps is figuring out what your barriers are. What has stopped you from changing your eating...

  • Whatever you do, don't tell Jaci that you can tell she's been on a diet. The 30-year-old mother of two feels strongly that losing 65 pounds over 4 years was the result of permanent lifestyle changes—not dieting. "I actually get mad at people when they say, 'You've been on a diet.' I'm not on a diet. I've never been on a...

  • Maggie lost some weight a few years ago. But like many people who go on diets, she couldn't keep the pounds off. She didn't eat enough food, so she was hungry. And she denied herself the food she really loved, like pizza. Then she changed the way she looked at food and what it meant to be healthier. She lost 50 pounds...

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