Life's Essential 8™

Your checklist for lifelong good health

Life’s Essential 8 comprises two major areas:
Health Behaviors and Health Factors

Learn more about all 8

1. Eat Better

Aim for an overall healthy eating pattern that includes whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds, and cooking in non-tropical oils such as olive and canola.

Learn how to eat better.

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How to Eat Better (PDF)

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2. Be More Active

Adults should get 2 ½ hours of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week. Kids should have 60 minutes every day, including play and structured activities.

Learn how to move more.

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How to be More Active (PDF)

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3. Quit Tobacco

Use of inhaled nicotine delivery products, which includes traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping, is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., including about a third of all deaths from heart disease. Roughly 40% of U.S. children ages 3-11 are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Learn how to stop smoking.

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How to Quit Tobacco and Nicotine Products (PDF)

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4. Get Healthy Sleep

Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Children require more: 10-16 hours for ages 5 and younger, including naps; 9-12 hours for ages 6-12; and 8-10 hours for ages 13-18. Adequate sleep promotes healing, improves brain function and reduces the risk for chronic diseases.

Learn how to get adequate sleep.

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How to Get Healthy Sleep (PDF)

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5. Manage Weight

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight has many benefits. Body mass index, a numerical value of your weight in relation to your height, is a useful gauge. Optimal BMI is less than 25, but less than 18.5 is considered underweight. You can calculate it online or consult a health care professional.

Learn to lose or manage weight.

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How to Keep a Healthy Weight (PDF)

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6. Control Cholesterol

High levels of non-HDL, or “bad,” cholesterol can lead to heart disease. Your health care professional can consider non-HDL cholesterol as the preferred number to monitor, rather than total cholesterol, because it can be measured without fasting beforehand and is reliably calculated among all people.

Learn how to control cholesterol.

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How to Control Cholesterol (PDF)

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7. Manage Blood Sugar

Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose (or blood sugar) that our bodies use as energy. Over time, high levels of blood sugar can damage your heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves. As part of testing, monitoring hemoglobin A1c can better reflect long-term control in people with diabetes or prediabetes.

Learn how to control blood sugar.

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How to Manage Blood Sugar (PDF)

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8. Manage Blood Pressure

Keeping your blood pressure within acceptable ranges can keep you healthier longer. Levels less than 120/80 mm Hg are optimal. High blood pressure is defined as 130-139 mm Hg systolic pressure (the top number in a reading) or 80-89 mm Hg diastolic pressure (bottom number).

Learn how to manage blood pressure.