Lose weight. Dropping just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight will improve all of your target numbers.

Exercise one hour daily. Even a brisk one-hour walk will help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, and build up your heart’s collateral blood flow.

Get blood sugar checked. Your goal should be a fasting blood sugar level of 100 or less. Too much blood sugar raises LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Practice stress reduction. Being under stress hikes cholesterol levels because when you’re under stress, your body responds by pumping out hormones, including cortisol. Research has shown that over the long term, too much cortisol in the blood is associated with higher cholesterol levels.

Sleep more. Aim for 10 hours of sleep a night. Sleep deprivation raises LDL cholesterol. It can also raise blood pressure, and studies find people tend to compensate for their sleep loss by overeating.