A strong, healthy heart is what we all want to have beating inside our chests.

But our hearts can't stay strong if we don't take care of them.

And having diabetes means your heart needs extra love and care because high blood sugar damages blood vessels.

And so do high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which lots of people with diabetes also have.

That means your risk of having a heart attack or stroke is a lot higher than someone who doesn't have diabetes.

So you need to work harder to take good care of your heart.

How do you do that?

Well, the list is going to sound familiar, because you've probably heard it before.

Eat healthy foods.

Quit smoking.

And get regular exercise.

That's right.

The healthy habits that protect your heart also help you control your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Heart attacks and strokes are scary.

But if the fear of having one doesn't give you enough reason to start making healthy changes, think about this: Healthy changes don't just lower your risk for heart attack tomorrow.

They help you make the most of today.

They help keep your blood sugar in your target range and help you manage your blood pressure and cholesterol.

So think of the risk of a heart attack or stroke as one more reason to make those healthy changes.

Your heart will thank you for keeping it strong.