Now, more than ever, it appears as though a new climate of health trends is sweeping the nation. Whether it be the latest cleanse, food elimination, or quick-fix fads, it’s easy to get caught up in the diet of the day. But let’s keep sight of our long-term health goals.

In order to maintain our own heart health, set a good example, and instill healthy habits in our children, we have to make meaningful changes to our lifestyle. 

Why is fostering a healthy heart quintessential to overall health? Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. and is more deadly than all forms of cancer. In Washington state, about 18 women die from heart disease or a stroke every day.

The reason why we need to talk about heart disease is made clear in another statistical shocker: A full quarter of heart disease deaths are preventable, according to the CDC. That means through diet, exercise, reducing stress, and stopping smoking, we could collectively avoid 200,000 cardiovascular deaths a year in the U.S. This is equivalent to a city the size of Tacoma, and it is in our power to make a change. 

But as anyone who has made a goal to start going to the gym or tried to lose weight knows, it’s easier said than done. How many of us wish we never had gained the weight in the first place, or started getting in the habit of exercising at a younger age?

That’s why it’s imperative to start heart disease prevention efforts at a young age. However old you are, how you live now affects your risk for heart disease later. That’s why The Hope Heart Institute has developed peer-evaluated, age-appropriate heart-health curriculum for children, ages 5–18.

For the youngest kids, it’s all about fitness, nutrition, and goal setting. For middle school and high school students, we add science, anatomy, and stress reduction. The result is that children start making healthier choices about eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising every day, and never starting to smoke. 

When you start good eating and exercise habits earlier, you build a lifelong foundation for health. And it’s never too early to start practicing good habits: Plaque can start accumulating in arteries as early as adolescence, and the American Heart Association recommends you start getting your cholesterol checked at age 20, or earlier if your family has a history of heart disease. As parents, we have an obligation to our children to set them up for a lifetime of heart health and well-being. 

To date, more than 130,000 Washington state students have received our interactive science- and health-based curricula. We’ve developed the curricula with experts at the University of Washington, Seattle University, National Science Foundation, and Seattle School District teachers, to ensure it’s engaging, relevant, and moves the needle on behaviors. 

For those of us who have passed on into adulthood, it’s never too late to start these healthy habits. What should adults do? You probably know already, but it’s always helpful to get a reminder: Eat more than five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Exercise more than 30 minutes a day. Know your blood pressure, cholesterol and tryglicerides, and see if you can get them to healthy levels. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you smoke, stop. These steps can save thousands of lives in Washington State alone. 

Lives are at stake. But so are dollars. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, treatment of cardiovascular diseases accounts for about $1 of every $6 spent on health care in this country, or $444 billion in 2010. If we can prevent the 25 percent of heart disease that is preventable, that’s a lot of dollars, and a lot of friends and family we get to spend time with for years to come.  The best way we can start is by investing in our kids’ health and making our own health a priority.

So this summer, dust off those health resolutions and make these changes like your life depends on it. Because it does. 

Cherie Skager is the executive director of The Hope Heart Institute, a Bellevue, Wash.-based nonprofit that delivers research, education and hope to those in the Northwest who are at risk or have been impacted by cardiovascular disease. For more information, visit hopeheart.org.