You can't change your age, your race or the fact that you have arthritis, but you can minimize other risk factors for heart disease. Here are 14 important things you can do to help your heart.

1. Get moving. Regular exercise can help lower both blood pressure and cholesterol levels and, in the process, decrease your risk of heart disease. If arthritis makes it difficult to exercise, ask your physician or physical therapist to help you find an exercise program that is right for you.

2. Drop a few pounds. Not up to a major weight-loss regimen or you don't have that much to lose? Studies show that dropping as few as 10 to 20 pounds can help you reduce your risk.

3. Get control. Numerous medical conditions, including hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes, as well as some forms of arthritis, can increase your risk of heart disease. Controlling these problems can help your heart.

4. Eat your veggies — and fruits, too. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Studies have associated certain phytochemicals (plant chemicals) with a lowered risk of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits are good sources of folic acid, which can help lower blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease.

5. Hold the meat. Meat is a major contributor to dietary fat and cholesterol. If you eat meat, buy only lean cuts and keep portions small. (A steak should be about the size of a deck of cards.)

6. Drink — in moderation. Excessive alcohol consumption can raise blood pressure and blood fat levels and can cause obesity and heartbeat irregularities. On the other hand, moderate alcohol intake (approximately one drink per day for women and two for men) may decrease heart disease risk. One caveat: If you are taking medications that interact with alcohol (such as acetaminophen or methotrexate), the risks could far outweigh any benefits you might gain from a daily drink.

7. Consider supplements. Taking supplements of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 may help reduce your blood levels of homocysteine (see #4). Because homocysteine levels may be elevated in people with RA and lupus, it's particularly important to get enough of these nutrients if you have one of these diseases.

8. Stop smoking. If you smoke, there are many reasons to quit. Add heart disease to your list.

9. Fight fat with fiber. Studies have shown that a high-fiber diet can decrease cholesterol levels. In one study, men who ate two bowls of high-fiber cereal daily made changes in their diets that brought them in line with American Heart Association guidelines for fat and cholesterol consumption. In another study, people who used the fiber supplement Metamusil twice daily lowered harmful cholesterol by as much as 5 percent.

10. Accept substitutes. Substituting low-fat foods for their higher fat versions can reduce your dietary fat intake and may even provide more direct benefits. For example, a product called Benecol has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels by 14 percent in people who consumed three daily servings. Made of a wood pulp extract, Benecol can be used to replace butter or margarine on bread and in some recipes.

11. Reduce stress. Emotional and psychological stress can contribute to heart disease. To combat stress, try taking a walk or a yoga class, meditate, see a counselor, avoid debt, or learn deep-breathing and relaxation exercises.

12. Don't hesitate to medicate. If you have high blood pressure or cholesterol levels that aren't helped by changing your diet and lifestyle, medications can help.

13. Take two aspirin and… Well, actually a half an aspirin daily is what doctors recommend to help prevent heart disease and stroke. If you are taking traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), you probably won't need to add aspirin, as these drugs reduce the stickiness of blood platelets and, thus, prevent clots. The new class of NSAIDs called COX-2 inhibitors does not have this effect, however; if you're taking one of those, speak to your doctor about taking low-dose aspirin.

14. Consider estrogen — or not. For women prior to menopause, estrogen helps protect against cardiovascular disease. If you're menopausal or beyond, there is some evidence that estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) may do the same. But there's a major exception: Women with anticardiolipin antibodies (and this may represent as many of 30 percent of women with lupus) should avoid ERT or even oral contraceptives containing estrogen. In these women, estrogen can increase the risk of blood clots.