Father's Day is fast approaching and, it's a great way to reflect on ways to improve a man's health. For men, a few simple steps can mean spending more days with family and those you love.

Men's health is not about trying to treat things as they are happening. Instead, men should focus on preventative measures to improve quality of life and live longer. Heart health is an important part of men's health and with simple changes; a men can reduce his risk for a heart attack and a slew of other diseases.

Reducing cardiovascular risk can be as simple as reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and weight. Led by Dr. Stuart Katz from the NYU Langone Medical Center, researchers are breaking down men's health to its most basic principles.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of men in the America, taking nearly 600,000 lives each year. Some common risk factors include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking and high cholesterol. Luckily many of these risk factors can be managed with a few, easy adjustments in your life.

For starters, the experts at NYU Langone Medical Center recommend getting your blood pressure checked. This simple procedure can easily determine if you are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure is a big risk factor for stroke and heart attack.

Understanding cholesterol may take a little longer than getting your blood pressure checked, but working with a doctor, you'll be a pro at knowing the difference between good and bad cholesterol levels. With many of the same risk factors that high blood pressure has for cardiovascular disease, it's important to know that while high cholesterol is a risk factor, there is such a thing as good cholesterol.

Fish oils or Omega-3 Fatty Acids, exercising and maintaining healthy weight can improve your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. HDL cholesterol is considered to be good because it takes the bad cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, and transports it to the liver so it can be reused.

Most importantly, keeping track of your weight will go a long way to reducing blood pressure, cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease risk. Maintaining a healthy, by using something like the Body Mass Index (BMI) or working with your doctor, is an important part of men's health. Making healthy choices, eating better and exercising can help keep you at a healthy weight.

Reducing cardiovascular disease risk will not only have you feeling good but it'll also help in other areas. As per Medical Daily's interview with Dr. Michael Eisenberg, cardiovascular disease and erectile dysfunction are related and improving heart health will also reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction.

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