February is Heart Health Month

Thanks to the American Heart Association it is now very simple to measure heart health for you and consequently for your family. It is a well established fact that the habits of adults impact the entire family. If we as adults fall into the high risk category for heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease on the 7 point checklist, our children are very likely to be at risk as well. Hopefully, the majority of our habits fall into the “healthy heart habits” category. Let’s a look at the healthy “simple 7”. For adults, the seven goals for achieving ideal cardiovascular health are:

• • Never smoked or quit more than a year ago.
• • Body mass index, a measure based on weight and height, less than 25. Go to http://

www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ to figure your index. Or search body mass index and go to the

NIH site.

• • Physical exercise — at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous

intensity each week.

• • At least four key components of a healthy diet, such as fewer calories, more fruits and

vegetables, and oily fish, such as salmon, four times a week.

• • Total cholesterol lower than 200.
• • Blood pressure below 120/80.

Fasting blood sugar below 100.

The goals and an assessment chart can be accessed online at www.heart.org/MyLifeCheck.

This is a great site which also tells you how to improve your status and allows you to track your progress toward better health. Very strong scientific evidence shows us that the package of all seven is the fountain of youth for your life. Get up and get going with your entire family. No matter your age or physical status, start those healthy habits now! Brought to you by your Parish Nurse from:

SOURCES: Health Day, January 20, 2010. And Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., medical director, Baylor Heart and Vascular

Institute, Dallas, and president, American Heart Association; Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., associate professor,

medicine, and chair, preventive medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago;

Jan. 20, 2010, Circulation, online