Life's Simple 7 Materials: Small Changes, Big Impact

Thanks to the women who joined me for our Life's Simple 7 presentation last week.  I want to share with all the AHA materirals provided.  I think you will find the simple concept of small changes that lead to big impact will serve you well in the months ahead, as you "graduate" from the BetterU program.

http://mylifecheck.heart.org/ Is our website dedicated to lifestyle changes that improve heart health.

The Simple 7 are the 7 areas where you can make a huge impact with small efforts:
http://mylifecheck.heart.org/Multitab.aspx?NavID=3&CultureCode=en-US

You can create an action plan--along with your healthcare providers--and take our MyLifeCheck Assessment.  http://mylifecheck.heart.org/PledgePage.aspx?NavID=5&CultureCode=en-US

You can complete the assessment initially without knowing all of your health #'s, but it is a great idea to work with your health care provider and get as much of the following information as you can to input into the confidential, private assessment tool:

Total cholesterol
LDL cholesterol
HDL cholesterol
Triglycerides
Blood sugar
Blood pressure

After you've plugged in information about your #'s, your lifestyle, and your family history, you'll get a heart health score and great information about how to move toward more ideal cardiovascular health.

You can also pay it forward using the My Life Check resources page:
http://mylifecheck.heart.org/Resources.aspx?NavID=563&CultureCode=en-US

Our www.heart.org website is something I encourage you to explore in an ongoing way.  Some highlights:

The "Getting Healthy" area gives you TONS of information about nutrition, physical activity, etc.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/GettingHealthy_UCM_001078_SubHomePage.jsp

Under "Conditions" you can find information on specific needs like controlling high BP or cholesterol:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Conditions_UCM_001087_SubHomePage.jsp

Here are our cholesterol tools and resources, for example:  http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/CholesterolToolsResources/Cholesterol-Tools-and-Resources_UCM_001216_Article.jsp

We hope that you've had a wonderful journey toward better health, via BetterU.  But you are just getting started!  Use the resources above as a jumping off point to be your own best health advocate, work with your healthcare providers to create a concrete plan that will help you stay on the good health path. 

Cheers to your heart-healthy life!