For the first time, the American Heart Association has defined "ideal cardiovascular health" by identifying seven factors and lifestyle behaviors that support heart health. The Association believes that improvements in these 7 areas, known as Life's Simple 7, can greatly impact quality of life and life span.  These seven are:

• No smoking
• Body mass index less than 25 kg/m2
• Physical activity of at least 150 minutes (moderate intensity) or 75 minutes (vigorous intensity) each week
• A healthy diet consistent with current American Heart Association guideline recommendations
• Total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL
• Blood pressure below 120/80 mmHg
• Fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL

Through aggressive improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, death by heart disease and stroke has been reduced by 25% over the last several years. The Association hopes to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% while reducing death from cardiovascular disease and stroke by another 20% by the year 2020.  The idea is to reach people in middle age and younger and teach them to prevent heart disease and stroke by helping them identify and adopt healthier lifestyle choices.

Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D.,Sc.M., lead author of Life's Simple 7 published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association says, "Ideal health can be difficult to achieve, in part because genetics can play an important role in several health factors but everyone should strive to reach their optimal level of heart health.  The first step is to know your health numbers - cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose – and what they mean.  The next step is to try to reach as close to "ideal" as you can."

For more information go to:  http://www.goredforwomen.org

Interval Training pushes yourself a little harder than you normally would.  It plays a game with your heart and legs by alternating from a higher intensity to a lower intensity for short periods of time.  It develops working muscles to handle higher workloads faster than exercising at a steady state. 

A general guideline for interval training:

Step 1:  Warm Up - gradually get into your target heart rate range for the first 5-7 minutes and then stay at that steady state workload for about 10 minutes. 
Step 2:  Begin interval training by lowering your workload to interval low - dropping your speed .5 mph below your steady state speed for about 60 seconds.  For example if your steady state speed on a treadmill was 3.0 mph your interval low speed would be 2.5 mph. 
Step 3:  Increase your speed up to your interval high speed, increasing your speed  .5 mph above your steady state speed for 1 to 2 minutes.  For example if your steady state speed on a treadmill was 3.0 mph your interval high speed would be 3.5 mph. There should be a full mile per hour difference between your low and high speeds.
Step 4:  Repeat steps 2 and 3 four times to complete one set.  Check your heart rate throughout the intervals to make sure you are not working above your range.  If you are above your training heart rate, decrease your interval high and low speeds for the next set of intervals.
Step 5:  Repeat entire process 2 or 3 times depending on how much time you have to workout.
Step 6:  Cool Down - gradually lower your heart rate below your target heart rate range for 5-7 minutes.

Interval training can be done on any piece of exercise equipment and even outdoors.  You would follow the same principles of increasing and decreasing your workloads for short periods of time.  Use a heart rate monitor as your guide to know how much to vary your workload. For example your interval high heart rate might be 10-15 beats higher than your interval low heart rate.

Because interval training is a more intense exercise, you would not want to do this every day.  Interval training should be done 2 times a week.  It is a great form of cross training because it is doing something that you don't normally do and it is pushing you harder than you would normally workout.  Be sure to skip at least one day between interval workouts to give your body a break.

Beans, including garbanzo, white, black, red, and navy, are naturally low in fat and contain no saturated fat, trans fats, or cholesterol. They are high in protein, fiber, iron, folic acid, and potassium. While all beans have health benefits, the more colorful beans, such as red and black, may have an added bonus. Beans contain eight flavonoids, plant substances that act as nature's dyes and give many fruits and vegetables their colors. Scientists say these plant chemicals act as antioxidants to give you some protection against heart disease and certain cancers. Studies also suggest eating beans may help manage diabetes and cut the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

The Benefits of Beans

• Eat legumes regularly. A recent study found that people who eat legumes (beans, peas, and peanuts) four or more times each week lower their risk of developing heart disease by 22% compared with those who eat them less than once a week.
• Beans can be as effective as oat bran in lowering cholesterol.
• ½  cup of beans provides at least 10% of your daily folate needs.

Bean Tips:

• Add a handful of intensely flavored greens, such as arugula, and a touch of Parmesan cheese to perk up a bean dish.
• Combine tomatoes, which are high in vitamin C, with beans, a source of iron, and your body will absorb more of the iron.
• Reach for red and black beans as often as possible for a more potent nutritional boost.

Source: HeartHealthyOnline.com

Stacey Whittle, RD, CPT and Dorothy Bernet, MS, RD, CPT are Registered Dietitians and Co-Founders of Healthy by Design Nutrition Specialists in Santa Monica, CA. For more information visit their website:  www.healthybydesignnutrition.com

According to a 2006 report published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, "diet and lifestyle therapies remain the foundation of clinical intervention for prevention."  In other words, while drug treatments and surgical procedures can treat cardiovascular disease, the best protection you can get comes from eating right and exercising.

The National Institutes of Health report that a 5% to 10% weight loss can make a big difference in lowering your risk for heart disease.

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