Start living your best life

To help people improve their heart health, the American Heart Association has developed a new online resource — My Life Check (www.heart.org/ MyLife Check). The short assessment easily identifies the seven goals for ideal health and notes where a person is on the spectrum, while additional tools and information offer specific action steps to improve the measurements and track personal progress toward better health and prevention of disease.

Most Americans are in denial about their health — a 2010 survey showed 39 percent rated their heart health as ideal, yet 67 percent said they were obese or overweight. Fewer than half of adults know their cholesterol, BMI or glucose numbers. High rates of obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity, remain serious threats. That’s unacceptable.

In a scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, the association described seven health factors and lifestyle behaviors that can affect optimal cardiovascular health. Improvements in these areas can greatly impact quality of life and lifespan, as well as dramatically reduce the financial burden of the Medicare-eligible population, said Dr. Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, lead author of the statement.

The American Heart Association categorizes cardiovascular health as poor, intermediate or ideal — depending on where people are in each of the seven areas. Ideal cardiovascular health for adults is defined by the presence of these seven health measures, known as Life’s Simple 7:

* Never smoked or quit more than one year ago.

* Body mass index less than 25 kg/m2.

* Physical activity of at least 150 minutes (moderate intensity) or 75 minutes (vigorous intensity) each week.

* Four to five of the key components of a healthy diet consistent with current American Heart Association guideline recommendations.

* Total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL.

* Blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg.

* Fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL.

Everyone can strive to reach his or her optimal level of heart health. The first step is to know your heart 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.

It’s simple. Of all the treatment strategies that work for heart disease and stroke, the best treatment is to avoid disease altogether. Prevention should be a cornerstone of healthcare reform, a priority of our state and local legislatures, incorporated into our workplace policies, in our schools and our community environments and a big part of our everyday lives. The American Heart Association is clearly focusing not only on reducing the burden of disease but, importantly, on prevention of disease.

The New Year New You challenge is focused on giving people the tools to make minor changes that will make a major difference in their health — live longer, stronger lives. A healthier lifestyle is one step in preventing heart disease and stroke from claiming more lives.

We’re encouraging everyone to take a big step toward a better life. Within just a few minutes, you can get your personal heart score and a custom plan with the seven simple steps you need to start living your best life. Go to www.heart.org/MyLifeCheck

Small businesses

Team name Business

Charming Chicks (9)* Central Valley Health

Bullish on Fitness (8) Edward Jones

Paradox (7) Kenneth McDougal DDS

Team Tia Tanning (7) Tia Tanning and Well-Being

High Five Club (8) Med Center One

Lallaper Losers (10) First Community Credit Union

Alphagators (8) Alpha Opportunities

Mr. B’s Chamber Chicks (8) Jamestown Chamber of Commerce

5th Dimension /Freebirds (14) James River Correctional Center

Team I.E. (11) Interstate Engineering

Lifetime Eyecare (14) Lifetime Eyecare

Trucking into a Fit 2012 (13) Real Truck.com

KS Krew (5) Paul Behle

Jamestown Ambulance (8) PJ Hardy

For the Kids (10) Jamestown Regional Child Support

Big businesses

Team name Business

Anne Carlsen Center Anne Carlsen Center

Lincoln (16) Lincoln Grade School

Wellness Warriors (34) Jamestown Regional Medical Center

JMS (28) Jamestown Middle School

Jump Roapers (18) South Central Human Service Center

Mighty Montyvators (18) Montpelier School

Sanford (24) Sanford Clinic

Goodrich (32) Goodrich

Jamestown College (28) Jamestown College

Bank Forward BFF’s Bank Forward

overall average

*Number of team members listed in parentheses next to team names

Tags: life, health