Follow and join the conversation with #MyLifeCheck, #LifesSimple7, and #hearthealth.

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the world.  Someone in the United States has a heart attack every 34 seconds.  Every 60 seconds someone dies from a heart disease-related event.  According to the American Heart Association (@American_Heart), each year heart disease kills more than 786,000 Americans, which is larger than the populations of several states (Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming). The CDC says at least 200,00 of these deaths are preventable.

The mission of the American Heart Association is “to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.” One of the tools the AHA provides to help inform and guide people on the road to prevention and a healthier lifestyle is My Life Check®.

My Life Check
My Life Check was designed to give people almost instant feedback about the state of their heart. Users simply answer 17 brief questions about activity levels, diet, and vitals and instantly receive their heart score.  An ideal heart score is a 10.  My Life Check uses Life’s Simple 7, (healthy weight, healthy diet, physical activity, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugar, and smoking status), to determine this score and provide instruction on how to improve it.  The feedback is grouped into two main categories: “What You Can Act On” and “What You Can Be Proud Of.”

Life’s Simple 7

Once users have their score they can click on each item from the Life’s Simple 7 list and immediately access a plethora of information, tips, and even a video about how to improve health in this area.  Each item on the list is explained in detail and users are shown why each is important to heart health.  The videos are brief and simple, but quickly provide tips and explanations needed to understand why this item of the Simple 7 is crucial to improving health.  The AHA advises starting with one or two of the items maintaining that even modest improvements in a few of these areas make a big difference toward a healthy lifestyle.

Spread the Word
Now that you know about My Life Check and Life’s Simple 7 why not share what you know with others? Whether you work in healthcare or simply want to help your community, join the mission of the AHA to stop heart disease before it starts.  Visit the American Heart Association’s website where you will find several resources to help you share My Life Check and Life’s Simple 7 with others.