Heart Health Archive

If you want to exercise but can't seem to do it, this quiz may help you identify some of the barriers that keep you from being more active.

Barriers to Being Active Quiz

What keeps you from being more active? Take the following quiz to find out.

You could be one in a million

Tomaselli GF, Harty MB, Horton K, Schoeberl M. The American Heart Association and the Million Hearts Initiative: a presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2011; 124:1795-99.

Increasing activity can be a walk in the park

Smith SC Jr, Benjamin EJ, Bonow RO, Braun LT, Creager MA, Franklin BA, Gibbons RJ, Grundy SM, Hiratzka LF, Jones DW, Lloyd-Jones DM, Minissian M, Mosca L, Peterson ED, Sacco RL, Spertus J, Stein JH, Taubert KA. AHA/ACCF Secondary Prevention and Risk Reduction Therapy for Patients With Coronary and Other Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: 2011 Update: A Guideline From the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation. Circulation 2011; 124:2458-73.

Winter's cold temperatures contribute to heart problems.

Yet only half the people who should take it, do.

Aspirin is one of the simplest, safest, cheapest — and most effective — ways to prevent a clot-caused heart attack or stroke. It does so by preventing platelets from sticking together in your blood, an early step in clot formation.

Symptomatically silent, it's often the first step toward a stroke or heart attack.

Blood pressure — your doctor routinely checks it because high blood pressure can contribute to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, and other serious illnesses.

Diet, exercise, and drugs can lower the bad and raise the good.

Cholesterol comes in two basic forms. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, contributes to clogged arteries. High-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol, keeps the bad stuff from accumulating. So your LDL number should be low and your HDL number should be high.

Help is out there for those who want to quit.

Smokers know well that the best thing they can do for themselves and the people around them is to quit. But the nicotine in cigarettes is viciously addictive. People who've been hooked on both nicotine and narcotics commonly say cigarettes are a harder habit to kick than heroin.

Fresh fruits and veggies are satisfying mainstays.

Dietary changes require time and effort, but they may not be as hard as you think. Focus on the pleasure of eating what's healthy, and you'll automatically cut down on what's not.

The mainstays of heart-healthy eating are fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and non–red-meat sources of protein such as poultry, fish, and beans. Most people can find an array of tasty options among those foods. And what's more convenient than washing an apple or peeling a banana?

Every little bit helps; fun and convenience are key factors.

Exercising more regularly may be harder and more time-consuming than tossing an aspirin into your mouth and swallowing some water. But, just like eating more healthfully, it's not as hard as it might seem.

Whether you call it "health care reform" or "Obamacare," the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) aligns well with Million Hearts goals. The ACA allocated about $103 million in funding to 61 states and communities via the CDC's Community Transformation Grants. These grants help cities and towns create environments that are tobacco-free and make it easier for people to walk, bicycle, and eat more healthfully.

The law also gives enrollees in new private insurance plans free access to blood pressure and cholesterol screening and free annual wellness visits for Medicare beneficiaries. It also gradually fills Medicare's "doughnut hole" in prescription-drug coverage to help older citizens afford medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking cessation.