Do You Know ‘Life’s Simple 7’?
Many Carrington College and Carrington College California students are enrolled in one of our allied health programs. But you don’t need to be in a program like Medical Assisting, Practical Nursing or Respiratory Care to know how to stay healthy.
‘Life’s Simple 7’ is a list of suggestions introduced by the American Heart Association (AHA) as part of a public campaign aimed at preventing heart disease. The seven recommendations to help people stay heart healthy are:
- Being physically active
- Keeping a healthy weight
- Eating a healthy diet
- Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels
- Keeping blood pressure down
- Regulating blood sugar levels
- Not smoking
But a new study out of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago has shown that adhering to ‘Life’s Simple 7’ can do more than just fend off cardiovascular disease; the study has shown that following a heart-healthy lifestyle can also lower the risk of cancer.
As part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, the health histories of more than 13,000 white and African-American men and women have been recorded since 1987. Researchers found that people who adhered to six or seven of the ideal health metrics (as defined by the AHA) listed above reduced their risk of cancer by 51% versus those who didn’t follow any of the seven. Adhering to four of the seven factors was linked to a 33% decrease, and following just one or two resulted in a 21% cancer risk reduction.
To find out where you stand with the Simple Seven goals, why not take the AHA My Life Check assessment test? The confidential test takes about seven minutes and will help you understand what steps you may need to take to improve your heart health and quality of life. You’ll know how you’re doing with each one of Life’s Simple Seven, and you’ll receive your own personal heart score and life plan.
The results will show you where you stand on the seven recommended areas of focus and create an action plan that is customized to your lifestyle and health outlook. Even if you don’t need to make many adjustments to your lifestyle, you’re likely to have a friend or family member who could benefit from the results of this test.
The amazing thing about all seven of these measures is that anyone can make these changes to their lifestyle; they are not expensive and even modest improvements can make a big difference to both the length and the quality of your life. So why not start with just one or two?
For comprehensive consumer information on our programs, please visit carrington.edu