Life's Simple 7 Measures For Healthy Heart

The American Heart Association (AHA) has for the first time defined "ideal cardiovascular health" and linked it to seven simple measures ("Life's Simple 7") that people can influence through diet and lifestyle changes to move from poor and intermediate to ideal health.

Life's Simple 7

1. Never smoked, or quit more than a year ago.


2. Having a BMI (body mass index) of less than 25 kg/m2.


3. Exercising at a moderate level for at least 150 minutes, or at an intense level for 75 minutes per week.


4. Meeting four to five of the key components of a healthy diet in line with current AHA guidelines.


5. Having a total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL.


6. Blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg.


7. Fasting blood glucose below 100 mg/dL.

Details of the seven health factors and lifestyle behaviors were published online before print on 20 January in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.