Valentine’s Day is one week from today. And when it arrives, you’ll be taking an inventory of everything near and dear to your heart? Of course, everyone you care about will be on your mind and rightfully so…this day is meant to be spent with those we love and those who love us.

There is another kind of inventory The American Heart Association (AHA) would like for you to take and I endorse it wholeheartedly. My Life Check as they call it, created the Simple 7 which takes into consideration all matters of the heart. It assesses your physical activity, cholesterol and glucose levels, blood pressure, diet, smoking habits, your body mass index and it makes recommendations based on your lifestyle behaviors and allows you to choose a specific action plan. It doesn’t judge you or scold you; it simple guides you to a life you can live with.

It ties into your 2010 resolutions which is apropos considering you are working toward a healthier lifestyle. I have always been an advocate of “knowing your numbers” and this plugs those numbers in, evaluates them and gives you a Heart Score ranging from 1 (low) to 10 (high) indicating the health of your heart. It certainly takes the guess work out of figuring out how to feel better and live longer.

Let’s take a closer look at what you will need to know in order to take advantage of the Simple 7. Keep in mind that once you know your numbers, taking the Life Check assessment, takes only 7 minutes and is kept completely confidential.

The Simple 7 asks you:

1. What is your blood pressure?

2. What is your total cholesterol?

3. What is your blood sugar level?

4. Do you smoke?

5. What is your weight?

6. How much physical activity do you get each week?

7. Do you eat a healthy diet?

The questionnaire delves a little further with simple questions such as:

1. How many minutes of moderate or vigorous activity do you do in a week?

2. How many servings of fruit do you have each day?

3. How many servings of vegetables do you have each day?

4. How many servings of fish do you eat each week?

5. How many servings of whole grains do you eat each day?

6. How much sodium do you have in your diet each week?

7. Do you have any heart conditions such as heart attack, stroke, coronary disease etc?

I appreciate this test because it only asks us to provide information that we should all know about our own health. If you are unable to complete some of the questions, you need to visit your healthcare provider and learn the answers. Ignorance is bliss until you’ve had a heart attack or a stroke…ask anyone who’s had one. I’ll say it once again—know your numbers.

I am especially encouraging all women to take the Simple 7 Life Check. The AHA’s Go Red for Women campaign is intended to shed light on the fact that heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. In fact one in 2.6 women will get heart disease—a staggering statistic.

Knowing your numbers and improving them will go a long way to cut your risk of cardiovascular disease. Adopting healthy habits will add quality years to your life. Isn’t it encouraging knowing you will live an extra 2.4 years if you do start exercising regularly? You will add another 2.5 years to your life by eating nuts five times a week—3.7 years if you control your blood pressure—6.6 years if you are not a diabetic—and you will add 11 years just by maintaining normal body weight. Knowledge is power against this aggressive disease. If you are on top of your game and do know your numbers, take action to help someone you love to find out about their numbers. Wearing red represents every woman’s power against heart disease but we must see red as a call to action by supporting our sisters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers and daughters in this cause.

Now is the time to make a new life resolution. Your heart is what makes you tick and being accountable to it only makes good sense. Go to http://mylifecheck.heart.org/ and take the Simple 7. Valentine’s Day can be more than flowers and chocolate—it can mark the start of a heart healthy life and you’ve got to love that.

Cindy Boggs, fitness presenter, author and Activate America director, has been an ACE-certified coordinator/instructor since 1989. Send your questions about fitness, training or health to YMCA of Kanawha Valley, 100 YMCA Drive, Charleston, WV 25311 or e-mail cindysays@aol.com. Look for Cindy’s award winning fitness advice book, CindySays… “You Can Find Health in Your Hectic World” on her Web site www.cindysays.com or contact the YMCA at 340-3527.