In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to forget the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, the American Heart Association has developed a tool called My Life Check, which can help people assess their overall health and take steps to improve it.
My Life Check is an online assessment tool that evaluates an individual’s cardiovascular health based on eight key metrics, known as the Life’s Essential 8. These include blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, diet, smoking status and stress. Please note; the online assessment tool does require an individual to sign in/create an account.
By taking the My Life Check test, individuals can determine their overall cardiovascular health score and receive personalized recommendations on how to improve their health based on their individual risk factors. These recommendations may include suggestions for lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity, improving diet and quitting smoking, as well as guidance on managing chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension.
For healthcare professionals, My Life Check can also be a valuable tool for assessing patients’ overall health and identifying areas where they may need additional support. By incorporating the Life’s Simple 8 metrics into their patient assessments, healthcare providers can provide more personalized care plans and help patients take steps to improve their cardiovascular health.
“While my cardiac rehab patients were exercising, I was able to ask them the questions, given them a score and offer education on their heart risk factors and how to decrease their risks. Along with the quiz, I hand out the Life’s Essential 8 pamphlet during discharge to review their risk factors and how they can refer back to that information in the future. This has been a wonderful resource and I greatly appreciate this tool for our outpatient cardiac rehab program, ” shared Kelli Zimmerman RN, BSN. Zimmerman works in the cardiac rehab unit at Pioneer Memorial Hospital and Health Services in Viborg, SD.
The My Life Check assessment is free and only takes a few minutes to complete. Remember, small changes can have a big impact on overall health and well-being.
Friday Focus 4 Health: April Series – Life’s Essential 8: Tools for Optimal Patient and Resident Health
Our Friday Focus 4 Health April Series will feature the Life’s Essential 8 guidelines, tools and application to improve quality and health outcomes for our patients and residents in the Dakotas. We also featured the Life’s Essential 8 in recent blog post.