Reducing your risk of heart disease could be as easy as changing up the type of carbs you eat -- from refined carbs to whole grains. In fact, according to recent studies, eating just one serving of whole grains can reduce your risk of high blood pressure by 4%. That might not seem like much, but it's a pretty promising result for such a small change in your lifestyle. Imagine the difference you could make to your heart health if you changed all of your grains to whole grains?

Cutting your blood pressure risk is as easy as switching from regular pasta to whole wheat, from white toast to whole wheat. You might not like the taste at first but you'll get used to it. I used to live for white bread and now I only eat whole wheat -- it's the only kind of bread I have a taste for these days.

Another thing to keep in mind is to check the labels on supposed 'whole grain' products to make sure they really are. If 100% whole grains isn't the first item on the ingredients list, toss it.

As a general rule getting up early is thought to be a healthy habit, but new research says that may not necessarily be the case -- at least not when it comes to your heart anyway. A recent study that followed over 3,000 adults ranging in age from 23 to 90 yrs old found that those who got up early had a higher risk for cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure and stroke.

It's important to realize also, though, that early risers are generally older, so it's possible that also has something to do with the increase in cardiovascular problems. Also, sleep deprivation is a proven heart risk factor, and obviously getting up early often means not getting enough sleep.

So the key may be that early to rise is fine, as long as it's early to bed also?

It turns out that there's some truth to the old adage that An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away. According to a study published in a recent issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who eat apples regularly have a decreased risk of dying from coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

What if you don't like apples? Try pears -- or even red wine. This same study revealed that consuming either of these will have the same preventative effects as eating apples. The researchers attribute these heart-healthy benefits to compounds known as flavonoids, which help reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol (Note: Flavanoids are not to be confused with the Noid -- who in the 80s was known to ruin the occasional pizza).

Flavonoids are also known for their antioxidant activity, meaning that they protect against free radical damage. For a more comprehensive look at how flavonoids, found in such foods as apples and pears, can better your health, click HERE. As for how they measure up against this guy on the right, however, I think there is still much research to be done.

Earlier this year, my great-aunt passed away suddenly from an unknown heart condition. Her doctor recommended that all of her siblings, children, and nieces and nephews be screened for heart problems as well, flagging them at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Thankfully, no problems were uncovered, but they are now aware of the higher risk associated with having heart disease in our family.

Scottish researchers believe that if family members of those with known heart disease were singled out as high-risk and their risk factors gotten under control, up to 40% of early deaths from cardiac events could be prevented. Even so, this type of flagging system is rarely used, even though it is common procedure among families with genetic cancers.

So if someone in your family has had some form of heart disease or heart attack, be sure that you know your risks. Talk to your doctor and tackle any problems that increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and protect your heart for the long haul.

Unfortunately it seems that even though heart disease is one of the biggest health threats we face today too many people are completely unaware of what their cholesterol levels are and what they should be doing about it. So in an effort to help educate people, and in honor of National Cholesterol Education Month, Polymer Technology Systems (PTS) will be offering free cholesterol screenings nationwide throughout the month of September. Find out your cholesterol numbers and get great info on steps you can start taking today at Kroger Pharmacy locations all throughout this month and at Sam's Club stores on September 15th. They'll be using the handy hand-held CardioChek gadget and giving information on where you can get one of your own if you want to keep track at home. Here's to good health!

Global warming is a term we're all familiar with right now, and as we look to the future of our planet, we can only wonder what effects it will have. At the European Society of Cardiology's annual meeting this week in Austria, conversations turned to the affects of global warming on heart health, and some experts are concerned.

Citing the fact that hearts don't do as well in hot weather, some cardiologists feel that in the coming years we may see an increase in heart related fatalities. Others think that pollution and overpopulation (leading us all to live in cities) may be a problem. Still others think that humans may adapt, and that warmer temperatures may get people out exercising more frequently.

It's all speculation at this point, but it's interesting nonetheless. What do you think?

Walking -- it's the first thing we learn to do after crawling. Factor in the amount of it we've done over the course of our lives since then, and it's clear that we're more than warranted in considering ourselves experts. Professional, even. We are the walking gurus, and we have the extensive track record to prove it. With this being the case, why is it when it comes to walking as an exercise, so few people do it? Probably because we do it all the time anyway, therefore it does little to stimulate our interest.

We are an easily bored species, one that needs almost constant change in some way, shape or form. This is likely the reason why so many people prefer elaborate workouts to something as simple as placing one foot in front of the other for an extended period of time. To help remedy the situation, you may want to try some of the following Boredom Busters:

Tune-Up. One of the best ways to liven-up a workout is to listen to music. Whether it's the Rocky IV soundtrack to get you all fired up, some body-moving hip-hop, or even Classical favorites, music will help keep your feet moving.

Intervals. Walking is a low-intensity cardio workout, but it doesn't always have to be. To burn extra calories, and to mix things up a bit over the course of your stroll, try picking up the pace for a minute or so every now and again. By doing so, you can burn an extra 100 calories or so over the course of a 30-minute workout.

VERY Short Term Goals. Of course it's important to have long-term goals (i.e. feel healthier, lower cholesterol, lose weight, etc.), a great way to keep you motivated through your daily walk is to have an almost immediate goal in sight. By this I mean having a goal, or even a reward, waiting for you at the end of your walk. It could be a landmark (such as a view from the top of a hill, or your arrival to a friend's house), but could also be something such as a tasty, low-fat meal that is waiting for you.

Make it a Family Affair. With quality time becoming harder and harder for the modern family to find, a great solution is to use that daily walk to serve that purpose. Because you're only walking, you'll have plenty of wind left to have discussions about school, work, and any other topic that would before be part of typical dinner table discussion. Plus, with childhood obesity rates on the rise, bringing the kids along may benefit them, as well.

Get Creative. This could mean anything from taking a different route each day, to holding a set of very light dumbells in your hands while you walk. Not only will changes of this kind prevent you from becoming bored, they will also ensure that your fitness results do not plateau over time.

Bobby Flay I am not. Put me in a kitchen, and I'd still be lost with both a compass and a road map. So, when it comes to cooking, keeping things as easy as possible seems to be the way to go -- especially when I'm trying to prepare a healthy dish. This is pretty much why I feel I have absolutely no right to pass along a recipe to you; with the only exception being this particular meal, which is as healthy and as easily prepared as they come.

I'm not even going to bother with portions. Frankly, I don't even know what the portions are. But, I do know what the ingredients are; and they all combine to make a heart healthy, Omega-3 rich, pretty slamming tasting fish dish. Here's what you'll need: Salmon, Carrots, Scallions, Lemon, Ground Pepper, and Low-Sodium Soy Sauce. And here's how you cook it: Take a sheet of aluminum foil, put all of the aforementioned ingredients in it, shove it in an oven preheated to 400 degrees, and go watch TV for twenty minutes.

Then, take the aluminum foil out of the oven, let it cool for a little while, and then put it on a plate. Or put it in a bowl. Or eat it right from the aluminum foil. Who cares. Just eat it...and enjoy how little effort it took to make this tasty, healthy meal.

Healthy living is such an ordeal, isn't it? Not really, of course, but it can certainly seem that way if you've spent the better part of the last several years being a couch potato. If you'd like to clean up your lifestyle but the idea of changing too much too soon has been scaring you off, take heart. Experts say that it really doesn't take the much to be healthy.

For instance, just adding one serving of fruits and vegetables to every meal will equal three of the recommended 5 to 9 servings. And three 10-minute walks a day are enough to decrease your risk for cardiovascular disease. If you're consistent in adding in small changes to your routine, before you know it your lifestyle will look a lot healthier than it did just a few months ago.

If you're interested in trying out "stealth health," check out these suggestions from WebMD to get started.

Ireland was the first country to every ban workplace smoking within its borders, and they implemented the law in 2004. Within one year, the incidence of heart attacks fell by a whopping 10%. Health experts say that Ireland's success should be encouraging for other countries thinking of similar laws. In May, the World Health Association recommended a worldwide ban on workplace smoking and all indoor public places. That's certainly an ambitious goal, but maybe if more countries follow Ireland's lead, public smoking will finally become a thing of the past. What do you think?

Just because the summer season has reached its end, it doesn't mean that it's time to let our exercise programs go. People tend to put on more weight during the colder months for a few reasons: 1) Because they probably won't be donning their bathing suits at the beach for quite some time, and 2) Because our bodies are designed to slow our metabolism down -- a carry-over from our more primitive days when food sources became more scarce during the cold season. For these reasons, and probably about eight thousand others, it's a smart idea to keep stoking the flames of your metabolism right through the upcoming frost. So, to help you do just that, I'm showing you an exercise this week that will help you burn some serious calories while toning up your legs.

Called the Step-Up, this cardiovascular movement will help you speed up your metabolism as you strengthen and tone your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and even your calves. To perform this exercise, start by standing in front of a weight bench or any safe substitute for one (tip: take two milk crates, spread them apart, and place a firm, wooden board over them -- a great, makeshift bench). Next, take your right foot and place it on the surface of the bench. From there, step-up onto the bench, using your right leg to power the rest of your body up. Once you are standing firmly on top of the bench with both feet, step back down with one leg and follow with the other. Then, step up onto the bench with your left leg, following with your right. Repeat this movement for several repetitions, increasing speed and perhaps even adding small weights (dumbells in hand work well, as does holding a medicine ball) as you get stronger and more familiar with the movement.

I found a very good video demonstration for the Step-Up on ShapeFit.com. To view it, click HERE.

Note: The content presented in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor or fitness professional before starting a physical fitness program.

I'll be honest here and admit that, because I've never had a blood pressure problem, I once believed it didn't matter how much salt I ate. Older and at least a little wiser, I now realized that as a nation, we all eat far too much sodium than is healthy. Four major health organizations -- the AMA, AHA, ADA, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health -- have teamed up in a national campaign to cut our intake of salt by 50%. Cutting salt can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and lower the risk of death.

What can you do to lower your salt intake? You can eat fewer processed foods and become a savvy label reader. You can make more of your foods at home and use spices instead of salts to flavor food. When eating out, ask for unsalted foods and empty your salt shaker at home. You can even consider making your own bread, since bread and cereal products account for a large portion of our daily intake. Shoot for 1,500 to 2,400 mg of salt a day, which seems like a lot but is much lower than the 4,000 to 6,000 mg the average American eats today.

We talk a lot about nutrition here at The Cardio Blog, and that's because health experts link a healthy diet to a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease. And while we all know that a low-fat, high-fiber diet is important to good heart health, there are other vitamins and minerals that are important in keeping your ticker ticking. They include:

• magnesium
• folic acid and other B vitamins
  
• niacin
• potassium
• calcium

While eating a balanced diet full of whole grains, lean proteins, nuts, and plenty of veggies and fruit will give you the daily recommended allowance of most of those nutrients, magnesium is often little harder to get. Found mostly in whole grains and dark, leafy vegetables, some magnesium is lost when foods are cooked. Raw pumpkin seeds, spinach, and black beans are all good sources of magnesium. Talk to your doctor before taking any kind of supplement, since they can interfere with medications or cause trouble in people with certain conditions.

The focus these days is focused so strongly on outward appearances that it's becoming more and more common for people to end up waifish and thin but not healthy. Believe it or not, being within the recommended weight range on the scale doesn't necessarily equal good health -- what really matters is how you get there.

Did you know that you can drastically reduce your risk of heart disease just by adding 10 minutes of activity to your daily life? You'll most likely lose a few pounds in the process, but the key is that your heart will get stronger, among other things. Read this article for more in depth information and tips on how to determine your health from the inside out, not the outside in.

I'll admit, when I was a kid, I was allowed to eat candy "cigarettes," those little sugar sticks with red tips that came in a box that looked like a pack of cigarettes ... or the gum that had powder under the wrapper so you could blow on it to create puffs of smoke. That was back in the day, and now that the dangers of smoking are so well known, I had assumed that these candies were no longer manufactured.

No such luck! Candy and gum resembling tobacco products are still available -- as I quickly found out when my 5 year old (who thinks smoking is gross) thought it was so cool to find a candy pack and tell me that he had cigarettes.

My thought is that these candies are undermining nationwide efforts to prevent tobacco among youth. However, I also have to admit that eating these candies never enticed me into becoming an actual smoker. Never, not once, did I ever have the urge to try a cigarette regardless of my exposure. Still, I believe for the most part that it does give the message that tobacco is cool and fun.

What do you think about candy-tobacco products?