As you may know, The Cardio Blog is being retired today. It's been an honor to write for this blog, and I hope that the information we brought to you was useful and informative. Since this will be my last post for The Cardio Blog, I thought I'd write about a topic that is near and dear to my heart (pun, lamely, intended): women's heart health.

We've seen it in the headlines again and again -- women, and often their doctors, don't always prioritize their health, and this seems to be especially an issue when it comes to heart health. But the fact is that heart disease is public enemy number one for women, and we all need to better understand and deal with our risk factors.

So I'll leave you with this post from Her Daily News. In it, they talk about Heart Truth, the National Institute of Health's campaign to bring heart education to women. They also include a checklist of questions to take to your doctor, as well as a list to help you understand your own risk. Do yourself -- and your heart -- a favor today and read through the questions to determine if you need to do more to protect your health.

Thanks for reading The Cardio Blog, and don't forget to come visit us at That's Fit for all of the latest news in health and fitness!

Sometimes it can be rather difficult to live a healthy lifestyle. Between work, school, kids, and -- oh yeah, how about having a life, setting aside time to exercise or even fix a healthier meal usually seems like an impossibility. That's why making these healthier changes in your life shouldn't be based on rash, drastic decisions. The "Crash Diet" is the perfect example. Not only is this approach to weight loss unhealthy, but it can actually lead to long-term weight gain. The same goes for an exercise program. If you're new to resistance training, for example, you would do well to ease your way into a routine. Don't make the mistake that I made when I was 14-years-old and first starting to lift weights; and that is to find some dinosaur-sized bodybuilder's workout in a muscle magazine and use it as a guide for your own workout. Take it from me, your arms and legs will feel like they could fall off your body at any given moment. You'll barely be able to move for days at a time, let alone have any desire whatsoever to ever work out again. My point is that the best approach to health and wellness it to take things slowly...baby steps, if you will.

Following this approach, and seemingly doing so quite effectively, are the participants of the America On the Move Foundation's Steptember celebration. AOMF is a non-profit focused on healthy living through small and manageable changes. The group promotes making two small changes in your lifestyle, both of which will have a positive impact on your overall health over time.

The first is to add 2,000 steps (approx. 1 mile) to to your day. This is probably easier to achieve that it may first seem. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Perhaps walk to your car in the off-site parking lot instead of hopping in the shuttle (besides, you don't really want to ride in the "Loser Cruiser," do you?). Or maybe you could even take a leisurely walk around your neighborhood. Whatever method you choose, just try to be consistent with doing it every day.

The second is to cut a mere 100 calories from your diet, which is the equivalent of a tablespoon of butter. Now, I realize that you probably don't actually woof down a tablespoon of butter a day But, you likely get this many calories from a myriad of other possible sources. These days, just about everything has over 100 calories in it, so just pick one of your regular treats and eliminate it from your diet. Cutting 100 calories may not seem like a lot, but over a year's time, this will result in the loss of a decent amount of weight.

For more information on AOMF's Stempber celebration, visit their site at: www.AmericaOnTheMove.org . Though the celebration has already started, you can hop on in at any time and join in on the fun. Need an even greater incentive that getting healthier and losing weight? Howe about winning an iPod? AOMF will give away a free iPod shuffle, and at the end of the month, participants are eligible to win a $500 gift certificate to Dick's Sporting Goods.

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.

If you're worried about your heart, and even if your not, improving your health both today and in the long-run is as simple as taking four small steps. That's it. Only four changes. Want to know what they are? Here they are, courtesy of Fitsugar:

• Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day
• Exercise at least 30 minutes a day
• Maintain a healthy weight, and healthy BMI of between (18.5 and 24.9)
• Don't smoke, or quit if you do

Ok, the last two might be a bit of a struggle for some, but if you do the first two, the last two should follow. These really are the most important things you can do for your health. What do you think?

I didn't realize this, but there's a nationwide campaign to put portable defibrillators, or AEDs, in every school. Proponents want the defibrillators in place to protect kids who may suffer a cardiovascular event, as well as adults in the school building. But a recent study out of Seattle questions the logic of spending $1000-$3000 on the equipment in every school, when there may not be a need.

Researchers found that few cardiovascular events happen among school aged children as it is, and that an AED would most likely be used on adults who happened to be in the building. They also found that those adults were more likely to be in junior and senior high schools (for sports programs, etc.) so AEDs may not be required at the elementary level.

On the other hand, no one really knows when and where a heart attack may strike, and wouldn't it be tragic if it happened in a building that didn't acquire an AED to cut costs? It's a tough decision for those who balance the school budgets...what do you think?

A dose of Rover might just be the perfect medicine for heart patients. Research, reported by the American Heart Association, has found that spending time with a dog helps heart and lung function by lowering blood pressure, diminishing the release of harmful hormones, and decreasing anxiety.

The best news, is that it doesn't take much time with a furry friend to see results. In the study, hospitalized heart patients spent just 12 minutes with the dogs -- so even short-term exposure to dogs has beneficial physiological and psychosocial effects on patients.

Personally, I can attest that dogs are a great comfort ... they make people happier, calmer, and feel more loved ... this has to be a huge help when you are scared and not feeling well.

When male and female mice exercise, female hearts seem to get more benefit than male hearts. Researchers believe this finding may be translatable into human heart health and may explain why women seem to get more -- heart-wise at least -- out of exercise than men.

Female mice had bigger and stronger hearts than male mice and had a 20% reduction in a protein found in people who have heart disease. Male mice did not see the same reduction. Female mice were also able to run farther and faster on a running wheel than their male counterparts.

Though this research only makes a dent in gender-specific cardiac changes, health experts hope that down the road, studies like this one will lead to better treatment strategies for men and women with cardiovascular illnesses.

Here are some scary statistics for you, especially considering that heart disease is the #1 killer of women:

• Only 1/3 of women know their current cholesterol levels
• Twice as many women know what they weighed in high school than know their current cholesterol levels

9 out of 10 women are aware that high cholesterol can cause build-up of plaque in the arteries, so what's the deal? Why don't women seem to care or take their cholesterol seriously? Do you know what you weighed in high school? Do you know what your cholesterol is? For me I admit it's yes and no. And yeah, there's something wrong with this picture.

The list of health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids seemingly grows every day. Among the more well-known positive effects this fatty acid has on the body is that has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack by 36 percent when it is consumed at least once or twice a week. Foods that are high in Omega-3s -- such as salmon, brown rice, and olive oil -- can also help to lower your LDL ("bad") cholesterol. But, inasmuch as many of us know this by now, what we don't know is how this actually takes place. What is cholesterol? And how does it effect our bodies? Now I'm not a doctor, and I'm definitely not a scientist, but I am curious -- so I looked it up.

Cholesterol is made by the liver. Just about every animal that is eaten for food produces cholesterol in this manner. After it's produced in your own body, or absorbed from the food you eat, it's then carried through the bloodstream by particles known as lipoproteins. These particles are also produced in the liver, so it kind of works out quite nicely in that way. Anyway, from these lipoproteins are made up of fat and protein. However, what they contain more of determines if they are "bad" or "good." If they contain a higher proportion of fat, they can stick to your blood vessel walls as they speed through your veins and arteries. Over time, this accumulates and forms hardened plaque, thus reducing the flow of blood to your heart -- and hence the "bad" label. On the other hand, lipoproteins that contain a higher proportion of protein serve a different and much healthier function. Their main task is to carry cholesterol away from your heart and out of the body. The higher your levels of this "good" lipoproteins, the lower your risk of dying from a heart attack.

That's just about the best way I can explain it. Not exactly ready for the New England Journal of Medicine, but not bad for a blog post, if I say so myself.

An interesting new study has found that women who stifle their arguments during marriage have a higher instance of maladies. Over a period of 10 years, a study group showed that the woman who remained silent during marital conflict were more likely to die. The women who freely expressed themselves did not suffer the same fates.

The study was conducted to look at behavior, heart disease and mortality rates within the confines of a marital relationship. The study included almost 3,700 men and women in their 40's and 50's. As was predicted, men in marriages had better overall health.

The study reinforces the notion that men and women need to have a healthy, open marriage in order for both partners to live a healthy life.

Leona Helmsley passed away earlier this morning at the age of 87. Few details have yet been made public other than that she died of heart failure.

Helmsley, who lost her husband in 1997, has been far from the public in recent years. Before his death, the hotelier was widely known for helping her husband, Harry, run his multi billion dollar real estate empire. Mrs. Helmsley was not known for her soft and cuddly ways, she was known to be ruthless in her business dealings and was known as "The Queen of Mean".

Helmsley is survived by a a brother and multiple grandchildren.

Sure, I just did an entire post about a new drug (Tekturna), but I still feel it's fair to mention a little something about the side effects of taking prescription drugs. No, I'm not talking about that litany of disgusting physical maladies that are typically rattled off in Micro Machine Man fashion at the end of a drug commercial. Instead, I'm talking about the depletion of nutrients that occurs as a direct result of taking maintenance drugs.

Vasodilators or Beta-Blockers: You may be taking these to help regulate your high blood pressure. If it's helping, great! Keep taking them. But, beware that your consumption of the vasodilators are causing a reduction of vitamin B6 and the beta-blockers are sapping some Coenzyme Q10.

Statins: Yes, statins are a great way to help lower your cholesterol, so do keep taking them if they are working and your doctor suggests that you stick with them. However, please know that the statins also deplete your body of Coenzyme Q10, which can lead to muscle soreness, fatigue, or even elevated liver enzymes.

Diuretics: A popular treatment for hypertension or congestive heart failure. The downside is that they deplete your body of magnesium, zinc, and potassium, which can cause a weakened immunity.

The good news is that you can easily make up for whatever vitamin or mineral you are losing with the medication by simply being sure to eat lean meats, fish, chicken, whole grains, nuts, and leafy green vegetables. And, if you really want to make sure that you're not missing out, you can also talk to your doctor about taking nutritional supplements.

Sometimes, having high blood pressure comes as a bit of a surprise to some people. Whether they find out during a visit to the doctor or even during one of those wacky blood pressure chairs at the grocery store, people who don't think they have high blood pressure are typically quite shocked to learn that they do. Once this fact is accepted, the next step is to find out what can be done to remedy this problem. Medication is always an option, but which one? Well, here's one that may not have heard of yet.

Tekturna. It's a first-of-its-kind drug to be approved by the FDA. The difference between Tekturna and other blood pressure meds is that Tekturna deals with the problem by cutting right to the chase. Basically, it inhibits renin, a kidney enzyme that initiates the chemical process that ultimately leads to an elevated blood pressure. By contrast, all other blood pressure meds work at the later stage, dealing chiefly with regulation and not doing a whole hell of a lot in the way of prevention.

A recent study of 2,000 people offered a demonstrable reduction in blood pressure over the entire year that the study was conducted. Also, it appears as though Tekturna can work just fine when taken in conjunction with other anti-hypertensive meds. And, side effects seem to be minimal, though I would suggest taking the time to investigate further before dialing up your doctor for a prescription.

A solid workout can do wonders in helping you put a stressful day behind you. Apart from the natural "high" people receive from the release of endorphins, new research also points to exercise as a means of protecting the heart from the physical impairment that can be brought on by stress.

In a study conducted at University College London, researchers measured stress levels in middle-age adults. They found that when you are stressed, your body responds by creating inflammatory chemicals that can lead to severe physical damage, including the clogging of your arterial walls. However, the researchers also found that among these middle-age adults, those what were the fittest had one-fifth the amount of chemicals in their blood as those who were fairly inactive.

The key is to find an exercise program that works for you. Magazines and books are great sources for a variety of exercise programs to choose from, but it sometimes takes a little personal trial and error before you find the right one for you and your schedule.

Occasional chest pains can be frightening -- I know because I get them from time to time. I'm only in my mid-20s and I'm healthy so I doubt it's anything to worry about, but sometimes I can't help worrying about the state of my heart.

Chest pains are one of the most important things to share with your doctor, because it can provide him or her with valuable insights into what might be afflicting you. Chest pains can be a sign of a heart attack, angina, inflammation of the heart tissue or a multitude of other things. Chest pains can also be caused by acid reflux, which I suspect in the culprit in my case.

To find out more about chest pains, check out this article.