The
American Heart Association website contains authoritative information about various cardiovascular diseases and conditions as well as information on how to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Find a wealth of health tools such as a calculator for estimating your 10-year risk for heart attack, a food portion distortion quiz, healthy and tasty recipes, and more in the
Health Assessment Tools section at the
NHLBI website.
Visit the
LifeBridge Health Know Your Numbers Baltimore Web site to take an online Stanford Heart Risk Assessment and for information relating to blood pressure, cholesterol and BMI.
Making
LifeBridge Health and Fitness part of your weekly activity can help you feel in control of your body, mind and spirit. Visit our
website to find out more about our amenities and exercise classes.
Because excess weight in the form of body fat taxes your heart and elevates cholesterol levels, your body mass index – or BMI – has shown to be a good indicator of your risk for a cardiac event. While a BMI calculator is not a diagnostic test, meaning that it does not actually measure the amount of fat in your body, it provides a quick and easy estimation of body fat, based on your height and weight. An ideal BMI score is 18.5 to 24.9. A score of 25 to 29.9 indicates being overweight, and a score of 30 or higher means obesity. Embarking on an exercise program and healthy eating will help you lower your BMI. Use the
BMI calculator from
LifeBridge Health & Fitness to calculate your BMI to track your progress as you lose weight through exercise and diet.
Healthy eating begins with getting all the nutrients and the right amount of fuel your body needs. To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than what you burn off through exercise and your normal daily activities. To maintain a healthy weight, you need to eat the same amount of energy that you burn. Also, to improve your cholesterol and blood pressure levels, you need to avoid saturated fat and sodium and eat foods that contain them only sparingly. Use the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food Pyramid Guide - My Pyramid Plan to calculate your daily food energy needs and find the right balance of foods that make up a healthy diet.
Free diet information including nutrition fact sheets, reading lists of books on various nutrition-related topics and reviews of popular diets.
A series of educational programs and screenings for high-risk populations are available for cholesterol, blood pressure, stress and diabetes are held within the community. Please call 410-601-WELL (9355) for more information and to register.
Low-cost cardiac health screenings are held at various sites in the Northwest Hospital and Sinai Hospital areas. The screening consists of blood pressure, cholesterol/triglycerides and glucose testing; a body composition analysis; a heart health risk assessment; brief counseling with a registered nurse; and a two-week free membership to
LifeBridge Health & Fitness. A cardiologist will follow up with those whose tests reveal certain risk criteria. This screening is for women who are not currently seeing a cardiologist and have not been told by a doctor that they have heart disease. To register for an upcoming heart screening, call 410-601-WELL (9355). Pre-registration is required.