Lower your chances of dying early from a stroke or heart attack

True or false

I don’t often agree with the American Heart Association, but this time they actually got something right. They came up with a list of seven health goals. And the more of them you achieve, the lower your chances of dying early from a stroke or heart attack.

I would bet that many of you will easily meet five–if not all–of the seven criteria. Especially if you’ve been following my New Hamptons Health Miracle for a while. So here’s your pop quiz. Answer “True” or “False”:

1. I don’t smoke.
2. My BMI is less than 25. (If you don’t know your BMI, just do a Google search for “BMI calculator.” It will turn up dozens of sites that will do the math for you.)
3. I do some sort of physical activity on a regular basis.
4. I eat a healthy diet, with no refined sugar or carbohydrates, lots of lean meat, vegetables, and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs).
5. My blood pressure is less than 120/80.
6. My fasting blood sugar is less than 100.
7. My cholesterol is less than 200. (As you know, this one isn’t as important as the AHA thinks it is, but I suppose we can humor them just this once.)

Many of my patients achieve these goals within a few weeks. Without the use of medications.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case for the rest of the country. According to a study published a few weeks ago, only 1% of people surveyed could answer “true” to all 7 items above.

Granted, a perfect score may seem like a lot to ask. (Though, again, it is possible. I see it happen every single day.) But having 5 out of 7 “correct” is a realistic goal. And only 13.8% even got that many “right.” What does that say about the health of our country?

In another study published the same week, researchers found that the sooner you take control of these seven risk factors, the healthier your heart will be later on. And the longer you’ll live.

This is anti-aging medicine as far as I’m concerned. Not all of those pills and lotions and injections.

This particular study looked at people who had a healthy lifestyle as young adults, and managed to maintain it through middle age. But it’s never too late to get healthy. Or to feel better than you have in ages. Or to add years–even decades–to your life.

These studies just helped confirm what I’ve been saying all along. The secret to eternal health–and youth–is simple. And EASY. Eat the right things, do a little exercise, and you’ll live longer. Simple as that.

And I’ll be here to help you every step of the way.