Hi Fusers! Hope your 2014 is getting off to a great start! Can you believe we're already into February?! Crazy....

February is Heart Health Awareness month and we're on board to help! At The Fuse, we're challenging everyone to increase their cardiovascular health. We've created an intense interval training set and are testing throughout the month. The goal is to improve your score! Simple yet effective. A healthy heart is a happy heart!

The heart is a muscle and just like our butt muscles, it can get flabby if not given a good workout. Take this quick quiz to test your heart health. If you score 4 or less, maybe you should pay The Fuse Fitness a visit or take classes with us more often!

1. What are the American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults? a. At least one hour a day of walking or other like activity. b. At least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise. c. At least 30 minutes a day four days a week within your target heart rate.

The full answer is here, but all the answers above are correct. The key is to exercise at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise. That could mean walking briskly for an hour a day or exercising vigorously 30 minutes a day four days a week.

2. What are the risk factors for heart disease that we are born with and cannot change? a. Increasing age b. Gender c. Heredity d. Socio-economic status e. Food preferences

We cannot fight biology so the first three answers are correct. Read more for the full answer.

3. What are the major risk factors we can modify to reduce our risk of heart disease? a. Smoking tobacco b. High blood cholesterol c. High blood pressure d. Physical inactivity e. Weight f. Family history

We have some control over our heart health. All of the answers above are true, except family history. We can modify these risk factors through diet, exercise and smoking cessation. Click here for the full article.

4. What are the symptoms of heart disease that may lead to a heart attack? a. Difficulty breathing b. Chest pain c. Palpitations d. Undue fatigue e. Increased appetite f. Nausea/vomiting g. Back or jaw pain

All the above are true except increased appetite, click here for more information.

The answer is slightly different for women, so read this article for more information.

5. According to the American Heart Association today, about one in ten American kids and teens is overweight or obese. True or False?

Sadly this is false, the answer is about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. Is your child at risk of obesity? Read here for more information about childhood obesity.

Hopefully you answered most correct and learned something in the process! We're helping to promote heart health awareness and it is our mission to help keep our clients' hearts healthy and happy!

Yours in health,

The Fuse Fitness

Hi Fusers! February is heart disease prevention and awareness month.

The Bad News

Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 600,000 Americans each year? Pretty scary, huh?

The Good News

Did you also know that you have a lot of power in protecting and improving your heart health? That's what we're here to talk about.

What is Heart Disease?

First, let's quickly discuss what heart disease is. Your arteries supply blood to the heart, carrying oxygen and nutrients to this very important muscle. When plaque builds up on the inner walls of your arteries, it causes hardening and narrowing, thus reducing the blood flow to the heart. When plaque buildup becomes so severe that blood can not reach the heart, heart attacks occur, causing permanent damage and sometimes death.

Risk Factors

Now, let's go over the risk factors for heart disease that are in your hands. High cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, diabetes and high stress levels all significantly increase your risk of heart disease. However, you can control these risk factors and The Fuse Fitness is here to help you take control of these risk factors and ensure that your heart is healthy.

No Smoking

First, schedule a physical to have your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked. If you smoke, ask your physician for help quitting. This is crucial! Cigarette smokers are two to three times more likely to die from heart disease than nonsmokers. Next, determine whether your weight, and even more importantly, your body fat levels are healthy.

Height and Weight

Body mass index (BMI) is your weight in relation to your height, and is a helpful measurement in determining whether your bodyweight is healthy or not. Have your body fat measured, especially focusing on visceral fat, which is abdominal fat located around your vital organs. Think "beer belly" or "muffin top." Make sure that you are exercising at least 30 minutes daily and that your diet consists of lots of fresh vegetables and fruits and whole foods that are as minimally processed and organic as possible.

Here to Help!

The Fuse Fitness wants to help you reduce your risk of heart disease and help get you healthy! We will be doing a 6 week body fat loss challenge beginning the first week of March.

We will measure your body fat using our Fat Loss Monitor with Scale, which sends a safe, low-level electrical current through you body to calculate the amount of body fat tissue, known as the Bioelectrical Impedance (BI) Method. We will take the measurements at the beginning and end of the challenge.

Get Started Now

We offer a wide variety of fitness classes for all levels, sign up HERE, as well as personal training, which gives you a more individually designed and structured program. Let us help you in getting your minimum 30 minutes of exercise per day! You just need to take the first step by signing up HERE and NOW.

As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. We are here to support you!

Yours in health,

Kristin at The Fuse Fitness