We live in a very busy world. Many of us are rushing from task to task and activity to activity. Trying to squeeze so many things into our days might make it difficult to focus on taking care of ourselves and making the right choices for our health, specifically our heart health. We are also bombarded with information about what we "should" be doing. How do we choose the most important thing to focus on: exercising, eating well, reducing stress, taking the right medications and supplements?

The good news is that there isn't just one answer because everyone is different. Just because something works great for your spouse or brother or best friend doesn't mean it is right for you. The bad news is that it will take some research and planning to figure it out.

Your first step needs to be establishing a health baseline to provide a starting point and something against which to measure all your future choices. Whether you finally make that appointment with your doctor or walk into the lab testing facility you've chosen, there are some basic medical tests that you need to get so that you and your doctor can create a plan to get you on track or keep you there if you're already looking good. Think about these to get started:

• Basic Tests including a complete blood count, a chemistry panel, a lipid panel, a urinalysis and a blood pressure check,

   

• A VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) test that looks more deeply at lipid levels and density to provide a clearer picture of cardiovascular health, and

   

• A PLAC test which measures Lp-PLA2, a vascular specific inflammatory enzyme that is associated with a very high risk of stroke.

Taking the initial step of getting the right tests to evaluate your risk of cardiovascular disease can help you begin the process to take the right course of action for caring for your heart. Once you know what the most important thing is when it comes to your heart, the follow-on actions for the best diet, exercise plan and medication or supplements for you can be clearly laid out in conjunction with your doctor. Won't it be nice to eliminate the extra chatter about what you should be doing?

Any Lab Test Now offers walk-in lab testing at your convenience.  During the month of September come in for your cholesterol level and receive $15 OFF the cholesterol test of your choice, fasting or non-fasting.

Walk in today at Any Lab Test Now! to have your cholesterol tests completed or contact us at 850.216.2586 to learn more about this life saving test. Visit us at www.anylabtestnow.com/Tallahassee_FL

Colette Washington runs Any Lab Test Now, located in Carriage Gate Shopping Center by TJ Maxx.

ANY LAB TEST NOW! offers a revolutionary healthcare lab testing experience by providing thousands of standard healthcare lab tests in a professional, convenient and cost-effective manner.  They perform drug screenings, DNA & STD testing, as well as health and wellness testing. At ANY LAB TEST NOW!, you don't need insurance, a physician's referral, or an appointment.