Small Steps Make the Biggest Difference

When thinking about heart health, it’s the small steps that make the biggest difference, and yet women are often uninformed that heart disease is even a risk. Heart Smarter empowers women to make informed decisions that promote a lifetime of heart health.

This book is your invitation to become heart smarter—to combat statistics with knowledge and understanding. We want to partner with you as you begin the journey to heart health, providing you with clear, simple instructions and a six-week plan that has proven highly successful with readers and with our patients.

We want to share new research and new guidelines that have been released since the first edition of this book—information that will clarify how and why heart health matters for you.

And we want to celebrate with you as you become a better partner to your medical provider, as you stock your pantry with healthier items and prepare delicious healthy meals, as you try out new approaches to heart-healthy living.

These are choices that will impact not only your heart, but your overall health. The steps we recommend in this book may also contribute to better gastrointestinal health, lowered rates of dementia, and improved cognitive abilities – healthier aging. These are steps that can lengthen your lifespan and improve your energy.

  • “'Heart Smarter for Women' is the GPS for women to most efficiently optimize their heart health and that of their families and communities .”

    C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, FACC, FAHA, FESC

    Professor of Medicine , Director, Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center and Preventive Cardiac Center , Director, Linda Joy Pollin Women’s Heart Health Program and Erika J. Glazer Women’s Heart Research Initiative
    Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

  • “Heart disease is the #1 cause of death for women and still too few women know this. Heart disease in women is under-researched, under–diagnosed and under-treated. All women should read Heart Smarter. It will empower them understand and reduce their risk of heart disease. Everything you do that is good for your heart is good for the rest of you. Drs. Mieres and Rosen, world class experts, share their knowledge in a straightforward and engaging way. Buy one for you and buy one for a woman you love ”

    Holly S. Andersen, MD, FACC

    The Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute , The New York Presbyterian Hospital

  • “This is the most comprehensive lifestyle plan for optimal heart health tailored to the unique needs of women that I have read. 'Heart Smarter' for women offers a straightforward and easy to follow approach for creating a healthy lifestyle, reducing stress, improving your diet and exercising effectively. Importantly, this book is written by leading authorities in the field of cardiovascular prevention and women’s health. This book stands above all others as the book to have and to use as a guide to make important and positive heart – healthy changes in your life.”

    Leslee J. Shaw, PhD, FACC, FAHA, MSCCT

    Endowed Chair and Professor of Women’s Health, Director, Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute, Department of Medicine (Cardiology), Population Science and Policy, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science

  • “Self-management and patient/provider partnerships are pivotal for the heart health of women. Drs. Mieres and Rosen have provided women the impetus, resources and skill sets for this momentous undertaking”

    Nanette K. Wenger, MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA
    Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) Emeritus, Emory University School of Medicine, Consultant, Emory Heart and Vascular Center, Founding Consultant, Emory Women’s Heart Center

  • “Women should have access to the knowledge, the services and the tools to live long, healthy lives. 'Heart Smarter for Women' is an important resource for women of all ages who want to take the journey to living a more heart-healthy life. With real-life, practical advice on everything from nutrition information to sleep habits and stress management to finding a true physician partner, 'Heart Smarter for Women' teaches women how to be proactive about their health, and take the small steps that will have a huge impact on their heart health.”

    Iris and Saul Katz

  • “As a woman, a physician and the daughter of a cardiologist, I recognize the importance of heart disease prevention and awareness… especially for women. There is an urgent need for better communication of critical information, and no one does this better than Drs. Mieres and Rosen. There are many good books on this topic, but this one truly could save your life.”

    Jennifer Ashton, MD, MS, FACOG, Ob-Gyn,
    ABC News Chief Women’s Health Correspondent

  • “As women work so hard to make their mark in a competitive world, one place we’re overtaking men is in Heart Disease. This book is a must have for every woman to make her heart health a priority while she soars in life."

    Deborah Roberts
    ABC News Senior National Affairs Correspondent

  • “This book is a must read for every woman who wants to maximize her heart health, especially those for whom it is difficult to find a starting point. Demystifying complex information and providing simple tools and steps every woman can take to achieve better heart health are two challenges that 'Heart Smarter for Women' successfully takes on. The six-step program outlined in this book will put you well on your way to understanding the why and the how of better heart health!”

    Tara Narula M.D., F.A.C.C.
    Associate Director Lenox Hill Women’s Heart Program, Associate Professor Cardiovascular Medicine Zucker School of Medicine, Hofstra/Northwell, CBS News Senior Medical Correspondent

  • “Finally, a book that not only offers information on WHAT to do but HOW to do the things that can actually make a difference and save your life. In 'Heart Smarter for Women', Drs. Mieres and Rosen give women and their families the tools to take the simple steps to heart healthy living. This book is a much-needed guide to heart health for all women in America today, and it will truly change your life”.

    Jane Hanson
    Media & Presentation Coach

With that in mind, Heart Smarter is separated into three parts:

Your Heart IQ

Contains helpful content designed to equip you to elevate your heart IQ and become smarter about your heart health. Here, you will find six access points you can use to immediately begin to incorporate your new knowledge into your daily life. There are opportunities to learn more with detailed portion size guidelines; training tips for strength and flexibility exercises you can practice in the comfort of your home; recovery tips for heart attack survivors; and answers to questions you may have about heart disease and heart treatments, tests, and medications.

Women & Heart Disease

Provides a comprehensive discussion of the workings of the healthy heart and the risk factors, signs, and symptoms of heart disease. It familiarizes you with the vocabulary of heart disease so that you can comfortably communicate with your doctor and advocate for your own health care. These chapters provide the necessary background regarding the “why’s” of our six-week program and explain how each step may apply to your particular health situation.

The Six S.T.E.P.S.

Provides the “how,” with the complete Six S.T.E.P.S. in Six Weeks to Heart-Healthy Living Program. Here you will find a week-by-week roadmap for your journey to heart health, including choosing the right foods, dining at home and outside of the home, finding a doctor who is the right physician-partner for you, and learning to maximize sleep and minimize stress.

This book was inspired by the thousands of incredible women we have met as patients and at community lectures and health screenings over the past 30 years. It is meant to empower you and to translate the knowledge of heart disease into an action plan that will put you firmly on the road to heart-healthy living.

This book is your guide to taking charge of your health in easy but meaningful ways.

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