Cardiac disease is on the rise, and while we all see so many people with step counting devices, the real question is whether they are using it correctly and to their benefit. This requires knowledge about cardiac disease and what to do to prevent it. If you are already sliding down the slippery slope with issues like high cholesterol and such, then staying informed and using information to design a plan of attack is essential.

Dr. Herb Semler, renowned cardiologist, has devised an app like no other fitness and health app that educates and helps users execute on their quest to rid themselves of cardiac problems. Just exercising is not enough, he says. It’s called Semler Heart for iOS. People need to understand their medical history, their risk factors and habits and use this information to counter cardiac disease. Everyone’s plan is different. No one plan works for all.

While the app does track steps and times, it expands on this data with useful information. As you build up points from activity, you can use them at retail partners. This creates an incentive for users to get active and fight the cardiac disease from taking hold. A proper diet along with exercise helps ward off the damaging effects of this disease and keeps you away from its devastating effects.

Information was easy to find and the data was easy to track. I also liked the daily, weekly, and monthly summaries, as well. It helped me see trends that I otherwise would have missed. This is especially useful as most heart-conscious folks tend to be older and need more simplistic presentations of data.

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I really liked the feature where I could monitor yesterday’s steps, which helped me push for more throughout the week, if needed. You also get inspirational tidbits of information so you don’t lose focus of your goals. Which leads me to the next item, goals. You can set goals for yourself so you are not walking around like a fool with no purpose. That will get you nowhere.

The only shortcoming I could find was the inability to see who the retail partners were. I was excited to find out about the point reward systems and hoped to purchase more exercise related gear as my step count increased.

While I wait and look forward to that perk, I will make maximum use of everything else Semler Heart has to offer. There is so much and I am already starting to feel stronger already!