Most women fail to make the connection between risk factors such as a no exercise lifestyle and their personal risk of developing heart disease. Fewer than one in 10 women perceive this condition as their greatest health threat and don't take their risk of heart disease seriously, yet one in two women will die from it.

Many women report they are too busy juggling work and family to take time for their heart health - until they have a heart attack. A sedentary lifestyle is a significant risk factor for heart disease, yet millions of women around the world still do not exercise at all.

A sedentary life is defined as being physically inactive at work and at home and failing to participate in a proper exercise program for at least 20 continuous minutes at least three times a week. This type of lifestyle doesn't exercise the heart - a muscle - so it loses its strength, capacity, flexibility and endurance becoming weak, flabby, and unfit and exposing it to a greater risk of disease.

Heart disease doesn't just happen but develops gradually over years or decades and can start at a young age - even in the teenage years. The risk of a heart attack or stroke rises dramatically in women aged between 40 and 60. Along with an increased risk of sudden death heart disease can also lead to disability and decreased quality of life.

Women often worry about breast cancer yet the risk of dying from this is just 3 percent as opposed to cardiovascular disease being nearly 50 percent. Most people think of heart disease as mainly a man's problem, but trends show it is declining for men and increasing for women. It is now common for women younger than 45 to die from this lifestyle disease.

But the very good news is by making simple lifestyle changes; women can reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke by as much as 80 per cent. It is never too late to take action and prevent or control the risk factors and even those who have heart disease can improve their heart health and quality of life.

To keep all of our muscles strong in the body including the heart muscle strength training exercise is the most productive, effective and time efficient exercise you can do. This special type of exercise will help a person escape the spiral of inactivity and will make your heart very happy. Stronger muscles all help to reduce stress on the heart system allowing it to function more efficiently, reducing risk factors and helping to prevent disease.

Every woman needs to know about heart disease and whatever her age she needs to take action to lower her disease risk. To protect her heart health a proper exercise program that includes at least 60% strength training exercise needs to be started and continued for the rest of her life.

It is just a matter of priorities; surely it makes sense to practice prevention as it is the real key to avoiding this number one killer of women. If you feel you don't have time now imagine how you would feel to have to spend time with doctors, specialists, hospitals, and treatments if you should fall victim to heart disease.

Something for you to consider - how much of your precious time will be needed then and what will this mean to your family, job and whatever else is getting in the way of you taking the steps you need to take to ensure you stay healthy?