Are you ready to improve your health — for good?

• Eat less
• Exercise more
• Stop using tobacco
• Manage the stress in your life
• Control your cholesterol, blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors

Most of us know what it takes. But knowing is not the same as doing.

Rush University Medical Center is making available to customers in the Chicago area (see list of counties below) a scientifically based program to help you put into practice the lifestyle changes that are important to heart health.

The program is called Intervent. It was developed by a private company that specializes in developing lifestyle management and cardiac risk reduction programs. Intervent doesn't offer a "quick fix." It promotes healthy, long-term solutions to lifestyle management. The Intervent program includes options to help you prevent or manage chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

To learn more, visit the Intervent welcome page for Rush University Medical Center. Follow the instructions after clicking on the "New Participants" button. Once you have completed the cardiac risk assessment, you will have the opportunity to sign up for a heart health program that includes assessments, short- and long-term goal setting, an exercise plan, a daily meal plan, diaries and logs, follow-up assessments and progress reports personalized for you.

These programs are available free of charge to people in the following counties in Illinois: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will. You will also be given the opportunity to upgrade to Intervent OnCall, a program offering one-on-one coaching by a health professional. Enrollment in Intervent OnCall requires payment of a fee.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Participation in these programs is voluntary. When you click on the link for Intervent, you will be leaving the Rush University Medical Center Web site. To take part in Intervent programs, you will be required to read and accept Intervent's privacy statement and service agreement. The information you will receive from Intervent has been developed by physicians and other health experts. But it is not intended as a substitute for personal consultation with a physician. If you have concerns about your health, always discuss them with a personal physician.