Seeing Red

Did you know that heart disease is the number one killer of women? It kills one in three women, which makes you more statistically likely to die of a cardiac related disease than the other top killers combined.
Are you scared yet?

Did you know that many cardiac related disorders are preventable through making healthy choices? The best things you can do for your heart include:

Not smoking
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week
Maintain a healthy weight
Eat a well balanced diet

It seems like those are the best things you can do for yourself, overall. Alas, and the hardest if you haven’t started a healthy lifestyle from a young age. Friday, February 3rd is Go Red for Women Day. It’s a chance to educate, as well as raise awareness and money for the American Heart Association.

On my mother’s side of the family, heart disease is prevelant. All of my grandmother’s siblings had some sort of cardiac issue. My grandmother’s sister had several heart attacks, each gradually worsening until the one that finally killed her. My beloved grandmother dealt with angina, atrial fibrulation and had an aortic valve replaced before being silenced for good with a stroke. I am pretty sure none of them knew what their risk factors were, or even how to change or manage them.


To determine your risk for heart attack, there is a nifty little tool on the American Heart Association website (https://www.heart.org/gglRisk/locale/en_US/index.html?gtype=health). When I did mine, my risk rate was 1%-my only issues are elevated cholesterol and being overweight-both things I am working on. Knowing your risks may be scary, but its managing those risks that will make a huge difference in your life.

There are so many little changes that you can make starting today to lead a healthier life. Eating better, managing stress, exercising, sleep, being hydrated-all things you should be doing to be healthy anyway-can minimize your risks for a heart attack or stroke. Visit www.heart.org to learn what the symptoms are, and what to do if you or a loved one experiences them. It can be the difference between life and death.

Just by showing your support on Friday is showing that you are aware of the number one killer of women. I want to be seeing red!