For most of us, the holiday season is a time filled with family and friends. My family is large and 15 dear women graced the holiday table this year. These women are a part of the fabric of my life and I was immersed in the rhythm that is family. The joy of the moment was marred only by the bittersweet absence of two beloved grandmothers who’ve passed on.
Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, taking the life of one in three women every year. As I gazed upon these women who are such a part of my life and listened to their laughter, it occurred to me that without intervention, five of us will die a premature death as the result of heart disease. The thought that even one of us could be lost prematurely to a preventable disease is not only incomprehensible but certainly unacceptable. Because losing even one, much less five of these dear women is completely out of the question, my heart health resolutions this year begin with them in mind:
1. Tell those you love about heart disease. By eliminating or reducing your risk factors, heart disease is controllable and preventable. This year, I’ll ensure that the women in my life have access to information and programs which will enable them to make better heart health choices such as:
* Go Red For Women (www.goredforwomen.org)
* BetterU Makeover (http://www.goredforwomen.org/BetterU/index.aspx)
* Well Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation or “WISEWOMAN” (http://www.goredforwomen.org/BetterU/index.aspx)
* Start! (http://startwalkingnow.org/home.jsp
* The Heart Truth campaigns (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/educational/hearttruth/partners/women-of-color-partners.htm)
* My Life Check - Live Better With Life’s Simple 7 (http://mylifecheck.heart.org/Multitab.aspx?NavID=3&CultureCode=en-US)
2. Know your personal risk factors for heart disease. Many women remain blissfully unaware of their risk factors for heart disease. If you don’t know your own risk factors, take the time to find out where you heart health stands. If you already know your risk factors, conduct an annual assessment to see how you are currently doing. After all, if you don’t know what your risk factors for heart disease are, you will have no idea what behaviors to change. Risk factors include things you can’t change (such as age, sex, family history) and things you can (such as smoking, diet, high blood pressure, blood cholesterol levels, stress, obesity, and exercise).
3. Make one positive dietary change for heart health. This year take a hard look at your diet. Heart healthy diets are rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and fish (salmon, trout, or herring at least twice weekly) and low in sodium (less than 1,500 milligrams per day) and cholesterol (less than 300 milligrams per day). Resolve to make at least one heart healthy diet change in 2011.
4. Get up off the couch and move. Exercise has numerous health benefits. Not only does it make you feel good, it helps to lower blood pressure, manage stress, control diabetes, lower cholesterol, and helps you maintain (or achieve) a heart healthy weight. Most doctors recommend 30-60 minutes of exercise every day. Even if you can only manage 10 minutes at a time, resolve to add movement to your daily routine in the upcoming year.
5. Address your risk factors - one at a time. Knowing what your personal risk factors are for developing heart disease is key to eliminating and controlling them, along with changing behaviors that contribute to risk factors. To improve your heart health, all risk factors that you can change must be addressed. It’s not enough to quit smoking if you continue to leave your blood pressure unchecked or maintain too much weight (especially around the tummy). Choose at least one risk factor (quit smoking, lose weight, or manage stress, for example) and address it in 2011.