Hearts in Numbers

Last month we had a post on Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and now as February is winding down (can you believe it???) I'm here to do a little ditty about our hearts. Call it a soapbox, but I much prefer Public Service Announcement.

As a woman and person with a beating heart, we should all help spread the word about heart health and disease awareness.

I'm sure there are ways that we all can improve our lifestyles to better our hearts. I know that I have many things to work on and unfortunately, I bet we all know someone who has a loved one that has battled heart disease. Pass along and take a stand against heart disease, especially in the lives of women that we know and love.

February is a month of love and puffy hearts everywhere, but since 1963 Congress has recognized it as American Heart Month.

*Worldwide, 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, accounting for a third of all deaths in women.

*8 million women in the US are currently living with heart disease

*Under age 50, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely as men’s to be fatal.
267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer.

*71% of women experience early warning signs of heart attack with sudden onset of extreme weakness that feels like the flu - often with no chest pain at all. Medical professionals are challenged to respond to women's milder symptoms, acting with insufficient guidelines.

*Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than non-smoking women.

*Women's hearts respond better than men's to healthy lifestyle changes

Here's a quick guide to a healthy heart and prevention:

~Exercise regularly (try to do atleast 30 min. a day)

Eat Sensibly (limit fats and saturated fats, drink water, follow the food pyramid)

~Manage Stress (get a good night's sleep, use relaxation techniques)

~Control Blood Pressure (high blood pressure is often called "The Silent Killer")

~Avoid Potential Problems (Don't smoke; control diabetic blood sugars, avoid drugs, work with doctor or mixing medications, etc)

~Have Healthy Relationships

Thanks to Women's Heart Foundation for the facts. Have a great day.