Are You Monitoring Your Heart Health?
I went to the “Go Red for Women” event today at the Rhode Island Convention Center put on by the American Heart Association. It was a wonderful event with educational sessions, display/information tables, a Twitter party during the event, and a nice healthy luncheon with motivational speakers. The facts about women and heart disease (and it continuing to be the #1 killer) is quite astounding. Did you know???
“The human heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times during an average lifespan. But for many women, their lifetimes will be cut short by heart disease. Today, we will lose one woman every minute to heart disease. More women will die from heart disease, than from all cancers combined. And to rattle the feminists, heart disease now kills more women than men.”- NationalHealthSolutions.com
It’s very scary to know the risks and how many women you know in your life it could affect. We need to SHARE awareness with each other. We need to educate each other on the risk factors and on prevention. You need to eat healthy, exercise, know your numbers (blood pressure, cholesterol, weight), don’t smoke, etc.
Here are a few things I learned today:
Signs of a Heart Attack:
- Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
- Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
- As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.
If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1…Get to a hospital right away.
You need to WATCH this video! It COULD happen to you. You never think it will, but even people trying to stay healthy can have it happen. Click HERE to see the video!
I also learned…….
That ONE glass of wine (especially red wine) actually helps prevent heart disease.
That is you are AT RISK you should get a CCT and have your heart looked at for blockages and problems before something happens.
The BEST foods to eat are Nuts, Frozen Berries, Canned Salmon, Edamame, and Lentils.
PLEASE educate women around you! Pass the WORD and help save your Mom, your Sister, your Friend!
Make it a point to watch what you eat, get out and exercise (about 30 min daily), and KNOW YOUR NUMBERS so you know your risk factors!
Here are a few more pictures from this fabulous event:
Do you know your numbers??? Get educated and LIVE! Prevention is as high as 80%!
Great information..thank you for sharing!!
Great post! I stumbled it!
Great job getting the word out & photos of the event Kristin!
Definitely something we need to be aware of! Thanks for sharing!
Great post!! So important for people to know about this.
What a great post for an awesome cause.
Thanks for sharing and taking the time
to help spread awareness!
Michele
PS looks like you had a great
time, too!
Fine… I’ll drink more red wine! And I’ll blame, I mean thank, you for it! 🙂 Can I cover the frozen berries in dark chocolate?? Their good for you too!! 🙂
I try to tell my Mom this all the time! She’s so stressed out and I’m so worried about the effects it will have on her heart!
Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments. It’s such an important issue and we need to get the word out to other women to take care of themselves! =)
Thank you so much for sharing this. It is so important women are aware of this issue!
What a great day! Thank you for all the invaluable information.
Great post Kristin. Glad you could be there!
Great post and looks like a fantastic event!! My mother actually has heart disease. This is a very important cause, and fantastic information.
Having been an cardiac intensive care RN in a previous life I truly appreciate this post! Women really need this info and to be aware! So many women just don’t know or ignore their cardiac symptoms and go without treatment! Great post Kristin!
Great post! Testing saved my hubby about a month ago from having a heart attack 80% blocked..stent needed …I can not stress the importance of watching for the warning signs!
Looks like you had a great time!
What a great reminder for us to be aware! Thanks Kristen!
Its great that this vital information is passed round xx
that looked like an amazing convention! What a great opportunity! I’m so glad you went! thanks for sharing that, it’s a great reminder!
Great informative post! We all need to be aware!
I had no idea that women may experience difference symptoms! Thanks for the summary of the awareness campaign!
Thank You!!
As an RN who used to work on the cardiology unit, I’m so glad to see this important issue getting the recognition it needs.
Thanks for spreading the awareness, I’m stumbling this post to help share the info.