“Tell 5, Save Lives!  The American Heart Association is asking everyone to tell five friends how they can reduce their risk of heart disease. 

Why Should YOU care?

According to the American Heart Association, one woman dies from heart disease every minute.  Heart disease is the number one killer of women age 20 and over, with more women dying of heart disease than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. Eighty percent (80%) of cardiac events in women may be prevented if they make the right choices for their hearts, involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.

Men, listen up! According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hearts disease is also the leading cause of death of men in the United States.  Furthermore, between 70% and 89% of sudden cardiac events occur in men; and half of men who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no symptoms. 

Tell 5 and Save Lives!

As a friend to your pals and yourself, you can include more physical fitness in your life if you bring someone along.  When you plan to meet for 30 minutes of physical fitness, you are more likely to be active than if you try to go it alone. Visiting with a friend can also be a stress reliever, another important factor in heart wellness.
 
Eating is something we all do for a living, and as the old adage goes “anything worth doing, is worth doing well.”  Be sure to include fruits and vegetables in your daily meals. Stay away from salty and sugary foods, stick with lean protein, eat low-fat dairy, and drink plenty of water.

Sometimes our bodies give us hunger cues when we need to drink more water—this is likely if you have eaten substantial meals and still find yourself hungry all the time.  The daily recommended water intake is 64 ounces, which may seem like a lot, but is really the equivalent of about 4 of the popular bottled water beverages on the market today. As an added bonus, drinking water can help to flush your system of nicotine and other toxins that may enter your body from smoking, a habit that has been clearly linked to heart disease.  Drinking more water is especially important if you are trying to quit. 

One last heart health tip: know your numbers—cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight—and be sure they are within a healthy range.  When any of these numbers are high, you are at increased risk for a heart attack.  Visit www.americanheart.org to learn about healthy numbers.  If you aren’t at a healthy range, work with your medical provider on a plan to lower your numbers through diet, exercise, and/or medication.

This information is distributed by Erie County Department of Health, 606 W. 2nd Street, Erie, PA 16507, 814-451-6700, www.ecdh.org.

Kimberly Beers, CHES, Health Educator
Erie County Department of Health