February is HEART Month - Take care of yours!!
February is the month of Love with Valentine's Day just around the corner. It's also heart awareness month for Canadians! Unfortunately, it's one of the only vital organs that we only have one of so we must know how to take care of it!
What most Canadian women don't know about heart disease and stroke could, indeed, hurt them. Most, for example, don't realize that it (not cancer) is the number-one killer of women in Canada. Most don't know what the symptoms are, or what they need to do in order to reduce their risk. The good news is that more than 1/3 of heart disease cases can be prevented or reversed – and that's where a little knowledge comes in handy.
1. Move it or lose it!! Physical exercise on a regular basis is required to keep this mscle in top shape.
2. People in their 20s and 30s are at risk as well due to increased obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking.
3. Everyone's symptoms are different!! Besdies chest pains, here are the common symptoms:
- unusual fatigue that gets worse with activity
- difficulty breathing
- heartburn that is unrelieved by antacids
- nausea and/or vomiting that is unrelieved by antacids
- anxiety
- tightening and pain in the chest that may extend into the neck, jaws and shoulders
- general feeling of weakness
- paleness
- sweating.
4. There are ways to prevent heart disease: Control your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol by eating healthy foods and being physically active, and stop smoking.
5, Trim your waist to decrease risk: If you are a woman and your waist is greater than 35 inches (88 cm), you have a higher risk of these diseases (for men, the maximum healthy waist size is 40 inches or 102 cm.)
6. Lower cholesterol levels! There are free cholesterol testing locations across Canada. Keep your level under 5.2
7. Take the Heart Health Assessment to determine your risk!
Posted by Paulette Upshall
on February 8, 2011