America Heart Health Month

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unnamed (1)In February 1964, nine years after having a heart attack, Lyndon B. Johnson declared February as heart health month. Today 56 years later the first Friday in February continues to raise awareness of heart health. Even more spectacular is while heart health month draws attention to remind Americans and their family to focus on their hearts, it also brings millions together with the same goal, which is to eliminate heart disease and stroke.

The number of Americans killed each year is 630,000 and 17.9 million globally. It is now 0131StatUpdateInfographic_resizedclear that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In 2019, the American Heart Association estimated that 116.4 million Americans suffer from hypertension, which is high blood pressure. Even though there is an astonishing number of people with issues surrounding heart disease, there are a number of controllable risks that could be  corrected. These risks include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, unhealthy diet, over weight, and obesity.

Go-Red-Day_2020pendingHeart disease is the #1 killer of women and actually more than all forms of cancer combined. GO RED, which was formed in 2004, is intended to help women fight back against heart disease. What GO RED stands for is absolutely beautiful and I find it quite powerful.

 

Get your numbers. Check blood pressure and cholesterol frequently.No Year GR Banner

Own your lifestyle. Quit smoking, lose weight, exercise, and eat a healthy diet.

Realize your risk and that it can happen to you. Heart disease kills one of three women.

Educate your family and encourage healthy food for your family.goredforwomeneventimage

Don’t be silent. Tell every woman you can that heart disease is deadly.

The most common form of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to a heart attack. There are many different heart conditions which include: Unstable Angina (this can be undiagnosed chest pain), heart attack, heart failure, Arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms), Valve disease, high blood pressure, Congenital Heart Condition, and inherited heart conditions.Go-red-4-women-2

Of course there are some things we have absolutely no control, but there are some things that can be done regarding caring for our hearts. I am going to share 10 things that can be done to either prevent or even reverse heart disease which might help you or someone you care about.

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  1. Get moving by adding along with aerobics (good for cardiovascular), strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination to your exercise routine.
  2. Participate in a community you enjoy. For instances, join a book club, volunteering, family, friends, etc.
  3. Know your numbers, which includes cholesterol, LDL (Low-density lipoprotein, HDL (high density lipoprotein, Triglycerides (type of fat that is found in our blood),and fasting glucose
  4. Eat Plant Strong and turn away from what is considered the Standard Plant-Based-Pyramid-1024x731American Diet. Read labels including both nutrition fats and ingredient lists.
  5. Get 2-8 hours of restful sleep every night.
  6. Ensure you have quality time alone and embrace peaceful times. Try removing yourself from known life stressors and learn to not sweat the small things because they do not matter in the big Standard-American-Diet-Danger-1024x553
  7. picture. Teach yourself how to follow the Relaxation Response and avoid the Fight or Flight Response.
  8. Don’t smoke and avoid second hand smoke (it is just as dangerous or possibly more dangerous).
  9. Turn the TV off.
  10. Develop your own program which will work because you are the one that came up with it!

 

There are ways we can all prevent the chance of heart disease and the percentages for each are astonishing. I would like to known what your reaction to these incredible numbers.quit

  1.  No Smoking has a 36% reduction with chance of heart disease.
  2. Diet including fruits, vegetables, nuts, reduced fat dairy, whole grains, and fish reduced chances of heart disease by 18%.
  3. Maintain healthy waistline. For men healthy waistline is 37 inches or less. A healthy waistline for women 35 inches or less. This can reduce possibility of heart disease by 12%.
  4. Drink less than 2 alcoholic drinks daily can reduce your risk of heart disease by 11%.
  5. Developing a daily/weekly exercise routine can reduce your risk of heart disease by 3%images (1)

From a CEO at a large company, to the school teacher trying to raise her children, to an attorney with two houses, to a single mother working two jobs to provide a roof over her family’s head, anyone with a heart can be at risk for heart disease. It is very important to do all you can to protect your heart, not from heart break but from a heart disease that can end your life. The following are 6 questions you can use to assess your risks for heart images (2)disease.

  1. Are you a man over age 45 or a woman over age 55?
  2. Is there heart disease or diabetes within your family history?
  3. Do you have diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol?
  4. Do you smoke?
  5. Are you overweight?
  6. Do you have a moderate exercise routine you do less than 3 times a week?24c35734-f2fc-11e6-9ce0-1a2a36b72f23-780x501

***If you answered “YES” to 3 or more of the question, you might be at risk for  ❤heart disease❤ ***

Thank y’all so much for visiting my site today. I do hope this information was helpful for you, either for yourself or someone you care about! Hopefully you are enjoying your weekend and of course feeling the best you can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love ❤, comfort, and many positive vibes!

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❤Always, Alyssa❤

22 thoughts on “America Heart Health Month”

  2. Everyone please heed the warning signs and do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Heart disease can affect anyone of any age. Great job Alyssa. All my Love & Support, Mom!!

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  3. This was a really informative and helpful post! Especially the tips about doing things you like. I know people can think of health as getting exercise and eating well, but there are other elements. Stress can cause physical decline. However, the healthier mind, the healthier your body will become.
    I believe the no.1 killer of women in the UK is cancer? I’ll have to check this fact.
    Hope you are well 🙂

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    • I am so glad this post was informative and helpful for you. I must admit it did surprise me how much heart disease affects people in the United States, but at the same time I do know how awful diets are here in the states, I was curious after I read your comment about heart disease in the UK. Apparently, it is on the rise. Millions of people deal with heart disease in the UK as well.
      You are very correct, stress can really cause health to decline. The bad thing is, I know this but yet I stress non-stop. I hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for your comment!

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      • Thank you, Alyssa! The diet in the US does seem to be very processed, though processed food in the U.K. is on the rise. Usually unhealthy food is a cheaper option and I find that really saddening.
        On the bright side of things, I hope you are well! It’s a new week and a fresh start for us all.
        Hope you don’t stress too much and find some time to relax ⭐️

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      • You are very welcome! I don’t know why I am surprised the diet in the UK is very processed. My thoughts about the UK are very positive and I think it would be a wonderful place to live.
        I am trying my best to not stress, but honestly I am stressing probably too much. I have found the time to relax with writing more, so I guess that is a positive thing! I hope you are doing well!!!

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      • It really depends where you come from. I have been fortunate enough to have a good diet. However, the most inexpensive foods are processed or require cooking skill to eat. It’s really an issue. But there are more important things going on, like the abundance of homelessness and climate change! I’m really trying to help those causes.
        Stress is a funny thing. No matter how much you try to relax, it doesn’t settle down. But keep going, Alyssa, and I’m sure everything will balance out eventually!

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  4. So important to keep our heart health in mind. I will admit I’m not doing all that I can because I smoke cigarettes, but I try in other ways. I actually asked for a follow-up cholesterol test two weeks and the GP said about how it’s not commonly done there any more because research is suggesting it’s pointless.. I’ve always thought it’s better to know your numbers than not (mine was oddly high, which is weird given it should be low, but I also have very high good cholesterol levels so apparently the ratio is good, which is probably more important than the level of bad cholesterol per se). Hope that makes some kind of sense. It’s worrying that our hearts may be struggling without us realising so any little diet/lifestyle changes are good and always speak to a GP if you’ve got any concerns. This is a BRILLIANT post, Alyssa! xx

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    • I am so glad you enjoyed this post. You are right, keeping our heart healthy is very important and we must do all we can to do this. I do know quitting smoking is difficult, I used to smoke. I quit in the middle of a nasty relapse because it scared the hell out of me. The only thing I have not been able to do is quit stressing about everything, but I am a work in progress! Your GP sounds like one of the doctors here in the states with the follow-up response. I think doctors should listen when we make requests because we know our bodies way better than they do! I wish you luck with your cholesterol test and maybe even quitting smoking!!! xxx

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  6. Happy Heart Health Month to you too. it’s Heart Awareness Month in Australia too because of Valentines Day being on the 14th and the heart. I am donating $2 from the sales of every one of my glass heart earrings to Heart Kids during the month of February as well as 50 per cent of proceeds from the sales of my Dyautonomia Awareness products towards reaserch, especially into POTS. https://all-hearts.org/2019/02/01/give-with-heart-this-february/

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  8. What a great post for Heart Awareness month, it is so important to look after our hearts. I’ve written a few posts on Heart Health and awareness over the year. We have Heart Awareness Week to which is in April for some reason. https://all-hearts.org/2019/04/28/national-heart-week/. Check out what we got up to on Valentine’s Day last year. https://all-hearts.org/2019/02/14/showing-heart-on-valentines-day/ https://all-hearts.org/2019/02/01/give-with-heart-this-february/

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