Take Care of your Heart and your Sweetheart
February is the month of love, valentines, flowers, chocolates. It is also American Heart Month-which is a reminder to take care of your own heart and the hearts of your sweethearts.
There is more than one way to get a broken heart. Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, is the number one killer of men and women. It kills more Americans every year than the next five leading causes of death combined!
Heart disease does not discriminate. It kills men, women and children. Therefore it is important to reduce the risk factors and know the warning signs and how to respond quickly at the onset of symptoms.
Some risk factors for cardiovascular disease..
-Increasing age (Over 83% of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older)
-Heredity
-Tobacco smoke
-High Blood Cholesterol
-High Blood Pressure
-Physical Inactivity
-Overweight and Obesity
-Diabetes mellitus
-Stress and individual response to stress
-Drinking too much alcohol
Warning signs of a Heart Attack include…
-Chest Pain
-Shortness of Breath
-Discomfort
Warning signs of Stroke…
-Sudden Pain or Dizziness, especially if confined to one side of body
-loss of eyesight
-Severe Headaches
When you look at the list of risk factors only two are beyond your control, age and heredity. The rest you can control. A health program that includes regular exercise and good nutritioncan really help to decrease your risk of heart disease.
So take care of your Heart and take care of your Sweetheart!
