Regardless of your favorite color, it’s Wear Red Day! National Red Wear Day is actually the first Friday of February every year to kick off American Health Month, particularly for women. Think about it, who has a better heart than your mother, sister, aunt, wife, or daughter? Shouldn’t they protect it? That’s why it’s time to stand together and take charge for a better heart-healthy life. Learn how to protect your own heart health and how to help your loved ones.

Wear Red For Women

Signs and Symptoms Of Poor Heart Health

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, killing about 200,000 women each year. That’s five times as many deaths as breast cancer. That’s why it’s incredibly important to recognize the symptoms early on, before they strike. You may think you already know them, but heart attacks can look different in women than men.

Early heart attack symptoms include: 

• Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the jaw, neck, back, or stomach
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
• Experiencing a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness
• Unusual weakness or fatigue
• Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain in the center of the chest. It may last for a few minutes or go away and come back.

While the most common symptom for a heart attack in men includes chest pain, women more commonly experience shortness of breath, nausea, and back or jaw pain.

So if you experience heart attack symptoms what do you do?

1. Don’t hesitate to get help. Call 9-1-1 immediately and listen to your operator’s instructions.
2. Chew on one uncoated aspirin, with water if you’d like. (Check with your doctor to see if aspirin is a viable option. It can interact with other medications.)
3. Only drive yourself to the hospital as a last resort. Either have someone else drive you or wait for the ambulance.
4. Remain calm. Take slow, deep breaths as you wait for the emergency responders.

However, heart attacks aren’t the only danger to be aware of. Heart disease or cardiovascular disease refers to a variety of conditions that involve narrowed of blocked blood vessels. Along with heart attacks, this can lead to chest pain (angina), stroke, and other heart conditions that affect the heart muscle, valves, or rhythm.

How To Keep Your Heart Healthy

Adopt a heart-healthy diet. Being overweight, obese, or having diabetes greatly contribute to hypertension and heart disease. However, small dietary changes can help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, and balance your blood sugar.

Instead of items high in sugar and sodium incorporate heart-healthy foods such as: 

• Items high in fiber such as fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Healthy fats from nuts, avocados, and more
• Low-fat protein options like fish, chicken, eggs, and milk

Planning your meals ahead of time or googling the menu before going out to eat, can help you stay on track with healthy decisions. You can have the occasional treat such as a candy bar or a small portion of chips, but don’t overindulge. Moderation is key.

The next step involves getting active! Sedentary lifestyles are another factor that can lead to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. But you don’t have to live in a gym, there are simple ways to get moving without taking up much time. All you need is 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise a few times a week. The 30 minutes can be broken up into 10 to 15-minute segments at a time.

The best ways to incorporate heart-healthy exercise into your routine include:

• Walking. Take a walk around your neighborhood, lap the grocery store, or find a loop in a nearby park.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Use the elliptical in a gym or in your living room.
• Go for bike rides around your neighborhood or in the park.
• Get in the pool to swim laps or to participate in water aerobics.
• Get to dancing with your partner, at home, or in a Zumba class.
• Relax with yoga.

Happy Wear Red Day

All of us at Aeroflow are sporting red for women. We hope you’ll do your part, not just to promote heart health, but to incorporate heart-healthy lifestyles into your daily activities. Don’t forget to help your loved ones make heart-healthy choices as well! Together we can raise awareness and fight back against heart disease.