Heart Healthy Lifestyles

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Heart Healthy Lifestyles

• By Amanda Caldwell

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Focus

• This program was created to inform the general
  public on what they can do to prevent heart
  disease.

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Prevalence

• Over 64 million Americans have some type of heart
  disease.
• This is equivalent to 1 in 5 Americans.

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Mortality

• Heart disease is the 1 killer in the United
  States.
• Nearly 2600 Americans die of heart disease each
  day.
• One death every 34 seconds related to heart
  disease.

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Risk Factors
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Non-controllable risk factors

• Age
• Risk increases with age.
• Sex
• Males are at higher risk.
• Heredity
• African Americans are at higher risk than
  caucasians.

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Smoking

• The 1 preventable cause of heart disease.
• Never too late to quit!

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Physical Activity

• Benefits of regular exercise
• Control blood pressure
• Lower cholesterol
• Lose weight
• Reduce the risk of developing diabetes
• American Heart Association recommends 30-60
  minutes of vigorous activity most days of the
  week.

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Alcoholism

• One serving of alcohol a day may improve
  cholesterol.
• Avoid excessive alcohol.
• Heavy drinking contributes to high blood
  pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

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Obesity

• Maintain a healthy weight through diet and
  exercise.
• Quick fixes are not the answer!
• Diet pills
• Fad diets

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What is a healthy weight for me?

• Calculate your body mass index (BMI)
• Take your weight in pounds, multiply by 703,
  then divide by your height in inches, then divide
  again by your height.
• A healthy BMI is 18.5 to 24.9
• A high BMI indicates an increased risk of heart
  disease.

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Eat Healthy Foods

• Eat approximately 2000 calories per day
• Avoid foods high in saturated fats and
  cholesterol.
• Limit sodium intake.

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Nutrition Labels

• Todays nutrition labels make it easier than ever
  to eat healthy.

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Keep tabs on your blood pressure.

• Ideal blood pressure is 120/80.
• Have your blood pressure checked often if it
  becomes elevated.
• Some people may require medications to control
  their blood pressure.

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Cholesterol

• Too much cholesterol can cause it to build up in
  arteries.
• Have cholesterol checked at least every 5 years
  over the age of 20.
• Control cholesterol by diet, exercise, and/or
  drug therapy.

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Diabetes

• Tight control of diabetes can decrease the
  likeliness of developing heart disease.

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For more information

• American Heart Association
• www.americanheart.org
• Calorie Control Council
• www.caloriecontrol.org

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Take control!

• Most causes of heart disease are preventable.
• It is never to soon or too late to develop a
  heart healthy lifestyle.