{"id":3093,"date":"2017-02-03T17:05:12","date_gmt":"2017-02-03T17:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/?p=3093"},"modified":"2018-01-08T16:29:00","modified_gmt":"2018-01-08T16:29:00","slug":"goredwearred-for-women-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/blog\/goredwearred-for-women-today\/","title":{"rendered":"#GoRedWearRed For Women Today!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Today<\/a>

Today I’m wearing red for women! Are you?<\/p><\/div>\n

Did you know heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing 1 in 3 deaths each year? That\u2019s approximately one woman every minute!<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, we can change that because 80 percent of cardiac and stroke events may be prevented with education and action.\u201d \u2013 American Heart Association<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There are several misconceptions about heart disease in women, and they could be putting you at risk. The American Heart Association\u2019s Go Red for Women<\/a> movement advocates for more research and swifter action for women\u2019s heart health for this very reason.<\/p>\n

This is why YOU should participate in National Wear Red Day today, Feb. 3!<\/p>\n

National Wear Red Day is a day to wear red to show your support of women with cardiac disease. It is a day to raise awareness and to encourage others; to support the research of the American Heart Association and to encourage others to be more heart healthy.<\/p>\n

YOU can decide to take action today to better your heart health.<\/p>\n

In order to better take care of your heart health, there are five numbers that all women should know: total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index (BMI). Knowing these numbers can help women and their healthcare provider determine their risk for developing cardiovascular diseases.<\/p>\n

Another way to achieve better heart health is to simply be aware of the risk factors; the ones you can and cannot control. A few of the factors that can be managed include high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, lack of physical activity, obesity or overweight and diabetes. However, there are a few factors that you cannot control. To list a few: age, gender, heredity (family health history), race and previous heart attack or stroke. If you want to learn more about your risk factors, the American Heart Association has created a risk factors quiz<\/a> and has provided a source for learning more about warning signs of heart disease.<\/p>\n

The third way the American Heart Association recommends for taking better care of your heart health, is to take action with Life\u2019s Simple 7<\/a>:<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0Manage Blood Pressure<\/a><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0Control Cholesterol<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0Reduce Blood Sugar<\/a><\/p>\n

4)\u00a0Get Active<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

5)\u00a0Eat Better<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

6)\u00a0Lose Weight<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

7)\u00a0Stop Smoking<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Taking action doesn\u2019t stop with just educating yourself and bettering your own heart health. I want to challenge you to do more. To take action\u00a0to help\u00a0the women of your family, the women of this campus\/community and the women of this nation reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease. Here’s how to do this:<\/p>\n