I've been thinking about this all month, but the Oscars prompted me to write it down. As most of you know, February is Heart Health Month, and the American Heart Association has a program specifically targeted to women called Go Red for Women (which, if you read the URL, could be confused to read Gored for Women, which is kinda weird. But I digress...). Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US. It takes more lives than all types of cancer combined. And Go Red for Women aims to raise awareness and funds to combat this. In the Boston area, with our concentration of hospitals, it seems that there are lots of benefits where everyone is encouraged to wear a red ribbon or, if you are of the female persuasion, a red dress to show your solidarity with the cause. But forget the scarlet ballgown. We all need to wear a metaphorical red dress every day.
Let me repeat what I said before. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US. That is a mighty sobering statistic. And there are steps that each and every one of us can take to reduce our risk. I work out five days a week. That doesn't mean I go to the gym every time. It might be that I go for a run with the dog (border collies are great for running with you). During the summer I swim and do all sorts of physical activities with my kids, but I try to get about an hour in every day, even if it's just a nice long walk (I can't wait until spring when I can actually go on a long walk without having to negotiate piles of snow). I go to the doctor annually and get all my blood tests for cholesterol and all that. As I get older I have to work harder and be more careful about what I eat to keep my clothes fitting right. And you know what? That's okay. It's a habit. It's my red dress, and I wear it every day. How about you? What's your red dress?
6 days ago
7 comments:
I work for a cardiology medical journal so I get to see LOTS of photographs of the innards of people with heart disease. Whenever I think "Ugh, broccoli" or "Ugh, running," I can usually find a picture of "Ugh, artery plaque," to keep me on track.
Red Dress - running in the morning before the sun is up, to beat the heat of Phoenix summers. The bonus to this - finding out which homes in the neighborhood actually have time to make a 'real' breakfast. I can smell bacon and pancakes cooking!
I hear you! Heart disease runs in my family, so I have a physical fitness plan similar to yours. Now I probably shouldn't have eaten all those Girl Scout cookies yesterday....
I suppose we all have to die of something - maybe our hearts just get tired when we are older. I don't know of any women who have died prematurely of heart disease but know of a lot who have of cancer. But I agree with your red dress philosphy and hope it protects me against both. I have never been greatly overweight and always take action when I do add a few kilo's. And exercise has been part of my life since as long as I can remember. And you just feel better don't you?
Thank you for posting this. Frequently, my girlfriends and I talk about the health issues that plaque our society, particularly women. Almost every other woman I know suffers from hypertension. I try to do some form of exercise at three times a week. I have never been overweight and am conscientious about what I eat. The danger for me is stress. It plays a significant part in heart related diseases. I'm in total agreement with your red dress philosophy.
As someone who has advanced heart disease and cardiomyopathy, I had my first heart failure at the young age of 45. I had to take early retirement and have been wheelchair bound since 2003. I've had to give up a lot. It is very real especially when I have to be hospitalized. Wear your red dress whenever possible and remember me.
I recommit to regaining my health every single morning when I walk, take my bp medicine and picture myself healthy again.
Thank you for helping me to remember!
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