The first Friday of February is an important day to help raise awareness about the danger of heart disease for women.
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00:00Tomorrow is National Wear Red Day,
00:04and since 2004, the American Heart Association
00:07has made the first Friday of February
00:09a day to wear red and raise awareness
00:11of heart disease in women.
00:13And Dr. Lakshmi Mehta is a volunteer expert
00:16with the American Heart Association,
00:18and joins us now with more on the initiative.
00:20Dr. Mehta, we're both wearing our red,
00:22so what makes Wear Red Day so important?
00:27Well, thank you for wearing red.
00:28It's so important because cardiovascular disease
00:31is the number one killer of women in the United States.
00:35However, less than half of the women
00:37even know that they're at risk for heart disease.
00:39And so we wear red to raise the awareness
00:42that women need to know that it is a threat for them.
00:45And it's also to raise the awareness
00:46amongst the medical community as well.
00:49And what would you advise?
00:51How could you best check on your own cardiovascular health?
00:55And are there any warning signs,
00:56early warning signs of heart disease or stroke?
01:00Well, the best way to check on your cardiovascular health
01:02is to go see your physician and get your blood tests done
01:06and to look for risk factors like high blood pressure,
01:09diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity.
01:12And there are things that you can do too,
01:14is like following a heart healthy diet, exercising,
01:17getting seven to nine hours of sleep.
01:20And those are all great things to do
01:23as well as not smoking or vaping.
01:26Warning signs are,
01:26if you notice that you're getting chest discomfort
01:29that's unusual for you, new for you,
01:31pain that goes down your arm,
01:32shortness of breath, intense fatigue,
01:35things that don't seem like your usual self,
01:38you should seek attention.
01:39And we also wanna raise the awareness of strokes as well.
01:42So, thinking if you suddenly have new onset
01:45of facial drooping, arm or leg weakness,
01:50speech difficulties, blurry vision, loss of vision,
01:54or balance in problems that start suddenly,
01:58that's also warning signs of a stroke.
02:00So, seek immediate medical attention in those conditions.
02:03Now, we know cold weather is a dangerous added risk
02:06for heart health, from snow shoveling to exercise.
02:09What can people do to keep themselves safe?
02:13Well, if you're gonna be out in the cold,
02:15bundle up, wear the proper clothing.
02:18And we say that because the cold
02:20can constrict the blood vessels.
02:22Being out in the cold weather
02:24and especially shoveling can increase your heart rate,
02:27increase your blood pressure.
02:29And so, there's higher risks of having a heart attack
02:32in the cold and sometimes even a fatal heart attack.
02:36So, making sure you're dressing appropriately,
02:39not doing sudden excessive activity
02:41and taking breaks while you're shoveling the snow
02:44is gonna be critical.
02:45And what are some good outdoor activities
02:48that will help with keeping your heart healthy?
02:51Well, the greatest activity would be going on walks
02:55and you can go biking, jogging.
03:00Anything that's outdoors
03:01where you're getting that fresh air
03:03is gonna be essential, connecting with nature too,
03:05because it not only helps your heart health,
03:07but it also reduces stress and connection.
03:11So, that's gonna be important.
03:12Some people can't be outdoors, especially in this weather.
03:15So, trying to stay indoors.
03:17And if you don't have access to a gym,
03:19going to a grocery store or mall
03:21can be that simple walking that you can do as well.
03:25Dr. Lakshmi Mehta with the American Heart Association.
03:28Thanks so much for joining us.
03:31Thanks for your time there.
03:33Expertise.