Go Red For Women

A heart at peace gives life to the body. Proverbs 14:30 (NIV)

In February our thoughts turn to our hearts: Valentine hearts filled with love, our spiritual journey as we begin the Lenten season, and our physical hearts as it is American Heart Month. We should be concerned about heart disease, as it continues to be a primary cause of death and disability in our country.

“The American Heart Association’s signature women’s initiative, ‘Go Red For Women’, is a comprehensive platform designed to increase women’s heart health awareness…It’s no longer just about wearing red; it’s no longer just about sharing heart health facts. It’s about all women making a commitment to stand together with ‘Go Red’ and taking charge of their own heart health as well as the health of those they can’t bear to live without.” This national movement was founded to help fight back against the #1 killer of American Women, as cardiovascular disease is the cause of one in every 3 female deaths in the United States. Join with thousands of women across America on national Wear Red Day, Friday, February 3, 2023, by wearing red and by making a donation to the American Heart Association to support research and education about women and heart disease.

The following risk factors of heart disease are ones you can do something about. They are: smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, being overweight or obese, and lack of exercise or physical inactivity. Related to these risk factors, the American Heart Association suggests “10 Ways to Love Your Heart.”

• Get regular checkups.
• Know your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers.
• Follow your doctor’s recommendations for diet and exercise.
• Take prescribed medications as directed.
• If you smoke, quit now.
• Get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables, whole-grain food and fish.
• Limit food high in saturated fats and dietary cholesterol.
• Limit your salt intake to 1500 mg of sodium a day.
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, drink in moderation—an average of no more than one drink a day for non-pregnant women.

The American Heart Association shares other facts about women and cardiovascular disease.

• This disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined.
• Nearly 45% of women over the age of 20 years are living with some cardiovascular disease.
• Less than 50% of women entering pregnancy have good heart health.
• The #1 killer of new moms is cardiovascular disease. (It accounts for over 1/3 of maternal deaths!)
• Heart disease is NOT caused by menopause but this midlife stage is often a time when cardiovascular risks increase.
• Most cardiac and stroke events can be prevented through lifestyle changes and education.
• 51.9% of hypertension (the “silent killer”) deaths are in women.
• 57.5% of stroke deaths are women though there are around 4.1 million women living today who have survived a stroke.

In 2004 the goal of “Go Red for Women” was to raise awareness of women’s greatest health threat, cardiovascular disease.

Nowadays “Go Red for Women” continues to advocate for the health of all women and it is “committed to removing the unique barriers women face to experiencing better health and well-being.”

Helpful websites: www.goredforwomen.org and www.heart.org