It's Heart Health week at United Way!  We'll be featuring tips on how to keep your heart healthy and prevent heart attacks in the future.

Did you know?

Heart disease is responsible for 25% of deaths in America each year¹.

As the leading cause of death for both men and women, heart health is paramount to ensuring your future is long and prosperous. This week's Issue At Hand will be featuring tips on how you can keep your heart in tip-top shape.

The ABCS of heart attack prevention are simple²: 

Appropriate Aspirin Therapy
Blood Pressure Control
Cholesterol Management
Smoking Cessation. 

Follow these steps and you’ll be on the road to a healthier heart and lifestyle.  The American Heart Association provides United Way funded health education programs for women and youth that cover these factors and more.

A big step towards heart health is healthy eating.  Developing healthy eating habits early on will help children grow into healthy adults.  Kids receive heart healthy meals as part of the United Way funded Boys and Girls Club programs and YMCA of Greater Omaha teaches the importance of nutrition for young children to international parents.  It's all part of making sure children are given every opportunity to grow into healthy adults.  For senior citizens, Council Bluffs Senior Center offers nutritious meals daily and American Red Cross, Loess Hills Chapter provides Meals-On-Wheels for seniors who need nutritious meals but are unable to leave their homes.  

The Mayo Clinic suggests 8 Steps to Preventing Heart Disease through healthy eating³:

1. Limit unhealthy fats and cholesterol
2. Choose low-fat protein sources
3. Eat more vegetables and fruits
4. Select whole grains
5. Reduce the sodium in your food
6. Control your portion size
7. Plan ahead: Create daily menus
8. Allow yourself an occasional treat

Did you know?

A sedentary lifestyle without exercise is one of 5 risk factors for heart disease⁴.

30-minutes of physical activity a day can make a lot of difference in the long run. Exercise helps control your weight, improves your mood, boosts your energy and even promotes better sleep⁵.  Take a walk over your lunch hour or take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Walk the dog or play basketball with your kids.  No matter your age, exercise has undeniable benefits.  United Way funded programs at YMCA of Greater Omaha teach kids and teens the importance of physical activity through team sports and lifestyle classes.

What better way to use your heart today than to take the Million Hearts pledge? Education is an important step on the road to heart attack prevention. Take the pledge to educate yourself on risk factors, prevention, and 30 minutes a day of physical activity:  http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/individuals.html

¹"America's Heart Disease Burden." Heart Disease Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm>.
²"Be One in a Million Hearts." Million Hearts. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/individuals.html>.
³"Heart-healthy Diet: 8 Steps to Prevent Heart Disease." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-diet/NU00196>.
⁴Myers, Jonathan. Exercise and Cardiovascular Health. Rep. Cardiology 111-C, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/107/1/e2.full>.
⁵"Exercise: 7 Benefits of Physical Activity." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), 23 July 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676>.