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Red shirts draw attention to Heart Association campaign

A group of Headquarters employees, committed to healthier hearts, donned red shirts recently to raise awareness for the American Heart Association’s annual campaign.

Go Red For Women is a movement passionately dedicated to helping women fight back against heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women in America. By putting our passion together with positive action, we can continue to educate other womenabout their risks and help them find their own personal path to better health for life.

The American Heart Association offers you an overview of those discoveries in ABCs of Preventing Heart Disease, Stroke and Heart Attack:

So why is coronary heart disease the single major cause of death and stroke the No. 3 killer in the U.S.? One reason is undeniably a lack of commitment to a heart-healthy lifestyle. Your lifestyle is not only your best defense against heart disease and stroke, it’s also your responsibility.

A heart-healthy lifestyle includes the ideas listed in the heart below. By following these three simple steps you can reduce all of the modifiable risk factors for heart disease, heart attack and stroke including:

Avoid Tobacco. Stop smoking. If you smoke, quit. If someone in your household smokes, encourage them to quit. We know it’s tough. But it’s tougher to recover from a heart attack or stroke or to live with chronic heart disease. Commit to quit. We’re here to help if you need it.

Be physically active every day. Research has shown that getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity on 5 or more days of the week can help lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and keep your weight at a healthy level. But something IS better than nothing. If you’re doing nothing now, start out slow. Even 10 minutes at a time may offer some health benefits. Studies show that people who have achieved even a moderate level of fitness are much less likely to die early than those with a low fitness level.

Choose good nutrition. A healthy diet is one of the best weapons you have to fight cardiovascular disease. The food you eat (and the amount) can affect other controllable risk factors: cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and overweight. Choose nutrient-rich foods — which have vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients but are lower in calories — over nutrient-poor foods.

A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole-grain and high-fiber foods, fish, lean protein and fat-free or low-fat dairy products is the key. And to maintain a healthy weight, coordinate your diet with your physical activity level so you're using up as many calories as you take in.