Did you know that one in three adult women have cardiovascular disease?
Sweating. Pressure. Nausea. Jaw pain, general tiredness, sleeplessness. Any of these symptoms can be signs of a woman's heart attack that might be brushed off as flu, stress or simply feeling under the weather.
Ignoring symptoms could put a woman's life in jeopardy. Chest pain is often not a symptom for women.
In fact, symptoms and treatment can be quite different between women and men. Twenty-six percent of women age 45 and over die within one year of a first recognized heart attack, compared to 19 percent of men. Twenty-two percent of women aged 45-64 who survive a heart attack will experience a second one within five years, compared to 15 percent of men. Heart disease and stroke cause one in three deaths among women each year - more than all cancers combined. With education and action, 80 percent of cardiac and stroke events can be prevented.
Women who consider themselves healthy can often misdiagnose the symptoms of a heart attack because they don't think it could happen to them or they are busy taking care of family members. Young, midlife or senior, it can happen to any of us. It is crucial to learn about heart disease and stroke, prevention hinges on this.
Women should know what their numbers mean, as well as the risk factors of heart disease, and understand a heart-healthy lifestyle.
StrongWomen Healthy Heart was developed to help women understand the heart healthy lifestyle and be aware of risk factors. This curriculum was designed for and most effective for midlife women (aged 40 and up). Colorado State University Extension is again offering this 12-week curriculum as an opportunity for women to take time to improve their health and understand prevention.
The series will consist of moderate physical activity, health and nutrition discussion as well as recipe tryouts during the weekly two-hour session. Guest speakers will be included at various times as well.
As a registered dietitian and nutritionist, Wendy Rice will lead the class while sharing research based information as recommended by American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and Academy of Dietetics/Nutrition.
The curriculum was developed by Tufts University in Boston and tested extensively by numerous universities across the country. The body composition analysis (start-up, midway and week 12) is intended to give tangible proof of progress for each participant.
For those interested, an informational meeting will be held to discuss the specifics of this program and answer your questions.
The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26 in the Florida Room at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. To sign up for the informational session, call 382-6465.
