The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta is boosting its publicity during the month of February to remind people that to live long and happy lives, we must take care of ourselves, and that includes our hearts.
“In Canada, every seven minutes, a person will have a heart attack. 17,000 people die each year [from heart attacks],” says Valerie Fraser, who works with the Heart and Stroke Foundation in Medicine Hat. “We really push the importance of looking after our hearts.”
The best ways to take care of our hearts are pretty obvious, including not smoking, if you do drink, do so in moderation, limiting stress, and of course, exercise. These are things we’re all aware of, but many people don’t follow these simple guidelines that can help them live longer, and we need to.
“High on the list is smoking. Please don’t smoke; being inactive, high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” says Fraser. “Age, gender, family history are [also] general risk factors.”
Another risk factor to our general health and our hearts is stress, something we all deal with, and if we don’t take steps to handle it, it can have harmful effects on our bodies and our hearts.
“We all have stress in our lives, we need to learn to manage it,” says Fraser.
If you feel you are at risk for heart disease or heart attack, it’s very important that you go and see your doctor, and make him or her fully aware of your family history, so you can work to prevent a heart attack.
People need to take care of their bodies, and their hearts. If we don’t, we might not live as long of a life as we might like.
“You only get one body. You get one chance to take care of it,” says Fraser.
The Heart and Stroke Foundations also wants to remind students and those in Alberta communities, including Lethbridge, to volunteer their time to spread the word of the importance of taking care of our hearts and to raise money for the foundation.
“If students are interested in helping with the fundraiser, contact the Lethbridge [Heart and Stroke Foundation] office,” says Louise.
Originally posted 2009-02-01 03:27:51. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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