See Red This Friday

This Friday is National Wear Red for Women Day. Sponsored by the American Heart Association (AHA), Go Red for Women is a nationwide campaign that seeks to inform women about heart disease, which is the number one killer in women, and steps we can take to prevent or reduce our risk for the killer disease.

Now, you already know that I’m a huge proponent for living a heart healthy lifestyle. I mean hey, I wouldn’t promote the heart healthy benefits of margarine and other foods if I didn’t think they could help us all lead a better, longer life. Here some other steps you can take to reduce your risk for heart disease.

See your physician for an annual exam.

Have your cholesterol screened when you have your physical exam.

Monitor your results as often as your physician recommends.

Exercise 3 to 5 times per week for 30 to 45 minutes each time. Such aerobic exercise as walking, biking or calisthenics is best.

Eat a heart-healthy diet. Eat a variety of foods and also reduce fat, cholesterol and salt intake. Margarine just so happens to be part of a heart healthy diet.

Learn to reduce stress. Relaxation tapes, exercise and deep breathing can help.

Avoid cigarette smoking.

Please help join the fight against this killer disease and wear red this Friday. For more information, check out americanheart.org.