Day 38

I want you to stop and think about a woman you know that has or had a heart condition. Chances are, one comes to mind pretty easily. That's because heart disease is the Number One killer of women in America. NUMBER ONE. One out of every four women will die of heart disease. Holy crap.

The numbers are so high because of several reasons:

- Women do not have the typical "chest pain" symptoms that the majority of America associates with having a heart attack. We get nauseated, sweaty, or have arm and/or shoulder pain. We may be short of breath, but rarely do we get actual discomfort in our chest. This leads clinicians down other paths aside from cardiac, possibly wasting precious minutes that our heart muscle is not getting what it needs.

- Women are worse than men about going to the doctor. Yup. We "shake it off" or "get our soldiers marching". We tell ourselves it will go away, we're too busy, we're overreacting. We make sure our kids get their annual physicals but neglect to do the same for ourselves. I am totally guilty of this myself- I haven't been to the doctor for a physical in years (and years...)

- Women tend to worry more than men. I know- surprise. Over time, this can lead to an enlarged heart and what is called Broken Heart Syndrome.

- Women are traditionally physically smaller than men. This means that we have smaller arteries, which in turn means they are at a higher risk of getting clogged.

The good news is, there are many things we can do to help prevent heart disease. Most of them you have heard before, as they are in general good health practices...

Don't smoke.

Keep your blood sugar under control.

Keep your blood pressure under control.

Exercise a minimum of 30 min per day, 3 days per week.

Eat a low cholesterol diet.

See your doctor every year (yes, Stephanie that means you...)

I know it sounds simple but....1 in 4 guys. And I definitely have more than 4 girlfriends out there who I want to enjoy drinking wine and trashing men with until I'm old and senile. 

February is heart month in many ways. And today was National Wear Red for Women Day. I wore my red sweater proudly, along with this pin. And Monday I am gonna make a doctor's appointment. Really. I swear.