PrintGlenn Mueller
eDiets Senior Writer/Editor
If you thought cancer was the leading cause of death for women in this country, think again. Heart disease kills more than 365,000 women in this nation every year, accounting for nearly one-third of all female deaths. As if those statistics aren’t alarming enough, the fact is 8 million women are currently living with heart disease.
“Women need to take their heart health seriously,” says Kathy Kastan, a bypass surgery survivor and past-president of the board of directors of WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. “They must educate themselves about its signs and symptoms, understand their risk factors and family history of the disease, eat heart healthy foods and get regular exercise. Only they can take good care of their hearts!”
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WomenHeart is the nation’s only patient advocacy organization representing women living with heart disease. It aims to improve their quality of life and healthcare through support, education and advocacy. WomenHeart also promotes the right of all women to receive early detection, accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of their heart disease. Founded in 1998, it is a public charity located in Washington, D.C.
“We provide women with information they need to become their own best heart health advocates and to improve their eating and physical activity habits,” Kastan says. “As a national community of survivors, we know that a heart disease diagnosis is not the end — it’s the beginning of creating a new healthy lifestyle for ourselves and our families.”
Now, in this eDiets exclusive, Kastan shares five ways a woman can take charge of her own health and heart disease prevention:
Adopt a healthy diet: According to Kastan, and important part of heart disease prevention is to adopt an eating plan with balanced meals and small portions. “You need to consider what you are putting in your mouth and how it affects your heart,” says Kastan. “Start with small changes, such as switching to skim milk and eating fewer fried foods, which over time will result in life-long changes to your diet.”
Exercise regularly. “Make an effort to exercise every day,” says Kastan. “Getting your heart rate up is important, but even taking a 30-minute walk will greatly improve your heart health.” Kastan has modified her own fitness routine to make it more effective for her heart and goes to the gym at least four times every week
Prioritize your time. “Women tend to put their families, jobs and volunteer work ahead of themselves,” says Kastan. “They put their own health needs at the bottom of the list.” In addition, according to Kastan, women need to better manage their stress and seek professional help for emotional problems and clinical depression.
Recognize risk factors. Common risk factors for heart disease include obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, smoking and lack of physical activity. “As you get older, your risk for heart disease also increases,” says Kastan.
Seek competent medical care. “One of the most important heart disease prevention things for women is to become a partner with their doctor,” says Kastan. “If they are not getting adequate attention or proper care from their doctor, they need to find another one until they feel listened to and treated well.” According to Kastan, a woman may need to go through several physicians until she finds the one that is right for her. “You have every right to seek another opinion,” Kastan says.
Continue to these related posts:
– A Guide for Women and Heart Disease
– 6 Ways to Prevent Heart Disease
Glenn Mueller is the Senior Writer/Editor for eDiets.com in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. His areas of expertise include controlled carbohydrate living and diabetes.
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