Did you know that today is National Wear Red Day®? It’s the day the American Heart Association encourages us to Go Red For Women, wear red to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, and donate to support research on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Five Whys To Go Red For Women
1. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women, causing one in three deaths each year. Heart disease is more deadly than all cancers combined!
2. Heart attack symptoms can be very different for women. Women may not experience extreme chest pain, but instead my have symptoms including shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, back pain, jaw pain, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting, and/or extreme fatigue.
3. Heart disease can affect women who are fit. This information from the American Heart Association website really got my attention.
Even if you’re a yoga-loving, marathon-running workout fiend, your risk for heart disease isn’t completely eliminated. Factors like cholesterol, eating habits and smoking can counterbalance your other healthy habits.
They also note that birth control bills can be a risk factor. They might have contributed to the DVT I experienced on a business trip.
4. Even if heart disease runs in your family, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. Learn them. Do them. Encourage others in your family to join you.
5. Lifestyle changes can reduce your risk for heart disease by as much as 80%. Yep, a healthy diet and regular physical activity really can prevent heart disease.
Coincidentally, there are five numbers all women should know about their heart health:
1. Total Cholesterol
2. HDL Cholesterol
3. Blood Pressure
4. Blood Sugar
5. Body Mass Index (BMI)
Knowing these numbers can help you and your healthcare provider determine your risk for developing cardiovascular diseases.
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Whether or not you are wearing red today, you can donate directly at the American Heart Association website here.
Do you have a “why” to wear red today?
Please stop by for the February Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up
over the weekend!
Great reasons to wear red!!
I’m so glad I saw your post last night about this! Heart disease is rampant. Wearing red is such a small effort but it can impact others around us who notice it. And, red is a great color!
It seems early this year – maybe it’s a first Friday thing? Anyway, yes, it’s important to raise awareness!
Red is my favorite color, so any excuse is a good one for me!
I have a lot of red from my son’s team colors. 🙂
I will have to change my outfit for today to wear red.
I’m an Aries so red has always been my favorite color!
I don’t know if you watch Grey’s Anatomy, but last night’s episode was excellent. One of the characters was having a heart attack and she really advocating for herself to get the proper care. The episode also gave a lot of interesting stats on women and heart attacks as well.
OMG, yes! She was totally schooling them on some of the things I researched for this post! And the episode was gut-wrenching!
Heart disease does run in my family. My father has an aortic aneyrism and is in heart failure. My aunt had a massive heart attack when she was very elderly. I had an uncle who died from a heart attack.
Cancer runs in my family, too: my Dad, my Mom, a brother I never knew, other relatives not in my immediate family.
It’s why it’s so important to me to live a healthy lifestyle.
I know that fit women think they cannot be affected by heart disease but it’s not true at all. It’s so important to know the symptoms and family history
This cause is near and dear to me as well. Heart disease runs rampant on my dad’s side of the family. I often wonder if I’m doing “enough” to keep ahead of it.
They say the steps you can take really do make a difference.
I did not know today was wear red. I’m wearing blue and black today instead, but would’ve if I’d known since the next town over is laying a slain deputy to rest.
Sorry to hear that. That’s important to recognize too.
I didn’t realize that was today! Glad you’re spreading the word.
I am wearing my RED!!!!
Yay! I hope others noticed why. 😉
Great post – I haven’t had a proper check-up in ages and after reading this I think that’s exactly what I need to do. I am exercising a lot more than before, but I know I am not eating as well as I should be.
I finally got a long-overdue check up last fall. Luckily my numbers were good.
I’m doing everything I can to make sure I don’t get heart disease but it runs rampant in my family. I feel like I’m a ticking time bomb.
Ah, you do all the right things!
So much great info in this post. I love that you mentioned how heart attack symptoms are different for women. I was just reading a story recently of a lady that just felt fatigued and nauseous, so she went to urgent care and it turned out she was having a heart attack. Crazy!
Yes, the symptoms for women are so scary — aren’t we always tired?
Great post! Thanks for sharing those key 5 numbers we should all know. I think many women don’t realize that heart disease is the #1 killer.
All good reasons to wear red! I’m not really a ‘red’ person, but I do always wear it on this day!
Great! I’m glad to know others participate.
I wore my red today! My Dad had several heart attacks before a big one took him in 1986. I have tried my best to make lifestyle changes but it is very hard to change what is hereditary.
Red is one of the school colors for the school where I work so I am often wearing red, for multiple reasons. 🙂
Yes, one reason I have so much red is from my son’s team colors. But I still choose to wear red for this reason.
This is a great reminder that we need to take care of ourselves and know our numbers!
These are facts every woman should educate herself on. Thank you for this post!
Thanks for reading. 😉
Thanks for sharing!
I like sharing this kind of info as my mom has had 2 heart attacks!
I will be getting my heart checked soon to just to make sure it is doing ok!
Good idea — I hope your mom stays healthy too.
I did not know anything about this day but I think that’s because I’m not in the US. Nonetheless, VERY important info here!!! Thanks for sharing it!!!
Hah – it is a promotion by the American Heart Association. They make February Heart Health month, building around our Valentine’s Day stuff — do you celebrate V-Day in Europe?