Let your voice be heard …

As a community member of the Advocacy Group, I wanted to share Kristen’s story. 

– I was just 33 years old when I had my stroke. One day I was training for my second half-Ironman triathlon, the next day I woke up in intensive care with the right side of my body completely paralyzed. In a matter of hours, my whole life changed.

But I didn’t let it slow me down.

Through four months of rehabilitation, I relearned simple tasks, like tying my shoes. And I am proud to say that I just laced up my sneakers and finished a half-marathon earlier this month.

My experience is why I am making the journey to Washington, DC in ten days to ask my legislators to increase access to telestroke care. But I can’t do this alone. Will you join me by messaging your lawmakers to support the Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine (FAST) Act?

Telestroke connects patients to stroke specialists, especially where there are shortages of neurologists. Research shows this technology improves patients’ access to the clot-busting drug tPA during a stroke, which can reduce disability and speed up recovery. For me, access to tPA was how I was able to put my shoes back on and compete again.

I cannot wait to share my journey with our elected officials, but I need to know you’re with me.

Amplify my voice today! Kristen Powers “You’re the Cure” Advocate – American Heart/American Stroke Association.

 

advocacydc@heart.org

 

A Change of Heart

Nearly six million Americans live with heart failure.

 cited; “Rise Above Heart Failure”

Heart failure is a serious condition, and usually there’s no cure. But many people with heart failure lead full, and enjoyable lives when the condition is diagnosed and managed with proper medication and lifestyle changes.

 

How the normal heart works

The normal healthy heart is a strong, muscular pump a little larger than a fist. It pumps blood continuously through the circulatory system.

The heart has four chambers, two on the right and two on the left:

• Two upper chambers called atria (one is an atrium)
• Two lower chambers called ventricles

The right atria takes in oxygen-depleted blood from the rest of the body and sends it back out to the lungs through the right ventricle where the blood becomes oxygenated.

Oxygen-rich blood travels from the lungs to the left atrium, then on to the left ventricle, which pumps it to the rest of the body.

The heart pumps blood to the lungs and to all the body’s tissues by a sequence of highly organized contractions of the four chambers. For the heart to function properly, the four chambers must beat in an organized way.

What is heart failure?

Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood through to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen. Basically, the heart can’t keep up with its workload.

At first the heart tries to make up for this by:

• Enlarging. When your heart chamber enlarges, it stretches more and can contract more strongly, so it pumps more blood. With an enlarged heart, your body starts to retain fluid, your lungs get congested with fluid and your heart begins to beat irregularly.
• Developing more muscle mass. The increase in muscle mass occurs because the contracting cells of the heart get bigger. This lets the heart pump more strongly, at least initially.
• Pumping faster. This helps to increase the heart’s output.

The body also tries to compensate in other ways:

• The blood vessels narrow to keep blood pressure up, trying to make up for the heart’s loss of power.
• The body diverts blood away from less important tissues and organs (like the kidneys), the heart and brain.

These temporary measures mask the problem of heart failure, but they don’t solve it. Heart failure continues and worsens until these substitute processes no longer work.

Eventually the heart and body just can’t keep up, and the person experiences the fatigue, breathing problems or other symptoms that usually prompt a trip to the doctor.

The body’s compensation mechanisms help explain why some people may not become aware of their condition until years after their heart begins its decline. (It’s also a good reason to have a regular checkup with your doctor.)

Heart failure can involve the heart’s left side, right side or both sides. However, it usually affects the left side first.

Let’s Walk …

cited; heartwalkla.org

For 90 years Heart Disease has been the #1 reason we lose our loved ones. Changing the rank of heart disease begins “one” step at a time.

Let 2016 be the year you join the thousands in their dedication to living a healthier lifestyle, and building a healthier community.

Find a Heart Walk in your community and register today!!!

 

 

February 2016

Get started today, to a healthier you ~ Life is Why!

 

You up for the Challenge?…

 Life is Why “Family Health Challenge“

Take the 4 week challenge – to make simple fast and healthy choices for you and your family.

Photo Credit; http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

The White House declared September to be National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month in order to educate on and promote healthier eating and increased physical activity by all the Nation’s children.

Childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1963. Today, 1 in 3 kids is considered obese. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults.

Parents, you can help your kids have a healthy childhood and teach them healthy habits to take into adulthood. Try serving a plate of colorful food, swapping sugar-sweetened beverages for natural infused water, staying away from the Salty 6, and making sure your kids stay physically active. cited; HEARTORG

Walking Together to Save Lives …

Photo Credit: AHA

The Heart Walk is the American Heart Association’s premiere event for raising funds to save lives from this country’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers – heart disease and stroke. Designed to promote physical activity and heart-healthy living, the Heart Walk creates an environment that’s fun and rewarding for the entire family.

Get started now!

See more at: Heart Walk 2015 – 2016

Why we “Walk” …

The American Heart Association

Heart Walk 2015-2016

Annual Expenditures

Community

We’re making your community healthier by advocating for key issues such as:

• Smoke-free public places
• More walkable and bikable streets, roads and parks
• Better nutrition and high-quality physical education in our schools
• Adequate, affordable and available health care for all

Healthcare

We’re improving the quality of care for heart and stroke patients by:

• Training millions of Americans in CPR, advanced life support, AED (defibrillator) use and first aid; promoting AED placement in businesses and public places
• Improving emergency care for heart attack victims through our Mission: Lifeline community-based initiative
• Helping hospitals treat cardiac and stroke patients according to proven guidelines using our Get With The Guidelines® program
• Strengthening stroke systems of care, teaching the public to respond to warning signs, and providing resources for stroke survivors and caregivers

Education

We’re reaching at-risk populations through cause initiatives and online tools:

• Go Red For Women®: fighting heart disease, women’s #1 health threat
• Voices for Healthy Kids: fighting childhood obesity
• Power To End Stroke®: reducing African Americans’ high risk of stroke
• My Life Check®: our online heart-health assessment
• Heart360®: our online health management system that allows users to track and share their health information with their healthcare provider

Research

Nationwide, we invest over $132 million a year ($3.2 billion since 1949) in heart and stroke research that has led to recent breakthroughs such as clot-busting drugs and drug-eluting stents. Healthcare providers learn about medical advances and new treatment guidelines though our journals, conferences and online courses.

Article cited; The American Heart Association

DAVID IS WHY …

“FOOD FIGHT”

Voice for Healthy Kids movement, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that works to ensure schools provide an environment that encourages healthy eating.

“Schools serving up better options help reverse obesity.”

It’s reported that schools across the country are taking several steps to fight obesity by providing healthier foods, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The CDC’s School Health Policies and Practices Study, surveyed more than 800 school districts in all 50 states. Finding a significant trend in prohibiting “junk” foods, and taking positive steps to get students more active.

“Everyone wants children to grow up healthy,” says Jill Birnbaum, Executive Director for Voices for Healthy Kids at the American Heart Association. “As schools serve up better options and keep ads for junk food and sugary drinks out of their schools, kids will be better fueled to learn.”

Several school settings improved at prohibiting junk food , according to the report:

• An la carte offering, at breakfast and lunch improved from 23.1 percent of schools banning junk food to 41.7 percent.
• Vending machines improved from 4.1 percent to 43.4 percent.
• School stores improved from 3.9 percent to 28.3 percent.
• And in after-school programs improvement went from 7.3 percent to 21.4 percent.

Some districts required (9.6 percent) or recommended (32.3 percent) that schools make fruits or vegetables available to students whenever other food is offered or sold. Additionally, more school districts (26 percent) required the availability of healthy beverages, such as water or low-fat milk, during school events and in their stores. There is a clear need to continue on the path to making healthy choices easier for children throughout the school day. The marketing of unhealthy food to students remains a problem, Birnbaum said.

The report found that only 38.3 percent of school districts prohibit advertisements for junk foods or fast food restaurants on school property. As for physical activity, many schools have made promising advances, the report found. However, Birnbaum said, “there is room for significant improvement.“

Most schools require physical education be taught at all grade levels, however very few require the national recommendations of 150 minutes per week for elementary and middle schools and elementary schools and 225 minutes per week for high school students. Additionally, only 58.9 percent of districts require scheduled recess in elementary schools and a mere 10.8 percent require a break for physical activity in middle schools.

Voices for Healthy Kids is a national advocacy initiative focused on uniting the movement to prevent childhood obesity. A collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and American Heart Association, the initiative seeks to help reverse the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic by ensuring children have access to healthy foods and beverages, as well as safe opportunities for physical activity.

Pack It Healthy with “Planet Box” …

Give your kids the energy they need to make it through the day with a healthy lunch. Studies have shown that if you equip your children with healthy food to eat at school, they will be better prepared to study and learn. Although there are lots of convenience in products available to make packing your kid’s lunchbox a snap. But those products are often loaded with saturated fat, calories and sodium.

Fruits and vegetables add color and crunch while providing beneficial vitamins and minerals. Foods like wraps, smoothies and dips are fun to eat – too!

Give your kids something to look forward to at lunch time – every day with a variety of options – that they won’t trade away!

Why choose PLANET BOX? It is the smart lunchbox that guides you in packing a well-balanced meal quickly and very easily, for both kids and adults! Several proportioned compartments are perfect for packing all of your favorites – especially the treats!

If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you …

MONDAY MOTIVATION

Scheduling your “30 MINUTES A DAY” of physical activity – for the week, will help you stay on track! 

You don’t have to train for a triathlon to be physically fit. A 30-minute walk is incredibly beneficial to your health. The more active you are, and with regular exercise you can help prevent diseases and injuries. A daily routine of moderate physical activity strengthens and maintains your body by helping to;

• build healthy bones, muscles and joints
• control weight, build lean muscle, and reduce your overall body fat
• prevent or delay the development of high blood pressure (hypertension)

Busy calendar? at work or kid activities ( especially during the summer months ) scheduling will help you stay on track!

• Schedule a fitness class, from kickboxing to a spin class, pick the one that’s right for you! Check out your local community centers or your local gym for classes available in your area.
• Make it a family affair … get the whole family to join in on the activity! When our kids were younger we’d ride our bicycles to the local school and play tennis and/or racquetball. Find a sport or activity that your whole family can enjoy together.

As a family we’ve committed to scheduled days of walking and/or running together. Saturday is the day we tackle our 10 mile hike! It s a “healthy way” to stay connected!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!

Take a Peek …

“Gratitude changes everything” …

Healing Healthy as a Family has resulted in a totally radical lifestyle change ~ of “Mind, Body and Soul”

We’ve enjoyed reading so many informative blogs. THE GOOD VADER, has been an especially inspirational blog ~ read how he is “remastering gratitude“