Project: Go RED!

Jennie Garth is in the first video talking about women and heart disease.  Loved the second video from Betty White! 

Tell all the women you love and even the ones you just "tolerate" about

Go Red for Women Day! ;-)

I know...if you're one of my Facebook friends or just one of my friends, and you're not a Red Raider, I'm sure you get annoyed during football season with GO RED RAIDERS!  Yes, I'm one of those that wears red every Friday (and lots during the week) to support my Red Raiders and to show school spirit.  This time, however, you don't have to be a Red Raider to participate, and I know all my Aggie, Longhorn, Bear, Buff, and Horned Frog friends look pretty in red. It won't hurt for long. :)

You just have to wear red on Friday, February 4, for Go Red for Women day.  This is a national day that the American Heart Association sets up to promote education in women about heart disease.  Heart Disease is currently the #1 Killer of Women in the United States.

You're probably thinking, "Whatever lady, I'm only 29." (Aren't we all!?!?)  This cause is very important to me because I have a very strong family history of this disease.  Heart disease goes straight up my family tree on my father's side.  Since I'm 29 (+7), this weighs heavy on me.  I'm still young, but my father had his first open-heart bypass surgery at 47, and the second at 55.  As fast as time is moving, that's not that far off for me.  I'm all about trying to look decent in a swimsuit, and a 12 inch incision down the middle of my chest really isn't what I'm going for.  All joking aside, my great-grandmother had open-heart surgery at 80, my grandfather twice, my grandmother has had stints and a pacemaker as well as high blood pressure, and then my father with two open-heart surgeries under his belt.  Since a nurse once told me that women get their heart disease from their father's side, I don't stand much of a chance. 

However, there is something I can do to try to prevent heart disease from catching up with me.  Of course, one of the main risk factors is your family history, which I can't do much about.  I can, however, watch what I eat, not smoke, exercise, maintain a healthy weight, learn the warning signs, and can see my doctor regularly to have my cholesterol and triglyceride levels checked.  I can even have a glass of wine at night to try to beat heart disease!

Please join me this week for Project #1:  calling your doctor to schedule an appointment to check your numbers and to get them under control if necessary.  That's my first project in the morning!  For Project #2--Visit GoRedforWomen.org.  There is so much information for you to learn about preventing heart disease.  You really don't want to learn you have heart disease as a heart attack happens.  Start as early as possible for the best prevention.  It's up to us to take care of ourselves so we'll be here to take care of our families.  We can even start with our children now to try to prevent heart disease. 

Who's with me???  Let's Go Red on Friday, Feb 4!