One in three. That’s the price women pay for cardiovascular disease. While nearly 80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented, cardiovascular diseases continue to be a woman’s greatest health threat, claiming the lives of 1 in 3 women. That’s a third of mothers, sisters and frien
ds.
On National Wear Red Day on Friday, February 1st — nationally sponsored by CVS Health — women everywhere will come together to take action to end heart disease and stroke in women. Hundreds of local businesses, community groups, hospitals, towns and schools will “Go Red” to help raise awareness and funds to fight heart disease, the number one killer of men and women.
On Wear Red Day, employees wear red and donate $5 to the Go Red For Women® movement and receive a red dress pin or magnet. Some companies have educational programs or heart health events, or allow people to “dress down” if they were red and donate. Funds raised through Wear Red Day help support the life-saving initiatives of the American Heart Association – awareness campaigns, prevention and education programs and cutting-edge scientific research.
For more than 10 years, Go Red For Women has been dedicated women’s heart health because heart disease is the number one killer of women, claiming more lives each year than all forms of cancer combined.
Prior to Go Red for Women, only 30 percent of women knew that heart disease was their greatest health threat. A decade after Go Red for Women launched, close to 56 percent of women recognized this fact, nearly a 90 percent increase in awareness, but we have more work to do to help save women’s lives.
Go Red For Women encourages women to be aware of their number one killer and know their numbers like total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index. Talk to your doctor to lower your heart health risk, especially if you have a family history of heart disease or stroke.
Move more by making physical activity a priority and join the #GoRedGetFit team on Facebook with your Facebook friends. Aim for 30 minutes daily of walking or aerobic exercise. Take a walk at lunch or after dinner, workout with an online video or walk your dog—it all counts and helps to prevent heart disease.
Eat smart by making healthy eating a priority. Make the healthy choice the default choice at mealtimes. Eat a diet of mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins and fish like salmon. Eat more low-fat, low-sodium foods and cut back on dietary sugar especially in beverages.
Manage blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, commit to monitoring it regularly through the AHA’s Check. Change. Control. Tracker online. The AHA’s guidelines now say that high blood pressure is 130/80 or above. Talk to your doctor about a plan to manage high blood pressure before it causes damage to your arteries, heart, brain or other organs. Diabetes can increase your risk for heart disease. Learn more at https://knowdiabetesbyheart.org.
Learn more about preventing women’s number one killer at www.GoRedForWomen.org. For information on joining National Wear Red Day, contact [email protected], 914-806-0962, or visit www.wearredday.org.
Tag your Wear Red Day photos online with #GoRed914. For information about the May 31st Go Red For Women Luncheon at the Hilton Westchester, visit http://westchestergored.heart.org.
Judy Melillo, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation, will lead the Go Red Westchester campaign efforts to help raise awareness and funds to fight the number one killer of women: heart disease.