Happy Heart Month!
Happy Heart Month
everyone!
On February 1, National Wear Red Day I was able to help out at the Mary J. Berg Women’s Heart Celebration event on my college campus of North Dakota State University. I spent the first part of the night greeting guests as they arrived and giving them gift bags that contained goodies and information about Go Red For Women and the American Heart Association. It was fun to see both NDSU faculty and students come to this event to learn more about heart health! After everyone had arrived, the program started and a cardiologist and a heart disease survivor both spoke to the crowd.
On February 1, National Wear Red Day I was able to help out at the Mary J. Berg Women’s Heart Celebration event on my college campus of North Dakota State University. I spent the first part of the night greeting guests as they arrived and giving them gift bags that contained goodies and information about Go Red For Women and the American Heart Association. It was fun to see both NDSU faculty and students come to this event to learn more about heart health! After everyone had arrived, the program started and a cardiologist and a heart disease survivor both spoke to the crowd.
One of the things
that I remember most from the program was the cardiologist’s mention of the
connection between depression and heart disease. She stated that an important
way to prevent heart disease is to treat any cases of depression. During my
interview at the state pageant this past December, I remember explaining this
connection to one of my judges. People who are depressed tend to live a more
sedentary lifestyle, and thus, are more at risk for heart disease.
Having this
connection between my personal platform of mental health awareness and the
International Pageant’s alliance with Go Red For Women makes me even more
passionate about them both!
Here are some ways you can stay heart healthy, not only for yourself, but also for your loved ones:
Here are some ways you can stay heart healthy, not only for yourself, but also for your loved ones:
- Don’t smoke!
- Exercise! One thing I have learned is that
even if you only have 20 minutes a day to exercise, it is still something! So
get out there and get moving!
- Eat a healthy, well balanced diet. This
means controlling your portion size, eating fruits and vegetables, and watching
your fat cholesterol, and sodium intake.
- Know your numbers! This includes knowing
your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, waist size, and BMI.
- Listen to your body- you know it best! Only
you can know what is going on with your body. If something is out of the
“ordinary” for you, get it checked out! (See my personal story on my next
blog!)
Xoxo, Taylor
