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RedFeb: Don't let lifestyle choices steal your heart.


This month is Red Feb Month! Red Feb is a whole month dedicated to raising awareness for heart health and increasing research within the area. In light of this, this month’s blog is dedicated to all things heart health – and how you can start your journey today, in reducing your risk.


Head to Heart Research Australia (link below) to find out more about Red Feb and see how you can get involved! https://www.heartresearch.com.au/redfeb/

 

Cardiovascular disease is one of Australia’s largest health concerns, affecting more than 4 million of us. It is a term that is used to class all heart, stroke and blood vessel diseases, and is responsible for the mortality of one person every 12 minutes.


A medical heart in a doctors hand

 

Many things can lead to the formation of cardiovascular disease, some we have no control over. However, others we do have control over, and we can implement lifestyle changes that work towards reducing our overall risk, with 57% of adults having 3 or more modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (2014-18). Below is an example of some of the modifiable (can be controlled), or non-modifiable (cannot be controlled) that relate to cardiovascular health.

 

Modifiable Risk factors

Non-Modifiable Risk factors

  • Smoking

  • Poor diet

  • Insufficient physical activity

  • Increased sedentary time

  • Alcohol consumption

  • Overweight or obesity

  • High blood pressure

  • Abnormal lipid profile incl high cholesterol

  • Age (risk increases with age)

  • Gender (both at risk but males slightly higher risk)

  • Family History

 

A heart attack is caused by a narrowing of our arteries, causing a blockage, and meaning our heart is lacking oxygen. The symptoms differ for everyone, so it can be hard to know when you need to seek help.

Obviously, we all know about the common symptom of chest pain, however there are many other symptoms that may depict a heart attack, in which you should seek medical attention immediately.


A man experiencing heart pain

 These can include:

  • Jaw and neck pain

  • A squeezing or choking sensation

  • Fainting

  • Sweating

  • Nausea/feeling sick in stomach

  • Pain in the shoulder and/or arms

  • Sudden difficulty breathing

  • Similar sensations to heartburn

  • Sudden overwhelming fatigue or weakness

  • Flu like symptoms 

 

Women are also more likely to experience nausea, sweating, vomiting, pain in the neck/jaw/throat/ back, as opposed to the typical chest pain – highlighting the importance of knowing what to look for. Overall, if you are not sure make the call! You can never be too cautious when it comes to your heart health.

 

Here are some of my tips for a healthy heart <3

  1. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.

  2. Meet your physical activity guidelines of getting at least 150mins of exercise per week.

  3. Quit smoking and reduce alcohol consumption as much as possible.

  4. Get routine health checks by your GP.

  5. Reduce sedentary behaviour as much as possible and break up long periods of sitting with movement.

 

Still not sure where to start? Click the button below so we can help get you started on your journey towards a healthy heart.

 

 






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