February is American Heart Month, and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter of the Links, Incorporated is intentional about improving heart health in our communities. Heart disease is the number-one killer of women and disproportionately affects Black women and men.
Medical problems that increase the risk of heart disease are quite common in Black communities and include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and being overweight. These risk factors also increase your risk for related diseases, such as stroke and kidney disorders.
Did you know?
For Black women aged 20 years and older:
1) 8 of 10 are overweight.
2) 5 of 10 have high blood pressure.
3) 3 of 10 have high cholesterol.
4) 1 of 10 has diabetes.
For Black men aged 20 years and older:
1) 7 of 10 are overweight.
2) 4 out of 10 have high blood pressure.
3) 3 out of 10 have high cholesterol.
4) 2 of 10 have diabetes.
Below are some simple rules and tips to abide by to help reduce your risk of heart disease. Keep in mind that feeling connected with others and having positive, close relationships with those who motivate and care are beneficial, so call a friend or loved one and let us get started.
Change your lifestyle
1. Be more physically active. Aim for at least 2½ hours of physical activity each week—just 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Do muscle-strengthening exercises two days a week. Can’t carve out a lot of time in your day? Try 10 or 15 minutes a few times a day. Call or text a friend to walk with you. Take a dance class or an online fitness class.
2. Eat a healthy diet. We tend to eat like our friends and family, so ask others close to you to join in your effort to eat healthier. Fill your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables, chicken, fish, and nuts. Avoid sweetened foods and drinks that are high in sugar and use water instead. Try to drink eight glasses of water per day.
3. Lose weight. Start by increasing physical activity and assuming a healthy diet. The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than consumed.
4. Manage stress and improve sleep. Reducing stress helps your heart health. Set goals with a friend or family member to do a relaxing activity every day, like walking, yoga, meditation, or participation in an online stress-management program together. Sleeping 7–8 hours a night also helps to improve heart health. Instead of looking at your devices such as the phone or TV before bed, relax by listening to music, reading, or taking a bath.
5. Quit smoking! If you smoke, talk with your doctor to discuss cessation strategies.
Increase self-awareness
6. Know your cholesterol numbers and work on normalizing them. Your goal is to keep your total cholesterol less than 200 and your lethal or bad cholesterol (LDL) less than 100. Cholesterol comes from two main sources: your body, which makes all the cholesterol necessary for living, and your food intake. By choosing your diet wisely and avoiding foods that are high in cholesterol, you can maintain healthy levels.
7. Manage your blood pressure. High blood pressure is caused when the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels gets too high. This condition is called hypertension. Controlling stress, weight, and diet can help to reduce high blood pressure.
If these lifestyle methods fail, your doctor may prescribe medications to help you lower your blood pressure to prevent your risk of heart disease. It is important to take these medications as they are prescribed.
8. Control your blood sugar. Blood glucose is an important fuel for your body, but too much of it is toxic to your body and can result in diabetes. Reduce your intake of sweets and sweetened beverages. If you already have diabetes, your health provider will prescribe appropriate medications.
The Links, Incorporated is an international, not-for-profit corporation, established in 1946. The membership consists of more than 17,000 professional women of African descent. The Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter is committed to promoting better health for all of us by taking an aggressive stance against diseases that impair and derail our lives.
Dr. Allyson Brotherson and Dr. Sharon Dykes are members of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter of the Links, Incorporated Health and Human Services Facet. Dr. Brotherson is a family physician and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Hennepin Healthcare. Dr. Dykes is a colorectal surgeon and owner and CEO of Minnesota Colon and Rectal Surgical Specialists.
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