Heart Health

Hi welcome to  
the Blue Door Neighborhood Center 
 
My name is Paige  
 
and my name is Aquea 
 
and today we'll be talking to you 
 
about Heart Health 
 
all right Aquea 
 
let's get into some of the myths that we hear 
 
around heart disease 
 
and some of the phrases 
 
that 
 
people typically say 
 
Okay 
 
The first one 
 
I am too young to worry about heart disease 
 
Well 
 
Yeah 
 
maybe so 
 
you know 
 
young people are living their life 
 
yeah  
right 
 
actually, heart disease 
does not discriminate 
 
it can happen at any age 
 
as early as your childhood and adolescent stages 
 
plaque begins to accumulate in the arteries 
 
causing clogged arteries 
 
which later leads to heart disease 
 
and even maybe a heart attack 
 
Wow 
 
Yes 
 
okay 
 
another phrase 
 
heart disease runs in my family 
 
so there's nothing I can do about it  
 
What do you think about that one? 
 
Well 
 
I would like to think that there would be something that people could do. Right? 
 
You're right! 
 
You can know your family history 
 
create an action plan 
 
as to what you should be eating, 
 
how active you should be, 
 
and maintaining a healthy weight. 
 
Okay 
 
another phrase 
 
I would know if I had heart disease 
 
because there would be warning signs 
 
Well 
 
there might not be though 
 
You are right 
 
This is another myth 
 
Heart disease has been classified as a silent killer 
 
there may or may not be signs. 
 
when you are experiencing heart disease 
 
ohhh 
 
that makes a lot of sense Paige 
 
Yes! 
 
Wow 
 
it's important to get 
 
healthy! 
 
Yes! 
 
You got to get healthy, stay healthy 
 
Another phrase 
 
I will know when I'm having a heart attack: because I'll have chest pains 
 
What do you think about that one? 
 
I'd like to think that you would 
 
have some signs and symptoms. 
Right? 
 
Yes! 
 
So this is a myth 
 
there will be signs and symptoms 
 
it will not only be just chest pains 
 
you can experience pain or discomfort in your jaw, 
 
your neck, 
 
or your back, 
 
you can also experience signs like 
 
trouble breathing, 
 
fatigue, 
 
lightheadedness and headaches. 
 
wow 
 
that's truly scary 
 
those are like, common things that we 
 
endure on an everyday basis 
 
everyday basis 
 
Wow! 
These symptoms and signs of 
 
um 
 
a heart attack 
 
heart heart disease and heart attacks 
 
wow 
 
wow 
 
So  
we talked about some of the myths 
 
let's get into defining Heart Disease 
 
Okay 
 
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
 
heart disease is a term to describe  
several heart conditions 
 
the most common 
 
heart disease is Coronary Artery Disease 
 
So Paige 
 
Did you know? 
 
That cardiovascular disease 
 
is the leading cause of death 
 
for men, women, and most people  
of all racial ethnicities 
 
in the United States 
 
Wow 
 
Yeah 
 
it's approximately 
 
um 
 
a person passing away 
 
every 36 seconds 
 
Wow 
 
Yeah 
 
so it's really really serious that we take control 
 
of our heart health 
 
Yes! 
 
Right? 
 
Very seriously  
 
and like you said earlier 
 
no matter what age you are 
 
everyone 
 
can benefit from learning 
 
more about how they can keep their 
 
heart-healthy 
 
healthy habits 
 
are keys 
 
to us living a healthy lifestyle 
 
right? 
 
we hear a lot about healthy eating 
 
maintaining physical activity 
 
Yes  
right 
 
but also 
 
you know 
 
we want to make sure that we're 
 
attending regular 
 
wellness exams 
 
right 
 
not smoking 
 
and learning ways to cope with stress 
 
and that's something that we do here 
 
at the Blue Door Neighborhood Center 
 
we offer those 
 
tips and things via our  
health education classes 
 
did you also know  
 
that researchers have found 
 
that there may be a gene 
 
that makes African Americans  
much more sensitive to the effects of salt 
 
and this is because 
 
African Americans 
 
have been disproportionately impacted 
 
by obesity, 
 
diabetes,  
 
and diagnoses of hypertension 
 
and so this makes 
 
African Americans more susceptible 
 
to developing heart disease 
 
Wow 
 
Yeah 
 
- Very important statistics 
- The hard facts 
 
- The hard facts 
- Yes! 
 
Absolutely 
 
and just as you said earlier 
 
heart disease 
 
is one of those silent killers 
 
right 
 
there may or may not be 
 
 
signs or symptoms 
 
to indicate that there may be something 
 
that you need to take a look at 
 
or there may be something wrong 
 
so again 
 
we're big on nutrition here at  
the Blue Door Neighborhood Center 
 
as it is one of 
 
our focus areas as well 
 
and so good nutrition and healthy eating 
 
are major keys 
 
to living a healthy and successful lifestyle 
 
good nutrition and healthy eating 
 
can help build immunity 
 
protect from chronic diseases 
 
such as the ones that we just named 
 
diabetes, 
 
hypertension 
 
help to maintain a healthy weight 
 
Right? 
 
improve your mood 
 
right 
 
you know how many times do you 
 
know people 
 
have challenges with their mood 
 
a simple healthy diet can help to 
 
balance that 
 
- right?  
- Eat good you feel good 
 
Yes! 
 
listen 
 
Also 
 
good nutrition and healthy eating 
 
can help to improve memory 
 
and strengthening muscles and bones 
 
all right 
 
so we talked about some of those myths around heart disease 
 
we define heart disease 
 
we went ahead and gave you some tips 
 
as it relates to nutrition 
 
and the benefits of nutrition 
 
as it relates to heart disease 
 
let's get into prevention 
 
and managing heart disease 
 
okay 
 
so, you want to check your blood pressure regularly 
 
a normal blood pressure  
range is 120 over 80. 
 
okay 
 
you want to also talk 
with your health care provider 
 
so we talked about  
knowing your family history 
 
right? 
 
you want to know what's your target 
 
for your health 
 
goals 
 
what's your target for your blood pressure 
 
and your weight management 
 
yes if you smoke  
you want to quit smoking 
 
once again 
 
the residue from smoking kind of builds up 
 
our arteries and cause them to clog again 
 
causing long-term effects to our heart 
 
so if you smoke you want to quit smoking 
 
and if you don't smoke 
 
you don't want to start 
 
you want to consume healthy foods 
 
so we talked about nutrition 
 
and what your plate should look like 
 
you want to consume foods like lean proteins, 
 
whole grains, 
 
and fruits, and veggies. 
 
we can't stress this enough 
 
good nutrition will save you 
 
we want to exercise regularly 
 
according to the American Heart Association 
 
you should exercise 150 minutes per week 
 
these exercises should include 
 
strengthening and cardio activities 
 
and you want to limit 
 
your alcohol consumption as well 
 
the centers for disease control and prevention 
 
recommends that 
 
a woman has one alcoholic beverage per day 
 
and a man has two alcoholic beverages per day 
 
alcohol has been known  
to raise your blood pressure 
 
so this is something we want to be 
mindful of 
 
with our consumption 
 
and lastly 
 
you want to manage your stress levels 
 
stress does lead to high blood pressure 
 
you want to indulge in activities 
 
like deep breathing exercises, 
 
meditation, 
 
and yoga. 
And even generally 
 
write out how you're feeling for today 
 
these are some tips for preventing 
 
and managing heart disease 
 
Paige 
 
those were some awesome simple steps 
 
that people can just 
 
implement implementing their daily life 
 
and it's tangible right ?  
- Yes! 
 
and another thing that we want 
to stress today is 
 
The implementation of physical activity 
 
just as you said 
 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
 
and the American Heart Association 
 
all recommend that physical activity 
 
be something that we do daily 
 
Right? 
 
and there are different recommendations for 
 
adults and children 
 
but physical fitness 
 
along with good nutrition 
 
can help us to stay healthy 
 
and maintain a healthy heart 
 
lifestyle 
 
and so 
 
here at the Blue Door Neighborhood Center 
 
we offer no-cost 
 
low-impact fitness classes 
 
and Zumba is one of our favorites 
 
that we  like 
 
as it is a cardiovascular fitness class 
 
Right? 
 
it helps to get the heart pumping 
 
and also 
 
you can get your dance on 
at the same time 
 
and so 
 
we like to invite you 
 
to join us on a weekly basis 
 
in our Zumba classes. 
 
we want to stay connected with you 
 
you can visit us at our website 
 
www.BlueDoorCenterIL.com 
 
and you can follow us on Facebook 
 
@BlueDoorCenterIL 
 
we look forward to seeing you 
 
Bye 
 
Bye everyone