American Heart Month
By: Susan Hickey
February is known for a lot of things – cold weather, lots of snow, and Valentine’s Day. Due to the latter, it’s probably not coincidental that February is also American Heart Month. Heart disease continues to be one of the most prevalent diseases in Americans today, claiming responsibility for 1 out of every 4 deaths in the USA (www.cdc.gov). It is the leading cause of death for people of most ethnicities in the US. Every year, about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack. I definitely am trying to do my part to avoid becoming one of those statistics, and the YMCA can help me do that.
The biggest risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking, though family genetics also plays a significant role. There are several other risk factors, including diabetes, obesity, and poor diet. Many of these risk factors are under our control, if we choose to take action. The start of the year is an especially great time to look at changing habits, but it’s never too late to make better choices.
The YMCA offers several options for helping its members improve their physical condition, make better life decisions, and overall improve their heart health.
These include, to name a few:
- YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program
- Move to Lose
- Inbody Body Composition Analysis
- Nutrition Services
- A wide variety of group exercise classes to meet every level of fitness
- CPR and First Aid certification
The YMCA is also a great source of social support and friendships, which has actually been studied as it relates to heart health. Consider this research funded by the US Department of Health and published in the journal Heart in 2016. The conclusions were that “deficiencies in social relationships are associated with an increased risk of developing CHD (coronary heart disease) and stroke. Future studies are needed to investigate whether interventions targeting loneliness and social isolation can help to prevent two of the leading causes of death and disability in high-income countries.” Anyone who frequently visits their YMCA branch can vouch for the social support networks that can directly result from participation in YMCA activities.
It’s clear that YMCA membership has many benefits. Obviously, a variety of exercise equipment and group classes are wonderful for improving our heart health. The other programs I have listed above may not be as familiar to our members, but would be certainly worth checking out. In honor of American Heart Month, consider another way you can try to avoid becoming a statistic. Contact our registered dietician for tips on healthy eating habits. Try a new exercise class. Sign up for Move to Lose. The YMCA is here to help you be the healthiest you can be.
Reference:
Susan Hickey is a part-time physical therapist and SAHM of 3. Susan and her family are Coffman YMCA members.
