Healthy Heart
This year I won a scholarship to attend the Heart Foundation’s Health Professional Ambassador Program.
As part of this program, TSMP will be prompting the importance of Heart Health this August.
Did you know 16% of Australian’s have CVD, that’s around 3.7million of us!
But what is CVD?
CDV is Cardiovascular Disease and it refers to coronary heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases including heart attacks.
These diseases are chronic, which means they are long term conditions and can be deadly. One Australian dies of CVD every 12 minutes, making it the single biggest killer in Australia, effecting both men and women, young and old.
But CVD can be prevented by reducing the risks you can control. it can also be well managed to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Knowing your risk factors is the first step in avoiding a heart attack.
There are some risk factors you cannot change. These include:
Age – the older you get the risk increases
Gender – Men are at higher risk, but the risk for women increases after menopause.
Ethnic background
Family history
Most other risk factors can be changed. These include:
Smoking
Being overweight
Unhealthy diet.
Being inactive
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Diabetes
Depression
There is plenty you can do about these!
Your GP is here to support you with a healthy lifestyle journey. It’s never too late to make health changes in your life to either prevent or reduce your risk of Cardiovascular Disease.
Simple changes such as walking for 30 minutes a day can improve your heart health.
Talk to your GP today, as warning signs can vary and are not always sudden or severe.
Know your risks. Make changes today.
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