INDIANAPOLIS — February is American Heart Month, but do you know what to be looking out for and checking?
First, there are ways you can lower your risk. Here is a list of a few items recommended by Franciscan Health:
- Stop smoking
- Know your family history
- Manage your diabetes
- Eat lean meats, fruits, vegetables and avoid processed foods
- Exercise for 30 minutes 5 days a week
- Take prescribed medicines for hypertension and high cholesterol
Franciscan Health also recommends you pay attention to the numbers when you get results of medical tests:
- Blood pressure (120/80 is considered normal)
- Total cholesterol (less than 200 is ideal)
- Resting heart rate (60 to 100 beats per minute is normal for most people)
- Fasting blood sugar (less than 100 is desired)
- Body mass index or BMI (normal range is 18.5 to 24.5)
Franciscan Health even offers a free online heart risk assessment. You can take it by clicking here.
Something also to keep in mind during Black History Month is that Black Americans have the highest incidence of cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. They are also significantly less likely to survive, according to the American Heart Association.
One of the main ways identified to help with those two alarming statistics is to improve CPR and AED awareness. That's because studies have shown a lower rate of bystander CPR and bystander AED use in Black neighborhoods.
To find a CPR class near you, click here.
Another way people can make a difference with heart health is recognizing National Wear Red Day on Friday, Feb. 2. For a list of resources for National Wear Red Day, click here.
The CDC also shares a list of heart health resources here.