YOUR HEART IS YOUR
LIFE!
Women and Heart Disease
Presented by Mandi Cecil
BS Exercise Science
ACSM Personal Fitness Trainer
YOUR HEART IS YOUR LIFE!
I. What is heart disease?
II. The facts for women to know.
III. What to do if you think you are
having a heart attack?
IV. Video
V. Own Index & Heart Rate
Readings
VI. Open Floor
What is Heart Disease?
Heart disease = Coronary Artery Disease
This is the narrowing of the coronary artery
that reduces blood flow to the heart muscle.
Which can cause chest pain (angina) or heart
attack (myocardial infraction).
These arteries branch throughout the 4
chambers of the heart and play a vital role in
supplying the heart muscle with oxygen-rich
blood.
They become narrow due to a build up
of fatty plaque (Atherosclerosis)
or a genetic link.
Coronary Artery Disease is the most
common form of heart disease & the
most preventable.
Risk Factors:
Diabetes
Obesity
High Cholesterol
High Blood Pressure
Stress
*These factors increase a women's chance
of a heart attack by 34% over a man’s.
Symptoms:
*Pain in Chest, Lower Chest, Upper Abdominal,
Jaw & Neck
*Fatigue
*Indigestion
*Difficulty Breathing
*Nausea *Ache in BOTH arms
*Pain in-between Shoulder Blades
DO NOT second guess how you are feeling (know
your body)
What you should know?
- Only 20% of physicians know that women have a
57% higher rate of death from a heart attack.
- In women, Plaque is more evenly distributed
throughout the arteries of the heart verses in one area
with men. Causing not just one area of the heart to
lose oxygen.
- Remember that most research and diagnosis
strategies have been studied on men.
- Estrogen replacement DOES NOT reduce your risk.
- There is no known reason for why women more
commonly die from heart attacks than men, but
research is progressing & hopefully soon we will
know.
What you can do to save your own life.
1- Be your own advocate! Be educated! Trust
your Doctor!
2- Be aware of your personal risk of heart
disease.
3- Exercise, modify your diet & stop smoking
NOW!!!
4- Learn ways to stay stress free
5- Know your body and what is normal for you.
6- Remember that heart disease is not necessarily
hormonal.
What to do if you are having a
heart attack?
Call 911 immediately
Remain calm & relaxed
DO NOT take aspirin!
*Do not wait & second guess what other
aliments might be causing what you are
feeling. You might not get another
chance!
Discovery Health
“Heart Attack”
Your Target Heart Rate
We will show you how to calculate your
own Target Heart Rate for
Exercise/Training.
- Getting your Resting Heart Rate (pulse for
1 minute)
- Karvonen Formula Sheet
Stress Management
th
9
Wednesday, August
@ 2pm
Delaware Hall #032
Own Index
Ownindex is a quick way to estimate your
maximal cardiovascular power.
Finding this out will show you how strong your
cardiovascular system works to transport
oxygen to your body.
This test will take approximately 3 minutes, is
not physical and quite accurate.