What is 'National Wear Red Day' all about?

AccuWeather

The first Friday of February is an important day to help raise awareness about the danger of heart disease for women.

Transcript

00:00Tomorrow is National Wear Red Day,

00:04and since 2004, the American Heart Association

00:07has made the first Friday of February

00:09a day to wear red and raise awareness

00:11of heart disease in women.

00:13And Dr. Lakshmi Mehta is a volunteer expert

00:16with the American Heart Association,

00:18and joins us now with more on the initiative.

00:20Dr. Mehta, we're both wearing our red,

00:22so what makes Wear Red Day so important?

00:27Well, thank you for wearing red.

00:28It's so important because cardiovascular disease

00:31is the number one killer of women in the United States.

00:35However, less than half of the women

00:37even know that they're at risk for heart disease.

00:39And so we wear red to raise the awareness

00:42that women need to know that it is a threat for them.

00:45And it's also to raise the awareness

00:46amongst the medical community as well.

00:49And what would you advise?

00:51How could you best check on your own cardiovascular health?

00:55And are there any warning signs,

00:56early warning signs of heart disease or stroke?

01:00Well, the best way to check on your cardiovascular health

01:02is to go see your physician and get your blood tests done

01:06and to look for risk factors like high blood pressure,

01:09diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity.

01:12And there are things that you can do too,

01:14is like following a heart healthy diet, exercising,

01:17getting seven to nine hours of sleep.

01:20And those are all great things to do

01:23as well as not smoking or vaping.

01:26Warning signs are,

01:26if you notice that you're getting chest discomfort

01:29that's unusual for you, new for you,

01:31pain that goes down your arm,

01:32shortness of breath, intense fatigue,

01:35things that don't seem like your usual self,

01:38you should seek attention.

01:39And we also wanna raise the awareness of strokes as well.

01:42So, thinking if you suddenly have new onset

01:45of facial drooping, arm or leg weakness,

01:50speech difficulties, blurry vision, loss of vision,

01:54or balance in problems that start suddenly,

01:58that's also warning signs of a stroke.

02:00So, seek immediate medical attention in those conditions.

02:03Now, we know cold weather is a dangerous added risk

02:06for heart health, from snow shoveling to exercise.

02:09What can people do to keep themselves safe?

02:13Well, if you're gonna be out in the cold,

02:15bundle up, wear the proper clothing.

02:18And we say that because the cold

02:20can constrict the blood vessels.

02:22Being out in the cold weather

02:24and especially shoveling can increase your heart rate,

02:27increase your blood pressure.

02:29And so, there's higher risks of having a heart attack

02:32in the cold and sometimes even a fatal heart attack.

02:36So, making sure you're dressing appropriately,

02:39not doing sudden excessive activity

02:41and taking breaks while you're shoveling the snow

02:44is gonna be critical.

02:45And what are some good outdoor activities

02:48that will help with keeping your heart healthy?

02:51Well, the greatest activity would be going on walks

02:55and you can go biking, jogging.

03:00Anything that's outdoors

03:01where you're getting that fresh air

03:03is gonna be essential, connecting with nature too,

03:05because it not only helps your heart health,

03:07but it also reduces stress and connection.

03:11So, that's gonna be important.

03:12Some people can't be outdoors, especially in this weather.

03:15So, trying to stay indoors.

03:17And if you don't have access to a gym,

03:19going to a grocery store or mall

03:21can be that simple walking that you can do as well.

03:25Dr. Lakshmi Mehta with the American Heart Association.

03:28Thanks so much for joining us.

03:31Thanks for your time there.

03:33Expertise.

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