American Heart Association Sponsors National Wear Red Day

National Wear Red Day is Friday, February 6. Individuals are encouraged to wear red on that day to show their commitment to the fight against heart disease in women.

National Wear Red Day is part of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement, which was launched in February of 2004 to educate women about heart disease, the leading cause of death among women. Go Red for Women challenges women to know their risk for heart disease and take action to reduce their personal risk. One in three women has some form of cardiovascular disease. The movement plays a leading role in providing women with the tools they need to lead heart-healthy lives.

The American Heart Association, through its partnership with the University of Iowa Heart and Vascular Center, will provide complimentary National Wear Red Day kits to area companies. Please call your local American Heart Association office at 319-378-1763 to sign up your company today for a free National Wear Red Day kit.

The UI Heart and Vascular Center is the Eastern Iowa Regional Sponsor for Go Red for Women and Start! These programs aim to raise awareness of heart disease, to educate the public and to develop research projects that will impact more Iowans with innovative clinical care.

One Day a Year

What you wear is a matter of life and death. Most of the time, selecting clothing isn't that critical. But on Wear Red Day, it's vitally important because it helps raise funds to fight the No. 1 killer of American women: cardiovascular disease, the cause of one in every three female deaths.

By wearing red and making a donation of $5 or more, you can help raise much needed funding for heart research and education programs.

Wear Red Day is the time to make an important promise to yourself — the promise to love your heart by doing everything you can to reduce your risk factors. Make Go Red for Women last a lifetime. Sign up at the Go Red for Women site so you can stay up to date on the latest heart health information as one way you can love your heart all year round.

Take Action to Fight Heart Disease
A woman who Goes Red takes action to fight heart disease by:

• Visiting her doctor for important health screenings
• Following a healthy diet
• Keeping up an exercise routine
• Influencing others by talking about heart health and Go Red
• Complying with physician recommendations and prescriptions

Here are 10 ways you can love your heart:

• Get regular checkups
• Know your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers
• Follow your doctor's recommendations for diet and exercise
• Take prescribed medications as directed
• If you smoke, quit now
• Get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day. Join our 12-week physical fitness program at the Go Red for Women Web site.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables, whole-grain foods and fish
• Limit food high in saturated fats and dietary cholesterol
• For average Americans, limit your salt intake to 2,300 mg of sodium a day
• If you drink alcoholic beverages, drink in moderation — an average of no more than one drink a day for non-pregnant women

Take the Go Red Heart Checkup before you see your doctor. Visit the Go Red for Women site and click on Go Red Heart Check Up and follow the steps. The interactive tool will help evaluate your risk factors, identify risk factors you can change and provide a personalized action plan you can print and take with you to your doctor's office.

For more information:

American Heart Association's Go Red for Women

American Heart Association

UI Heart and Vascular Center