Take Heart with the American Heart Association
Heart disease and stroke are America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, despite being largely preventable though a healthy lifestyle. Knowing the risk factors and understanding the impact of lifestyle choices can make a huge difference in your heart health.
Cardiovascular disease claims nearly 865,000 lives a year and physical inactivity is a major risk factor. Physically active people reduce their cardiovascular disease risk by 30 percent. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, like brisk walking, each week, but many people are simply not doing nearly enough.
In a national omnibus survey of 1,000 people conducted by the American Heart Association:
- 57 percent said the economy has affected their ability to take care of their health.
- 32 percent have made a change in the last six months to save money, such as delaying preventive care appointments, not taking medications or skipping the dentist.
- 25 percent of those with gym memberships have cancelled in the previous six months.
- 42 percent plan to make changes in the next six months that may impact their health, such as buying fewer fruits and vegetables.
Results of the study spell trouble for Americans' overall well-being and heart health in particular, said Timothy Gardner, M.D., President of the American Heart Association.
"We've made dramatic gains in recent years in our fight against heart disease and stroke, but trends like these threaten to reverse these gains. We need to remind people that even in hard times their health is important. Physical activity, in particular, is an easy, inexpensive way for people to prevent heart disease and manage their stress-another byproduct of a tough economy."
Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke is the guiding force behind the American Heart Association. An important part of that mission is community education. Right here in Arizona, we have the only interactive heart-health museum of its kind in the United States, and it's located in Tempe.
Annually, more than 35,000 Arizona children and adults learn about the workings of their hearts and diseases of the cardiovascular system at the American Heart Association's Halle Heart Center. It's free, it's fun and it's fantastic.
Halle Heart Children's Museum
The Halle Heart Children's Museum is a one-of-a-kind museum designed completely around the heart. A visit to the museum will illuminate the function of the heart, its role in the body, and ways to keep it healthy.
You can explore:
- Lifestyle choices to maintain a healthy heart
- Risk factors of heart disease and stroke
- How the circulatory system works
- Human vs. animal hearts
- The chain of survival
- Nutrition facts
- And much, much more
Exhibits:
EKG Panels - Examine an actual EKG and learn how your heart beat sends out an electrical signal.
All Creatures Great and Small - Learn how the hearts of various animals are different in size and weight yet all have the same function. You can also view illustrations on animal heart sizes and rates.
The Chain of Survival - Come and learn the four links to the Chain of Survival. Listen to a real 911 emergency call! Feel the amount of pressure needed to perform CPR on an adult, child, and infant.
Forewarned About Smoking - Take a turn on the putting green and see how smoking constricts the arteries and reduces blood flow. This makes your heart work harder.
Up To Par - Take the online risk factor assessment and discover your risk of dying or having a cardiac emergency in the next 10 years. Receive a printout that tells your personal risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
Basha's Heart Right Supermarket - Select your favorite foods from grocery carts, then check them on our special scanner to learn about the food's place on the food pyramid, its fat content, and how it fits into your daily plan for heart-healthy eating.
Heart Sick Heart Hope - Understand the diseases of the heart and cardiovascular system, some are congenital and some are caused by life-style choices. Then, learn about the current medical treatments, procedures, surgeries, and technical innovations that offer hope to those with cardiovascular disease.
911 Sound Stage - Enter the world of a real heart attack victim! This exciting presentation uses lighting, sound, props and video to provide a dramatic reenactment of a real heart attack. You will experience what happens when you call 911 and how CPR can save the life of someone you love. Learn to recognize the warning sign of a heart attack and stroke.
APS Watts Healthy Electric Cooking Kitchen and Classroom - This cutting-edge kitchen is a cook's dream! Learn how to prepare a healthy snack by making heart healthy food choices and learn about fat content in different foods.
Each One Reach One - Visitors can learn how risk factors and warnings signs for heart attack and stroke are different for women. Come and check your height, weight, and body fat percentage.
Stroke / Brain Attack - Explore our touch screen presentation to understand the risk factors, and different types of stroke. Become familiar with warning signs for stroke.
Stroke Empathy - Watch a video filmed through the eyes of someone having a stroke. Examine the huge 6-foot head with anatomically correct brain display to learn more about why stroke is the leading cause of serious disability.
Solheim Theatre - Watch a murder mystery, (or a claymation video for the younger audiences) in the state-of-the-art movie theater and learn about risk factors for heart disease.
Research Milestones - Don't leave without seeing the research milestones exhibit, where you'll learn about American Heart Association's scientific developments like; lifesaving drugs, the pacemaker, CPR and much more.
The Beat Goes On - See your heartbeat in action! Through a stethoscope, visitors can see their heart beat through kinetic motion of particles.
In Touch With Your Heart - See a 6-foot tall model of the heart and hear about how your heart works. Visitors can learn about the circulatory system on a human size exhibit.
Blood Pressure Check Points - Visitors can test their blood pressure, weigh themselves and have their body mass index calculated. Body Mass Index is the most common criteria to define obesity and the risk for developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Heart Guides (Always Recruiting!)
If you have your mornings free and would like to work with children, the Halle Heart Center needs you! Both stipend and volunteer positions are available. No experience necessary as the museum will fully train. Please contact the museum for more information.
Open to the General Public
Monday - Friday from 1:00-4:00 by appointment only.
Location:
2929 S 48th St
Tempe, AZ 85282
For more information, email www.halleheartcenter@heart.org or call 602-414-2800, 1-800-AHA-USA1.
If you live in Tucson and would like more information on the American Heart Association, its programs and opportunities, please contact the local office at:
5325 E. Pima St.
Tucson, AZ
520-795-1403
or call 480-970-6000.
Healthy Heart Diet and Lifestyle:
A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to fight cardiovascular disease. It's not as hard as you may think! Remember, it's the overall pattern of your choices that counts. Make the simple steps below part of your life for long-term benefits to your health and your heart.
Use up at least as many calories as you take in.
Start by knowing how many calories you should be eating and drinking to maintain your weight. Don't eat more calories than you know you can burn up every day. Increase the amount and intensity of your physical activity to match the number of calories you take in. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week or, best of all, at least 30 minutes every day. Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness. If you can't do at least 30 minutes at one time, you can add up 10-minute sessions throughout the day.
You may be eating plenty of food, but your body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Nutrient-rich foods have vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients but are lower in calories. To get the nutrients you need, choose foods like vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products and fat-free or low-fat dairy products most often. Choose healthy fats whenever possible such as extra virgin olive oils, canola and others.
Vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber - and they're low in calories. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may help you control your weight and your blood pressure.
Unrefined whole-grain foods contain fiber that can help lower your blood cholesterol and help you feel full, which may help you manage your weight.
Eat fish at least twice a week. Recent research shows that eating oily fish containing Omega-3 fatty acids (for example, salmon, trout, and herring) may help lower your risk of death from coronary artery disease.
Eat less of the nutrient-poor foods.
The right number of calories to eat each day is based on your age and physical activity level and whether you're trying to gain, lose or maintain your weight. You could use your daily allotment of calories on a few high-calorie foods and beverages, but you probably wouldn't get the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Limit foods and beverages high in calories but low in nutrients, and limit how much saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. Read labels carefully - the Nutrition Facts panel will tell you how much of those nutrients each food or beverage contains.
- Choose lean meats, poultry and fish without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.
- Select fat-free, 1 percent fat, and low-fat dairy products.
- Select heart healthy fats whenever possible that may be rich in Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids to help lower blood cholesterol. Sources include some fish such as salmon, tuna, trout, herring, mackerel, sardines or healthy oils such as olive, flaxseed, canola and grapeseed.
- Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
- Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol each day.
- Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.
- Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Aim to eat less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.
- If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means one drink per day if you're a woman and two drinks per day if you're a man.
Also, don't smoke tobacco - and stay away from tobacco smoke.
Source: American Heart Association
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