Being a Women

I've been wanting to start a blog that honors and speaks to women's issues for a while now. I write for other blogs but this one is near and dear to me not only because I am a women, or that my best friends or women but because I think we are such amazing human beings.

It's fitting that I launch the blog today. Today is National Wear Red Day. Beside red being my favorite color... by wearing red today and making a donation we can all help the American Heart Association support ongoing research and education about women and heart disease. What you may not know is heart disease is the number one killer among women in the United States. But it doesn't have to be that way. You can do something right now to change those stats. Please share these tips with all the women in your life.

Don't smoke. If you are a smoker, quit now. Smoking triples your risk of dying by boosting blood pressure and making blood more prone to clot, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. I know it won't be easy but if you quit now, you will decrease your risk of a heart attack by 50 percent!

— Watch your waist. The bigger your belly the more likely you'll have fat in and around your abdominal organs leading to clogged arteries.

— Cut back on saturated and trans-fats. These fats can be found in packaged foods such as cookies and potato chips (which I love.. so this one is hard for me also). These goodies contribute to high cholesterol, which causes fatty plaques that can clog arteries.

— Eat a rainbow. Fruits and vegetables such as spinach, carrots, peaches and berries are high in antioxidants and fiber. Try to eat red, yellow, blue and green fruits and veggies every day.

— Go fishing. Tuna, salmon and trout are rich in omega-3 fats (the good kind).

— Get inspi-red. Antioxidant substances in red wine help protect the heart. That's a good thing too since I have a glass everyday. But be careful, studies show you should limit your wine intake to one drink per day to avoid increasing your blood pressure and triglycerides... oh... and to avoid becoming a drunk. Seriously, we don't want to trade the fighting heart disease with the disease of alcoholism.

— Watch the clock. The true female advantage when it comes to cardiovascular disease is time. Because of the protective effects of naturally-occurring estrogen, women typically develop cardiovascular disease 10 years later than men. Take advantage of those extra years to challenge the risk factors while you can and look out for the warning signs when time runs out on your ability to produce an abundance of estrogen.

For even more tips, warning signs and ways you can get involved in the American Heart Associations go to http://www.goredforwomen.org