At My Age?

My apologies dear readers for my absence. I’ve been ill and then away on business. It’s the illness I’d like to share with you today.

Three weeks ago at the age of 46 I had a heart attack. A mild one, for sure, but a heart attack is serious business. I’ve learned since then there are 3 important things to know, understand and manage in order to manage the risk of heart attack.

First, you have to know your family history. A great deal of the risk of heart disease is hereditary and factors, such as cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure, are primarily contributed to your physical makeup from your parents. If you don’t know your family history, learn it and discuss the implications this has for your own health with your doctor.

Second, understand your own body as your parents have given it to you and as it is today. There’s no need to feel hopeless or out of control. Everyone has their own “normal” and for health management purposes you should know what this entails. Just like you know your weight, you should know your blood pressure and check it occasionally – you can get a battery operated blood pressure cuff at CVS for less than a bathroom scale! (It was actually my cuff that convinced me to get to the hospital!) Cholesterol, blood sugar levels, liver function can all be evaluated through an annual blood test by your doctor.

Now, here’s the hard part… you knew this was coming. Third, you need to manage your lifestyle. Changing diet and exercise habits can be hard to do but seriously, this is your life. It doesn’t mean waking up tomorrow to begin training for marathons, it means you need to wake up tomorrow and think differently about yourself, your fitness and diet. Changed over the course of the rest of your life – giving up (or shrinking) some of your small sins today can have a tremendous impact.

That’s it. Be well.