St. Mary Medical Center joins Wear Red Day ? Galesburg Register ...

Heart disease is the No.1 killer of American women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while more than 42.7 million women in the United States live with some form of heart-related illness.

In Galesburg, OSF St. Mary Medical Center hopes that outreach will help quell the alarming figures. On Friday, the hospital will join the American Heart Association?s National Wear Red Day and will also sponsor the Women?s Health and Fitness Fair to raise heart disease awareness.

?If we can empower women and educate them, that?s always a good thing,? said Connie Wessels, a registered nurse and director of education and resources at OSF.

More than 10,000 organizations nationwide will participate in the National Wear Red Day, which encourages people to don red clothing in support of women and their fight against heart disease.

?As women, we?re often so concerned with taking care of others, we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves,? Wessels said. ?It?s all about loving your heart.?

The Women?s Health and Fitness Fair will run from 7 to 10:30 a.m. at the OSF Cardiac Rehab Center in the hospital at 3333 N. Seminary St. and will include health checkups, exercise programs, door prizes and refreshments. Attendees will also receive diet tips, ideal weight calculations, along with blood and cholesterol screenings.

The AHA recommends a healthy diet, regular exercise and avoiding tobacco products as ways to prevent heart disease. In Wessels? eyes, they are all simple ways to achieve cardiovascular health.

?Everybody thinks they have to join a fitness center to get exercise, but a lot of this you can do in your own home simply by walking and getting enough moderate activity every week,? she said.

For more information about the American Heart Association?s programs to combat heart disease, visit www.goredforwomen.org.
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Article source: http://www.galesburg.com/news/x715339012/St-Mary-Medical-Center-joins-Wear-Red-Day

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