HeartFit For Life

🎆 Happy 4th of July from HeartFit For Life! 🇺🇸

Wishing everyone a healthy and joyous Independence Day!

Please note that our office will be closed on the 4th as we celebrate with our loved ones. On the 3rd we will only offer online classes (due to the repaving of Cubberley Center).

Stay safe, stay active, and enjoy the festivities!

Beware of processed and ultra-processed foods...

Impact of Processed Food on Heart Health Explore the intricate link between poor diet, particularly the consumption of processed foods, and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.

What are the ways to protect your heart at any age?
Check out this very informative and lively presentation held at Stanford for the 2024 Health Matters. Dr Joseph Wu, Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, and President of American Heart Association, discusses steps you can take—and those you shouldn’t—to help keep your heart healthy.

Health Matters 2024: Ways to Protect Your Heart at Any Age What types of exercise should I be doing to keep my heart healthy? Are there any tests that can predict whether I’m at risk for cardiac problems? Should I be...

What a fantastic event today at Health Matters - Stanford Medicine's free community event!
Thank you to Stanford's Cardiovascular Medicine for inviting us to be part of the Heart Health Pavilion.
A huge thanks to our volunteers, members, and supporters who made the event a success!

Our team is back at Stanford this Saturday. Come by the Heart Health Pavilion at Health Matters - Stanford Medicine's free community event.
We will have games and prizes!
https://www.facebook.com/events/286529911218993/

Thank for everyone who supported the HeartFit For Life team for this Sunday's My Heart Counts 5K & Kids Fun Run at Stanford.
We have been asked to lead the warmup for 7000 people. Oh my!
We will try to share it live. If you are local, be there at 830am.
There is still time to support us.

Donate to help HeartFit for Life raise money for 2024 Stanford Medicine My Heart Counts 5K and Kids Fun Run’s fundraising campaign, on April 21, 2024 For over 50 years, HeartFit For Life has been helping people with cardiac or related health issues and risk factors. We offer in-person and online cardiac rehabilitation services, including daily medically supervised exercise classes, case management, and education. We are proud to support Stanford'...

"🎉 We're thrilled to announce that Team HeartFit For Life is gearing up with 30 amazing members for the upcoming Stanford's My Heart Counts 5K & Kids Fun Run this Sunday! 🏃‍♂️💨 Join us as we lace up our sneakers, raise awareness, and spread the love for heart health! ❤️ Let's make every step count together!

On April 21, HeartFit For Life will be participating in My Heart Counts, the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease (SCICD) annual 5K. https://myheartcountsrun.org/
The event raises money to provide genetic testing for families in need, support research that identifies novel therapies, and push forward the work it takes to bring the most cutting-edge treatment to patients.
You can contribute by joining our team, physically or virtually (there is a virtual run/walk through the Stanford Campus!), or by donating.
https://raceroster.com/events/2024/81526/2024-stanford-medicine-my-heart-counts-5k-and-kids-fun-run/pledge/team/590410
Stop by our booth to meet our staff and members. We will have some fun games to test your heart health knowledge too!

My Heart Counts 5K & Kids Fun Run

Did you change your clock today? You will lose an hour of sleep, but the good news is that a recent study found no link between daylight saving time and heart health issues like heart attacks or strokes.

Study shows daylight saving time has minimal effect on heart health - Mayo Clinic News Network ROCHESTER, Minn. — A recent Mayo Clinic study examining the effects of daylight saving time (DST) on heart health suggests [...]

About half of people in the United States don’t know that the top killer in their country is heart disease.

Eighteen percent mistakenly identified cancer as the number one cause, and 16% said they did not know what the top cause was. Experts say people may not be aware of heart disease's health impact because it is often a "silent killer," it may be underdiagnosed and undertreated, and health misinformation continues to be a challenge.

And the death rate from heart disease has crept upward in recent years.

Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/why-half-of-u-s-adults-dont-know-heart-disease-is-the-leading-cause-of-death

Today is National Wear Red Day. Heart disease is the #1 cause of death for women in the United States and can affect women at any age. In 2021, it was responsible for the deaths of 310,661 women—or about 1 in every 5 female deaths.
Show your support for women across the nation, for the special women in your life, and for YOU. On Friday, February 2, share your heart and WEAR RED.

On January 19 Dr. Katie Sears Edwards, Cardiac Psychologist at Stanford Medicine will lead an introductory session on our Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Series.
Find out more about stress management and proven techniques to calm your body and mind. https://heartfitforlife.org/resources/stress-management/

Feeling stressed after the holidays? Unmanaged stress can increase your risk factor for heart disease.
Here is a list of what stress can do to our cardiovascular system:
Elevated heart rate and/or blood pressure, abnormal heart beats (arrhythmia), increased blood clotting, increased blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), accumulation of abdominal fat, elevated blood sugar, increased inflammation of the lining of the coronary arteries.
Be proactive and learn how to manage your stress. We offer an 8-week program led by a Stanford Cardiac Psychologist. Next session starts on January 19. Find out more here: https://heartfitforlife.org/our-program/education/mindfulness-stress-reduction/

Love, laughter, and holiday cheer everyone! As we celebrate the holidays with family and friends, yummy food, and special gatherings, be aware of any unusual symptoms.... Holidays can pose health risks with increased stress, decreased hydration, increased alcohol, and saltier dishes. Read some tips on how to make them more “heart-friendly.”

https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/your-health/living-well/heres-how-to-protect-your-heart-health-during-the-holidays

Here’s How to Protect Your Heart Health During the Holidays | Jefferson Health An emergency medicine specialist and cardiologist explain how the holidays can pose health risks and how to make them more “heart-friendly.”

Tomorrow Tuesday, join us for our virtual OPEN HOUSE. Come and learn about how HeartFit For Life, the ‘go to’ medically supervised cardiac wellness and rehabilitation program, can help you reduce your risk for heart disease and/or manage your heart disease
optimally. Hear from RNs, MDs, and fellow participants.

We are happy to welcome 2 speakers who will share their expertise and perspective.

- Doctor Randy Vagelos, MD Board certified in Internal Medicine, General Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, and Heart Failure and Transplantation. Medical Director of Stanford Cardiac Care Unit since 1991.
- Jonathan Meyers, PhD in exercise physiology.

To sign up, go to https://heartfitforlife.org/events/open-house/ or call our main office at 650-494-1300.

An estimated 96 million adults aged 18 years or older had PREDIABETES in 2019.
Among US adults aged 18 years or older, 38.0% of all US adults had prediabetes, based on their fasting glucose or A1C level, 19.0% of adults with prediabetes reported being told by a health professional that they had this condition.

Be proactive and educate yourself on how to prevent DIABETES.

Dr Marina Basina from Stanford Endocrinology will be our guest speaker at our next education talk: "DIABETES AWARENESS AND PREVENTION: What your Endocrinologist wants you to know".
Sign up here: https://heartfitforlife.org/events/diabetesawareness/

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. The focus this year is on taking action to prevent diabetes health problems.
HeartFit For Life will have a free education workshop on November 2 with a Stanford endocrinologist and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. To register, go to https://heartfitforlife.org/events/diabetesawareness/.

https://youtu.be/IYg25EzdCKQ?si=BFteBMuxutPCKRga

Take Charge of Tomorrow: Preventing Diabetes Health Problems Did you know that managing diabetes as soon as possible may prevent serious health problems? Diabetes occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar...

Cardiac rehabilitation saves lives. Unfortunately only less than one third of people starts rehab. One of the reasons is access to care.

Home-based cardiac rehabilitation programs provide a solution. From the comfort of their home patients can access medically-supervised exercise classes and get the support they need.

Check out what HeartFit For Life offers. It may save YOUR life or the life of a loved one.
https://heartfitforlife.org/our-program/home-based-program/

If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, you are not alone!
- 34 million people in the US have diabetes
- 88 million Americans have pre-diabetes
- Over 8 million people in the US do not know they have diabetes.

To learn how to manage your diabetes or pre-diabetes, check out our upcoming interactive series with our diabetes specialist. If you have diabetes in your family, this class will help you avoid getting this chronic disease.
https://heartfitforlife.org/our-program/education/take-heart-diabetes-self-management-education-series/

Is your HgbA1c at goal at 7% or less? Whether you have had diabetes for a long time or are new to it, come learn strategies for optimal management, as well as hear best practices for managing it.

Our Take Heart! Diabetes Self-Management Series is open to the community and is online. The 4 classes are led by our Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist.

To learn more and to sign up: https://heartfitforlife.org/our-program/education/take-heart-diabetes-self-management-education-series/

Congratulations to our dietician, Karen Ross, who won a Lifetime Achievement Award! Well deserved Karen Perry Ross!
HeartFit For Life members receive individualized guidance from Karen about nutrition helping with weight management and healthier food choices. She also leads a monthly education series about nutrition.
https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2023/05/05/her-love-of-cooking-and-science-became-the-recipe-for-helping-cardiac-patients-recover

Thank you to all the members and supporters of HeartFit For Life who came to the Stanford's My Heart Counts last Sunday. We had over 30 people on our team, not including children and grand-children who came!
We also exceeded our fundraising goal!
Well done TEAM HeartFit For Life.

This Sunday come and meet the HeartFit For Lifeheartfitforlife
team at Stanford! Free blood pressure with our cardiac nurses.
We have the largest team for this event! Almost 30 people walking/running to a good cause. Close to $2k raised!
Sign up and donate today!
https://raceroster.com/events/2023/64815/2023-stanford-medicine-my-heart-counts-5k-and-kids-fun-run/pledge/team/470222

Join us at Stanford this Sunday! At the "My Heart Counts" event.

Find information on heart health and wellness at the Expo. HeartFit For Life has a booth and our nurses can check your blood pressure.

Participate in the 5K walk/run on the beautiful Stanford Campus.

Cheer on our TEAM, now strong of 20+ participants.

We did it! We met our fundraising goal for the My Heart Count event..

12 days are still left to sign up and/or donate. Here is the link. https://raceroster.com/events/2023/64815/2023-stanford-medicine-my-heart-counts-5k-and-kids-fun-run/pledge/team/470222

You want to run/walk but cannot come to Stanford? No problem! You can join us and walk/run virtually on the beautiful Stanford campus.

We are getting closer to our race day at Stanford, only 18 days away until April 30!

HeartFit For Life has one of the largest team with 14 participants. We have raised 72% of our fundraising goal. Consider a donation for a good cause today, helping patient care, heart research, and education programs provided by the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease.
https://tinyurl.com/MyHeartCountsTeamHeartFit

In the fundraising lead today is Ryan Chian’s team who has really stepped up for the cause! Watch Ryan’s amazing story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDz0ph4tvcA

U.S. Bank Inspirational Athlete | Ryan Chian from Homestead

Most people consume too much salt—on average 9–12 grams per day, or around twice the recommended maximum level of intake.

An estimated 7 million people will die worldwide by 2030 due to cardiovascular and other diseases linked to excessive salt intake, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report.

WHO calls on governments to implement sodium intake reduction policies without delay and to mitigate the harmful effects of excessive salt consumption. WHO also calls on food manufacturers to set ambitious sodium reduction targets in their products.

As individuals we can take action to reduce our own salt intake.
Avoid adding salt to dishes, pick low sodium options when you buy canned foods, select less salty alternatives while eating out. Anything else you might think of?

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