We know that to live a heart healthy lifestyle we should eat a healthy diet, be at a healthy weight, get enough physical activity, have a healthy blood pressure and healthy cholesterol numbers, reduce our stress, not smoke, and not abuse drugs or alcohol. We know it. And we don’t always like it.
The truth is, for many of us, the long list of “shoulds” can be pretty overwhelming.
Because it seems so hard to do it all, too many Hoosiers give up before we start. As a result, heart disease is stealing our independence, our money, and ultimately our lives. Today, Indiana ranks 41 out of 50 states in overall health. The state ranks in the middle of the pack for those who know they have coronary artery disease (28th), but 39th in the nation for the prevalence of heart attack (for too many Hoosiers, their first sign of cardiovascular disease is a heart attack).
To help Hoosiers get started on the road to better heart health, the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI in Indianapolis is partnering with the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention to ask people to do something simple: choose Just One Thing to improve your heart health and do that one thing from now until World Heart Day on September 29.
While the “one thing” people are choosing varies widely, most fall into one of four categories:
1. Eating A Healthy Diet/Getting To A Healthy Weight
2. Increasing Physical Activity
3. Quitting Smoking
4. Reducing Stress (includes healthier alternatives to alcohol and drug use)
To help people learn more about the Just One Thing Challenge, a website was created. At pbhealth.iupui.edu/worldheartday you can learn more about risks factors for heart attack and stroke, get tips on changes you can make to reduce your risk, and find out about heart healthy events taking place in Indianapolis in August and September in celebration of World Heart Day. Those who register their one thing on the website will be entered into a drawing for a fun prize. You can share your successes, as well as get encouragement and give it, on the Just One Thing Challenge Facebook page and on Twitter (@JOTChallenge). Be sure to use the hashtags #WHD2015 and #JustOneThing.
Chancellors Challenge Walk
To encourage the Indiana University family to improve their heart health, Healthy IU and the Fairbanks School of Public Health will be holding a 1-mile walk on all eight IU campuses on World Heart Day. And because we love a healthy competition, the Chancellor of each campus has accepted the challenge of having the most participation on his or her campus. The campus with the highest percentage of participating staff/faculty wins bragging rights for a whole year. You can find the time and route for your campus on the events page of the Just One Thing Challenge website.
Join us… take the Just One Thing Challenge and do just one thing to improve your heart health. Once your one thing becomes a habit, add one more thing. It’s a simple, easy way to improve your heart health!