Start the year off by making an effort to get and stay healthy. One really important thing you can do immediately may help reduce your risk of heart disease. Why is this so important? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than six hundred thousand Americans die from heart disease every year. Heart disease causes more deaths than cancer, diabetes, or Alzheimer's. Many of these deaths are preventable. High cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, and obesity are some of the major risk factors for heart disease. Eating healthy, quitting smoking, and increasing your amount of physical activity can lower your risk.
How do you start? The Service Benefit Plan offers some great ways to help lower your risk of heart disease. Both the Conditions Center and Blue Health AssessmentSM, available to you on
Blue Health Connection, contain articles and tips on how to make your heart healthier. You can use these tools immediately until you and your doctor craft a plan of action.
Don't forget, you can take action by joining the WalkingWorks® program. You will receive a pedometer and have access to a participant guide to help you keep track of your steps when you register online. Knowing that with each step you will move closer to a healthier heart and body is a good place to start.