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Heart disease is the No. 1 leading cause of death in the United States, and that’s why local health officials are ramping up messages about healthy lifestyles during American Heart Month.

The Fit City Tyler Coalition also is observing the heart healthy month, kicking it off with a breakfast on Friday and launching a wellness campaign to promote heart-healthy behaviors in the workplace. This is the second Fit City breakfast, the first being held in 2011. Coalition members hope to make the breakfast an annual event.

As part of the workplace initiative, Fit City Tyler members assist Tyler area companies in applying for the American Heart Association’s Gold Level Fit-Friendly application. 

“It’s important, because the workplace is where people spend most of the hours of the day,” said Terrence Ates, a Fit City coalition member and coordinator. “We want to make sure all workplaces provide healthy working environments.”

This includes encouraging a culture of wellness, promoting a tobacco free environment and behavior changes, such as adding physical activity.

Health officials contend that creating wellness programs on the job helps lower health care costs. According to the AHA, for every $1 invested in worksite wellness, companies can receive up to $3 in return.

Whether at home or in the workplace, wellness initiatives such the one championed by Fit City Tyler, can have an impact on a person’s risk for heart disease.

Martha Ross, a registered nurse and patient service coordinator at UT Health Northeast, highlighted preventive measures to avoid the risks of heart disease during Friday’s breakfast.

“We need to control our high blood pressure, our weight, increase our physical activity, control our cholesterol,” she said prior to the event. “And if we’re diabetic, certainly control our blood sugar.”

Becoming more active doesn’t require big changes.

“If you can just start to walk five minutes a day for the first two weeks and increase it to seven or to nine the next week or so, that would be very beneficial to you,” Ms. Ross said.

Ms. Ross said among the misconceptions about heart disease is that it only occurs in older adults and that there are always symptoms. She said sometimes, symptoms could occur over several hours or days.

In addition, symptoms in women may differ from men. Their symptoms may be more subtle and gradual, she said.

“Sometimes women may have jaw and neck pain, pain in the roof of the mouth that could last for hours,” Ms. Ross said. 

She also stresses the importance of getting help quickly by calling 9-1-1 when experiencing unusual symptoms.

“With the number of people that actually have a heart attack, only half of those people reach the hospital in time,” she said. “We would like for you to get in within an hour of having those, because the sooner the better.”

BECOMING FIT-FRIENDLY

All submissions for the Fit-Friendly Worksite application must be made online through the AHA’s registration portal at www.heart.org/fitfriendly. 

The deadline to complete the electronic submission is April 1, which also is celebrated by AHA as National Walking Day.

The Northeast Texas Health District is one of two organizations in East Texas that has received the Platinum AHA Fit-Friendly recognition – the highest level – in 2014, the other was the Tyler Police Department.

East Texas Medical Center and the Brookshire Grocery Company received Gold recognition last year.

“Some businesses already qualify but may not be aware of the application,” Ates said. “Those that don’t currently meet a majority of the activities you have to do, Fit City Tyler wants to partner with those businesses, so they can get to that recognition.”

Companies that are deemed Fit-Friendly receive a plaque and official recognition letter from AHA.

After completing the electronic application for the Gold Level Fit-Friendly Worksite recognition, companies are invited to join Fit City Tyler and Tyler mayor Martin Heines in a community stroll during the Downtown Tyler Mayor’s Walk, which will be held at noon at the Tyler City Hall on April 1.

 

Become a Fit-Friendly Worksite

 

To apply to become a Fit-Friendly Worksite, visit www.heart.org/fitfriendly. The deadline to complete the electronic submission is April 1.