For your heart, move it
MY VIEW • Exercise can help us thwart nation’s No. 1 killer
I always thought only middle-aged men got heart disease. So when my mother was diagnosed with a heart condition that she thankfully survived, I learned that heart disease accounts for more deaths than any other single cause of death in the United States. I also learned there are simple things people can do to prevent heart disease, like eating a well-balanced diet, not smoking, and exercising moderately for 30 minutes at least five days a week. Many of us are making the right choices for our health. In fact, there has been a decrease in coronary heart disease in recent years, but it’s still the No. 1 killer in the country. So why are Americans still getting heart disease and having strokes? The truth is we’ve created a culture of physical inactivity that has led to an epidemic of obesity. Almost 65 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, and their children are following in their footsteps. Think about it: Our jobs today involve much less physical exertion than in the past, we’re less active due to transportation and technology, and we work 164 more hours a year than we did 20 years ago. As a businessperson, I’m keenly aware that this situation is having a tremendous impact on the cost of health care for businesses as well as our household budgets. The American Heart Association estimates the annual direct medical cost of illnesses related to physical inactivity is $76.6 billion. That’s a staggering figure. So what’s the solution? Businesses can help reduce health care costs and increase worker productivity by investing in wellness and prevention programs that raise awareness and give people the tools and information they need to lead a healthier lifestyle. This is not a theory: It’s been documented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that fitness programs reduce employer health care costs 20 percent to 55 percent. As individuals, the solution is to get moving. Just 30 minutes a day of walking or other moderate physical activity reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, lowers blood pressure, reduces high cholesterol and controls body weight. Walking is the simplest positive change individuals can make to effectively improve their heart health. To get us walking more, the American Heart Association has launched the Start! Movement. Not only does the association provide a complete tool kit to help individuals and businesses create a culture of physical activity and wellness, it has events such as Start! Walking Day on April 16 and the Start! Greater Portland Heart Walk on May 17 to bring us together in celebration of our health. It’s time to get moving. It’s time to take care of your heart. We hope you’ll join us. You can learn more at www.startpdx.org. PGE President and CEO Peggy Fowler is chairwoman of the 2008 Start! Greater Portland Heart Walk and served as an American Heart Association Go Red For Women Ambassador from 2004 to 2007. The Tigard resident also chairs the Oregon Business Council’s Health Care Task Force.