Monthly Archives: August 2014

Gardening is healthy for your heart due to more than one reason! Not only does gardening allow you to grow fruits and vegetables in your own backyard or in a community garden, but the act of gardening is great source of physical fitness. To help promote the health benefits of gardening, the American Heart Association is now offering a new online Gardening Community for gardening enthusiasts to connect, share information, and learn to live healthier. But if you don’t consider yourself a “gardening enthusiast” don’t turn away… the community welcomes gardeners of all ages and skill levels. It’s meant to be a venue for learning about gardening, sharing about gardening experiences, and promoting gardening ideas.

The goal of the American Heart Association is to teach and encourage Americans to improve their cardiovascular health and reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Part of the American Heart Association’s initiative involves various educational and advocacy programs that help and encourage individuals to adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle – and this can be accomplished, in part, via garden-based nutrition programs and learning the health benefits of gardening as a whole.

According to the American Heart Association’s Gardening Community website, the following are a few of the reasons the gardening community exists:

• Nearly one in three American children are overweight or obese.
• Fewer than one in 10 high school students receive the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables daily.
• French fries are the most common source of vegetables consumed by children and make up one-fourth of their vegetable intake.

The Gardening Community Website is FREE!
Free to use the Gardening Community website is extensive and encourages users to start a garden chat, meet other gardeners, and find gardening resources. Additionally, users have the capability of posting gardening-related questions in order to spark a conversations about a specific topic, and post photos and videos of their gardening efforts.

Topics of discussion on the Gardening Community website include (but are not limited to) various types of gardens, gardening in different types of environments (e.g. urban areas), how to design a garden, which types of fruits and vegetables grow well in particular climates, and optimal methods for growing. Teachers who are participating in the American Heart Association’s Teaching Garden can use the Gardening Community website to discuss lesson plans, share recipes that work well for young students, and provide other tips for getting children excited and involved in gardening.

The American Heart Association’s Gardening Community is just one of the helpful and educational programs sponsored by the American Heart Association. With a goal of fighting cardiovascular disease and stroke, the American Heart Association has more than 22 million volunteers and supporters all dedicated to promoting the cause of the organization.

The post Enjoy a Healthier Life Through Gardening appeared first on Boone Heart Institute | Preventive Cardiology | Denver, Colorado.

Now is the time to pay attention to your high school student’s heart! If your child is a high school athlete, it’s important to register him or her for an EveryHeart Foundation cardiovascular screening during the month of August. Why? Because numerous high school athletes in America pass away from undiagnosed heart problems each year – and many of the deaths could have been prevented.

Registration is Easy, Free, and Screenings are Completed in Less Than an Hour

During the month of August, screenings will take place at the following locations:

August 5th – 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Cherokee Trail High School
August 6th – 7:30 am – 1:00 pm – Smokey Hill High School
August 7th – 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Grandview High School
August 8th – 7:30 am – 4:00 pm – Cherry Creek High School

Each screening includes the following:

• Echocardiography – This test allows us to look for: Enlarged Hearts, Holes, Leaky Valves, Muscle Stiffness
• EKG – This test allows us to look for: Cardiac Arrhythmia, Inflammation, Abnormal Blood Vessels
• Blood Pressure Assessment – This test allows us to look for: Blood Pressure, Abnormal Stress Response

Click HERE To Register Today!

The EveryHeart Foundation
It’s the mission of the EveryHeart Foundation to help reduce the number of deaths among high school athletes in the United States who have undetected or preventable cardiovascular disease. Our goal is to help ensure that high school athletes are able to pursue their athletic dreams by participating in their sport with the knowledge that their hearts are healthy and up for the cardiovascular challenge that their sport demands.
A Few Facts to Consider:
• Sudden Cardiac Death is the leading cause of death on school property
• Competitive athletes have three times the normal risk of sudden cardiac arrest
• Only 3% of these deaths occur in those with normal hearts and many deaths are detectable and preventable

EveryHeart Screenings are Completely Free
If your child participates in high school athletics, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain from registering him or her for an upcoming EveryHeart Foundation cardiovascular screening. Our screenings are entirely free, and funded by donations. Heart screenings are incredibly beneficial and our medical partners, who are among the most experienced and efficient in the country, believe in the incredible importance of the potentially life-saving heart screenings offered by the EveryHeart Foundation.

At the EveryHeart Foundation, we believe that Every Heart matters. Your high school athlete has the “Heart of a Champion.” Now it’s time to protect it!

If your student is unable to attend one of the free cardiovascular screenings offered this month, make sure to check EveryHeart.org for future screening dates and times.

The post Register TODAY for an Upcoming FREE EveryHeart Foundation Cardiovascular Screening appeared first on Boone Heart Institute | Preventive Cardiology | Denver, Colorado.