Walking for Women’s Hearts

On October 25^th I’m taking a walk for Women’s Heart Health as an Ambassador with Coastrek. My Happy Thrivers Teams are walking 20 kms along the beautiful coastline in WA’s Southwest to raise funds for more research into an area that was previously overlooked and ignored.

Heart disease is not just a man’s disease. Women get heart disease too. In fact, it’s the leading cause of death in women, killing twice as many women than breast cancer.

While both men and women can experience chest pain as a symptom of a heart attack, there are other many subtle differences that can lead to a woman being misdiagnosed or diagnosed late or not receiving optimal care.

So, what are the main differences?

1. If you think of what a man experiencing a heart attack looks like, you’ll probably imagine a middle-aged male experiencing severe crushing central chest pain. Women are protected from heart disease by oestrogen, until the time of menopause, so typically present at an older age. In addition to or instead of chest pain, women’s symptoms may include feeling “off” or unusually tired. Other symptoms include light-headedness, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, sweating, back, neck or jaw pain, chest tightness or a burning sensation not unlike heartburn. Little wonder it can be hard to diagnose correctly.

2. A heart attack due to cholesterol plaque build-up in a man typically affects one or more of the larger arteries that supply blood to the heart. In women, it’s the smaller blood vessels that are affected. In men circulating levels of a protein called troponin are raised during a heart attack, with higher levels indicating greater heart muscle damage. In women, this rise in troponin may be lower and appear less clinically obvious to reveal what is happening.

3. Women have specific risk factors for heart disease at certain times in their reproductive life. Firstly, in pregnancy, if they have pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. In addition, women aged 40 or under with endometriosis have x3 increased risk. Secondly, heart disease in women takes a big jump in the post-menopause phase.

4. Women can present with symptoms that mimic a heart attack such as “coronary spasm” where a blood vessel temporarily spasms and restricts blood flow to the heart. They may have a coronary dissection where a tear in the blood vessel wall occurs. Then there is also something known as “Broken Heart Syndrome” that typically occurs shortly after a partner has experienced a heart attack. Here the woman experiences symptoms that on analysis show increases in cardiac blood enzymes but without any evidence of blocked arteries.

Knowing the differences are only half the story.

The other half is what you can be doing as a woman to stay heart-healthy and that’s something we can all do daily, by adopting healthy lifestyle choices.

These include:

1. Know your risk factors. Do you have a family history of heart disease? Get your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar checked regularly.
2. Keep your weight in the healthy range with a heart-healthy diet (Mediterranean style) regular physical activity and good sleep.
3. Don’t smoke. Period.
4. Manage your stress effectively. Try not to bottle things up. Share concerns or worries and get a medical opinion if you know something isn’t right. It’s better to stay safe.

One of the best ways to prevent heart disease in women and men is to undertake a particular activity every day for a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes.

A walk in nature.

Better than any tonic, expensive supplement or gym membership, simply get yourself outside.

Studies have shown that spending time in a green or blue space has profound positive effects on health and wellbeing, including:

Lowering stress,
Lowering blood pressure,
Lowering heart rate,
Normalising blood sugar,
Elevating mood,
Improving cognition,
Elevating natural killer cells (important to immunity)
Increasing heart rate variability (a positive sign of heart health)

Got 5 minutes?
Step outside or open a window that overlooks a green space. Stand barefoot on the grass. Feel the sun on your face. Take a few deep slow breaths.

Got 15 minutes?
Go for a walk. Potter around the garden. Eat your lunch outside. Practice a short meditation. Sit and be still, just taking in your natural environment.

Got longer?
Why not join me on Coastrek on October 25^th or plan a walk, or hike in your favourite place in nature soon.

What I love about Coastrek, is it’s doing something that’s good for me, that’s hugely enjoyable, in a beautiful environment with other like-minded people. If you’re familiar with the coastal walk near Dunsborough you’ll know the stunning sandy beaches, secluded coves, spectacular cliffs and glittering ocean. And it’s all for the greater good.

By being active outside every day, you’re giving yourself the best chance of reducing your own risk of heart disease. There’s not much better medicine than that.

Registrations for Coastrek WA close on September 15^th.

You can sign up here.

You can make a donation here. Thank you!