Queens' Astoria Sports Complex hosted a heart disease awareness event in February in honor of the Go Red for Women initiative's National Wear Red Day.
On February 5, in honor of National Wear Red Day, the Astoria Sports Complex hosted a meeting to help raise awareness about heart disease in women. National Wear Red Day is part of the Go Red for Women initiative, a project of the American Heart Association that encourages action and knowledge among women. The project's mission is to educate women about their risk for heart disease, teach them how to reduce that risk, and give them the tools for a heart healthy life.
National Wear Red Day is a way of showing support for Go Red for Women, just by wearing red. Coordinated by Dr. Sharon Cadiz of 747 Seminars, the event at the Astoria Sports Complex involved a lesson for participants on how to exercise and take care of themselves, as well as a lecture on raising awareness about heart disease in women. Dr. Cadiz was a good match for the event, says Steve Poliseno, owner of the Astoria Sports Complex, because she specializes in helping, empowering, and educating individuals through seminars, lectures, workshops and counseling.
About 15 people turned up - all wearing red, of course - to learn about the risks of heart disease and how they can better take care of their own hearts.
"I think this [topic] is very important," Poliseno says. "The most important thing is to know what the causes of heart disease are, and that hiding from them only makes it a bigger problem."
According to the Go Red for Women website, there are several factors that contribute to women's heart disease-some that are controllable and others that are not. Uncontrollable factors include age, race, and heredity, while factors that can be controlled include blood pressure, smoking, alcohol use, and physical activity.
For more information on Go Red for Women and women's heart disease, visit www.goredforwomen.org. For more information on the Astoria Sports Complex, visit www.ascsports1.com.
