Give the Gift of Physical Education!

Happy Holidays!

Wouldn't you love the gift of stronger physical education in our schools this holiday season? Give our kids this present by contacting your legislators and tell them this issue is a priority for you.

Take action today: Give Minnesota Kids the Gift of a Healthy Future! Let your Legislators and Gov. Pawlenty know that you want to see physical education be made a priority as they look for solutions to halt the childhood obesity epidemic in Minnesota and cut rising health care expenses.

Advocates like you have helped save thousands of lives through the equipping state patrol cars with AEDs (automatic external defibrillators), reducing smoking rates through a tobacco tax, reducing exposure to secondhand smoke with the Freedom to Breathe Act and educating your elected officials about other policies that will make our state heart-healthy.

We can do this too! To ensure we are successful in 2009, we need you to contact your legislators to let them know how important this issue is to you.

Do you know of other folks interested in stronger phy ed programs? Be sure to tell them about our campaign!

Have a safe and happy holiday season,

Bethany

P.S. Have you reserved your spot at the 2009 Heart on the Hill? Click here to register today!

You're Invited: Wear Red Day Rally at the Capitol

Twin Cities Wear Red Day Rally at the Capitol
Join us for a Rally at the Capitol to show your support for Go Red For Women and the Women's Heart Health Promotion Act!

National Wear Red Day - Rally at the Capitol
Friday, February 6, 2009
11a.m. -- Noon
Minnesota State Capitol, Rotunda
St. Paul, MN

Register Here to Attend

The American Heart Association is launching a new campaign to promote women's heart health across Minnesota: The Women's Heart Health Promotion Act! You know the facts: heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of women in Minnesota. We can change this by investing in early detection and management of risk factors by increasing funding to the state program that provides screenings for low-income and uninsured women. The program currently screens about 1,800 women. We need to increase this to at least 15,000 to truly make an impact and save lives.

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Support this campaign by joining "You're The Cure" at www.YoureTheCure.org or contact Bethany Snyder at the American Heart Association at bethany.snyder@heart.org.

Learn more about the Go Red For Women movement at www.GoRedforWomen.org.

Click here for more Go Red Events in the Twin Cities

Go Red Casting Call Feb. 6-- Share Your Story!

Your Heart. Your Choice. Your Story.
Share your Heart-Health Story at the Go Red Casting Call Feb. 6

Choices. We face them every day. Some choices are un-important, some are life-changing. But what if the choices you thought were small were actually the ones that mattered?

The stairs or the elevator? Baked or fried? What if these choices meant you were the one woman in every three to die of heart disease this year?

Choose to Take Action for Better Health
I choose to walk, not sit. Visit Go Red for Women and sign up for a FREE 12-week physical activity and nutrition program you can customize to fit your lifestyle.
I choose to eat baked, not fried. Find cooking tips and flavorful recipes that are good for your heart in the Go Red “Love Your Heart” 5th anniversary cookbook at Go Red for Women .
I choose to breathe, not smoke. Find out how to quit for good at Go Red for Women .
I choose to live, not be the 1 woman in 3 that dies of heart disease: Visit Go Red for Women and post your own story of the choices you have made and results achieved.

Choose to Share Your Heart Health Story
National Wear Red Day
Friday, February 6, 2009
Mall of America, Rotunda
5 – 8 p.m.

Bring friends and family, share your story together, and vie for the chance to be a local and even national spokesperson for Go Red For Women.

Can’t Make it to the Casting Call?
Become your own movie producer. Submit your story with a homemade YouTube video and you might see your movie featured on Fox 9 News. Email your YouTube video link to Elizabeth.warmka@heart.org.

Senator Wiger Committed to Strengthening Physical Education!

The American Heart Association had another successful meeting with legislators and advocates last night! A strong group of ten advocates met with Senator Chuck Wiger (SD 55) at the Maplewood Library to share their concerns about the decline in physical education programs across the state and its impact on our kids’ health. A group of teachers, parents, doctors and concerned community members shared why phy ed is important to the future of kids’ health—and the health of the state!

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in Minnesota and one surefire way to curb obesity in our kids is to get them more active and teach them the lifelong skills that will keep them active as adults. The American Heart Association is asking the state to enact the statewide standards and graduation requirement for physical education during the 2009 legislative session. Click here to view our fact sheet on this bill.

Senator Wiger echoed his constituents’ concerns and vowed to support the American Heart Association’s legislation as a co-sponsor! Special guest, Representative Leon Lillie (55A), also attended this meeting and shared his support for instilling life-long healthy habits in our children. This meeting demonstrates how influential advocates are when they connect with their legislators. Huge thanks to these wonderful advocates and to Senator Wiger and Rep. Lillie!

Thank Senator Wiger for meeting with AHA advocates and hearing their concerns.

AHA volunteer's letter published in Star Tribune!

State Advocacy Committee member and great AHA advocate submitted a letter to the editor to the Star Tribune regarding the report of Minnesota's dropping heath rating. Thanks, Courtney!

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Minnesotans' health: Make it a priority, and state will save money

That Minnesota's health ranking dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 according to United Health Foundation's report (Star Tribune, Dec. 4) is sobering, especially because this does not need to be the case.

The Minnesota Health Department has a Heart Disease Prevention Unit that has spent several years creating a comprehensive plan to prevent costly heart disease and stroke by reducing obesity, diabetes, smoking and health disparities. Unfortunately, the funding has yet to be approved to enact this prevention plan. The $250,000 per year it would take is far less than the billions of dollars the state spends each year on treating heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Furthermore, the state would have to spend little money to simply bring back physical education standards in our schools ensuring that preventative health starts with our children before bad habits are formed -- especially since a recent American Heart Association study showed that obese children have the arteries of middle-aged adults!

And finally, while the state made great strides last year in approving $47 million for public health programs, we will all need to ensure that funding is protected during the upcoming legislative session. Investing in prevention today is necessary to secure our financial and physical well-being in the future.

COURTNEY O. JORDAN, BLAINE;
CARDIOLOGIST

Click here to view