My Heart Health Journey

Mercedes Cruz
Jan 30
3 min read

Updated: Feb 7

It is heart month 2025 and I am celebrating 20 years of my heart health journey. It was 2005 when I first reach out to the American Heart Association (AHA) to learn about heart disease. I was diagnosed two years earlier with high blood pressure and diabetes and like most people I had no clue how to fight my disease. Luckly AHA had science-based information I could read to live a healthier lifestyle.

At this time in my life, I had done every diet a friend or colleague would suggest, but I was no closer to been healthy. I knew from the beginning that I had my work cut out for me. That meant that I needed to learn as much as I could to win. So, with determination and an open mind I dove in and read statistics, review materials in what felt like an endless sea of information, but in the end, it was all worth it.

Armed with newfound knowledge, I decided to share every loss and win in my fight against my disease to the community. Together with a group of AHA ambassadors we created a women movement called “Vestido Rojo” that addressed the need for education and health screening in an underserved community. It began in one zip code and now its an international movement educating thousands about the number killer.

So why talk about heart health in February? Well, it is the month when we celebrate love for friends, family, and our heart. After all our heart do amazing work every day to keep us alive. Did you know that according to AHA heart disease is the leading cause of death in America.

Sadly, data shows:

On average, someone dies of a heart-related incident every 34 seconds in the U.S.
There are about 1,905 deaths from heart disease, each day in the U.S., including heart attacks.
About every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. will have a heart attack.
Data from 2022, reported that 702,880 people died from heart disease, about 1 in 5 deaths in US.
Heart disease can be expensive from health care services, medicines, to lost productivity.

The good news is that heart disease is 80% preventable when we practice eight lifestyle strategies:

Eat healthier - include fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen or can), lean protein (with less fat), nuts, seeds, and when cooking try to bake, steam or broil. Get creative and try new recipes that fit your budget.
Move more – That’s about 150 minutes a week for adults. That could be 30-minute walk 5 days a week. If you are new to exercising, start with 10 minutes and do not forget to ask your doctor first. Kids should have 60 minutes every day.
If you smoke try quitting - nicotine products, which include regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping are responsible for a third of all deaths from heart disease.
Get more Sleep - Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night, children require more. Sleep repairs the body, helps the brain, and helps reduce the risk of diseases.
Manage your weight – if overweight consider losing weight. Even a small amount of weight loss can help with:
- Your brain health.
- Lower your risk of heart disease.
- Help prevent diabetes or manage it.
- Have better cholesterol levels.
- Lower triglycerides (fat in the blood that is different than cholesterol).
- Lower blood pressure.
- Better sleep.
Control your Sugar – Some foods we eat is turns into glucose (or sugar in your blood) that our bodies use as energy. Over time, high levels of sugar in your blood can damage your heart, kidneys, eyes, and nerves.
Control Blood Pressure - Keeping your blood pressure controlled can keep you healthier longer. A reading of less than 120/80 mm Hg is best. High blood pressure is about 130-139 (the top number) over 80-89 (bottom number).