This year Cyprus Football Associaiton is supporting World Heart Day which aims to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to educate people on the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle.
Held each year on 29th September, World Heart Day is organised by the World Heart Federation and is supported by UEFA. Working together with the European football family, we can all make a significant contribution to reducing premature mortality and disability caused by CVD.
The campaign theme for World Heart Day 2016 is: Power Your Life. Your heart is the body’s engine room and powers your whole body – that’s why it is so important to look after it. If you don’t look after your heart you are putting yourself at risk of CVD, which includes heart disease and stroke, and accounts for over 17 million premature deaths each year.
The good news is that CVD can be prevented by making a few simple daily changes, such as eating and drinking more healthily, taking more exercise and stopping smoking. By addressing these risk factors most premature deaths caused by CVD can be prevented.
We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to live a longer, better, heart-healthy life. Together with World Heart Federation and UEFA, we are asking individuals and organisations, to consider making the following changes so you can Power Your Life:
Fuel Your Heart: to adopt a healthier diet that is lower in fat, salt and sugar and to moderate your intake of alcohol over the course of the week
Move Your Heart: to maintain an active lifestyle, aiming for at least 30 minutes of physical activity five times per week – playing football is only one way to achieve this!
Love Your Heart: for individuals to seek professional support in attempting to quit smoking and for organisations to maintain a Smokefree environment.
How you can help:
· Share your heart selfie: Join the cause to get everyone to take control of their heart health and power their lives by taking a Healthy Heart Selfie and sharing it on social media using the hashtag #WorldHeartDay.
· Take the Heart IQ test: Heart IQ is a short online quiz that asks you 8 questions about heart health and gives you a score based on how much you know. At the end of the quiz you can either share your score or a Healthy Heart Selfie. Take the test at: http://worldheartday.org/
To find out more about World Heart Day please visit the website: http://worldheartday.org/
Facebook: /worldheartday
Twitter: @worldheartfed
Instagram: @worldheartday
Hashtag: #WorldHeartDay + #PowerYourLife
Information on Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in the world today: over 17.5 million people die from cardiovascular disease every year.
Any disease of the heart, vascular disease of the brain, or disease of the blood vessels constitutes a cardiovascular disease. The most prevalent cardiovascular diseases include coronary heart disease (e.g. heart attack) and stroke. Controlling key risk factors such as diet, physical activity, tobacco use, and blood pressure may reduce your risk of CVD.
There are many risk factors that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. Some people are born with conditions that predispose them to heart disease and stroke, but most people who develop cardiovascular disease do so because of a combination of factors such as poor diet, lack of physical activity and smoking, to name just three. The more risk factors you expose yourself to, the higher the chance of developing cardiovascular disease.
Smoking damages the lining of blood vessels, increases fatty deposits in the arteries, increases bloodclotting, adversely affects blood lipid levels, and promotes coronary artery spasm. Nicotine accelerates the heart rate and raises blood pressure.
Diet plays a significant role in protecting or predisposing people to heart disease. Diets high in animal fat, low in fresh vegetables and fruit, and high in alcohol have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease. Adopting a diet low in fat, salt and sugar has a protective effect over the long term. This means whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
For more information about Cardiovascular Disease visit: http://worldheartday.org/what-is-cvd/
