Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women, according to the American Heart Association.
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For suburban mom Deana Greco, it's a personal cause. She was born with a congenital heart defect and had surgery as a baby. When she was an adult, she decided she wanted to give birth and her doctors warned her it could only happen once.
"On the day I was supposed to go home after giving birth to my son, in 2010, I knew something wasn't right," said Greco. "In fact my heart rate was going down."
Nine days later she had an implantable defibrillator put in.
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Greco is a patient at the Midwest Cardiovascular Institute, which shared the following tips to keep your heart healthy:
- Eat foods low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt
- Exercise 30 minutes/day, 5x/week
- Quit smoking & limit alcohol to 1 drink/day
- Use healthy coping skills to lower stress
- See a cardiologist regularly to manage your risk