The year 2016 has come to an end and 2017 is here and one thing we all try and do is make health conscious New Year Resolutions that involve joining a gym and going full steam ahead with fitness workouts and try our best to do proper food and nutrition which is great to make life changes but we need to do it in a safe and healthy way. There are many aspects when joining a gym and one is your physical health and heart and the other is . . . is your gym trained to help if you had a cardiac emergency? Arkansas Legislation House Bill 2786 http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2007/R/Bills/HB2786.pdf requires that all “health spas” have AEDs on site and means of calling 911 and access to the AED if the facility is unstaffed (for the 24 hour facilities). If you are one of those new year resolutions that goes head one to the gym every day for the first 30 days of the year and not much thereafter, decide on what would be a better option for you to ensure consistency throughout the year, you heart needs that activity year round, not just the first month of the new year. . . so if you are unfamiliar to physical exercise and increasing the heart rate, it can have an opposite reaction if you are in poor health/shape to start with. I would encourage you to seek a family doctor to get the go ahead for strenuous exercise and make sure your heart can handle the change in routine. Often times we think, we are exercising and there is no way we can have a heart attack, but the fact is, you can have a heart attack with a sudden change in physical activity. The American Heart Association says, “being physically active is important to prevent heart disease and stroke, the nation’s  No. 1 and No. 5 killers. To improve overall cardiovascular health, we suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity). Thirty minutes a day, five times a week is an easy goal to remember. You will also experience benefits even if you divide your time into two or three segments of 10 to 15 minutes per day.  -- For people who would benefit from lowering their blood pressure or cholesterol, we recommend 40 minutes of aerobic exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity three to four times a week to lower the risk for heart attack and stroke.” (full article here) It is suggested that if you do not participate in physical activity, to start with small blocks of 10-15 minute sessions and work your way up to 30 minutes and even 45 minutes before you get to that one hour mark. You want to strive to get your heart rate up in order to strengthen you heart. Another thing we can do to help increase our heart health is limit the fat rich foods and fried foods. As someone from a southern state, we like to fry everything. Decreasing the amount of fried foods in your diet can dramatically decrease your chances of having a heart attack as well. When making life changes, some of the signs and symptoms you want to look for is tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, nausea, squeezing sensation and even jaw, arm and back pain all could be signs and symptoms of a heart attack. If you experience numbness and weakness on one side of the body as well as slurred speech and loss of motor control on one side of the body, this could be signs and symptoms of a stroke. Please do not discount any of these symptoms, because they could be life threatening if untreated. For better results in making life changes, and beginning rigorous physical activity, especially when you have not done any, please consult your family physician in order to for you to gain maximum health results. Stay tuned for more in February. February is National Heart Month