Novant Health launches comprehensive awareness campaign to improve overall health & wellness
WINSTON-SALEM,
N.C. ― Novant Health today announced a yearlong wellness campaign,
challenging participants to take their health to heart in 2020. Three out of 4
U.S. adults are living with a predicted heart age that is older than their
actual age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. This means they are at a higher risk for heart attacks
and stroke. Yet, about 80% of heart disease is preventable with diet and
lifestyle changes.
This statistic can be especially eye catching when you
bring into focus that virtually all of your body’s organs and systems depend on
a healthy heart. Novant Health’s “Vision 2020: A new lens for a healthier
future” is uniquely designed to help participants tackle some of the biggest
risk factors leading to a higher heart age: physical activity, unhealthy diet,
high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
“Novant Health is proud to lead an initiative that
empowers people to take charge of their health,” said Gary Niess, MD, senior physician
executive of the Novant Health Heart & Vascular Institute. “We live busy
lives, and many of us don’t think about our health until we’re sick. It’s
critical that people understand the choices they make now have a lifetime
effect on their health and wellness. This campaign not only brings awareness to
the healthy habits we should prioritize, but it gives a playbook for how to
incorporate them into our everyday lives.”
Throughout the year, Novant Health will guide
participants through a series of challenges designed to be fun, manageable and,
most importantly, sustainable. Each challenge will begin by asking participants
to calculate their predicted heart age*, which they will work to lower
throughout the year in order to reduce one or more risk factors that are known
to have a direct impact on heart health.
· Made to Move: This 12-week challenge
launches in March and helps participants increase their level of physical
activity, no matter where they are. Participants will learn strength training
exercises, fitness tips and “life hacks” to incorporate more movement into
everyday life.
· Sugar Shutdown: Over the summer, we’ll
help participants focus on cutting out added sugar from their diet and
replacing it with healthy alternatives. The typical American diet is packed
with added sugar, which clogs our arteries, creates brain fog and often leads
to sugar cravings. This 10-day challenge is a re-set for the body.
· Live in the Moment: To wrap up Vision
2020, we’ll task everyone to live in the moment for 12 weeks with purposeful
challenges. Being present and enjoying life’s everyday moments rather than
being tied to a device directly affects your heart health by reducing stress,
among many other benefits.
For more information on Vision 2020 and to sign up,
visit NovantHealth.org/Vision2020.
*The scientific model behind the heart age calculator assesses risk for patients between the ages of 30 and 74. We encourage you to sign up for the Vision 2020 challenges and prioritize heart healthy habits regardless of your age. |