Keeping Your Heart Healthy
According to the American Heart Association, nearly 105 million Americans age 20 and older have high cholesterol, many of them women, increasing their risk of heart disease and stroke.
Know when to seek emergency help
Call 9-1-1 or other emergency services immediately if chest pain is crushing or squeezing, increases in intensity or occurs with any of these symptoms of heart attack:
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Pain radiating to the arm, neck or jaw
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness
- Rapid and/or irregular pulse
If you need heart care, you'll be glad to know that Mercy offers one of the top-rated cardiac programs in the country, right here in Sacramento. The Mercy Heart & Vascular Institute is recognized nationwide as a leader in cardiac surgery and the treatment of heart attack; however, it is part of our on-going mission to help reduce the chances of you needing those services. Mercy's dedication to your heart's health includes wellness programs, heart education and leading-edge cardiac research.
Mercy is dedicated to helping you live heart healthy
We invite you to share in our mission of creating a heart healthy community.
Learn simple lifestyle changes and healthy tips to help you live a heart-friendly lifestyle, including an assortment of cholesterol-reducing recipes you can incorporate into your daily diet.
Learn how to calculate your maximum heart rate
Knowing your resting, target and maximum heart rates are important for monitoring your progress during exercise. Your resting heart rate is best measured by taking your pulse for one minute when you wake up in the morning.
To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220 - Your target heart rate zone is determined based upon your maximum heart rate. You want to stay within 50-75% of your maximum heart rate during exercise, depending upon your fitness level.
To find your target heart rate multiply your maximum heart rate by .50 - This will give you the low range number.
Then, multiply your maximum heart rate by .75 - This will give you the high range number
Example:
Age = 30
Resting heart rate = 70
Maximum heart rate = 190
Target heart rate = 95 - 142
Find a
Mercy cardiac doctor
near you.
