Keith Ahrens

National Start Walking Day is Wednesday, April 6 and always the first Wednesday in April.

The time is now to get moving.  I couldn’t think of a better place to start than with a nice walk.

Will you walk?

Can you get your office motivated to take a walk during lunch?

What about a planned walk with your family or loved one after dinner?

Perhaps someone you know could use a nice walk.  Tell them about the day and walk with them.

The American Heart Association has all the tools on their site for someone to just start walking.

Make it a celebration of fitness.

Make it a day of Heart Health.

CLICK HERE &Visit StartWalkingNow.org to get more information.

Have a Heart Healthy Day, Keith

When was the last time you filled out a form?

Think about when you fill out a medical form, a form for school, an insurance form etc.

What happens when we make a mistake on it?

It gets lost in the shuffle or it gets put to the bottom of the pile.

The bottom line: You don’t get the results in the time frame that you were looking for.

At the gym, I’ve noticed more and more people using bad form when they exercise.  All kinds of exercise that is.

It’s so important to use good form on any activity or exercise that we do.

Good form equates to better and faster results.

If you go to a gym, ask for help.  Most gyms offer a free session that teaches its members how to use a particular piece of equipment or how to perform certain exercises.  Someone should always be happy to show you how to do something the right way.

By doing an exercise or activity with good form you will also greatly reduce the chance of injury.

If you’re exercising at home or trying something new, go to YouTube and look at some reliable videos to see how a certain exercise should be done.  Best of all, It’s Free!

Search for the exercise and also type the word “beginner” and see what comes up.

They’re many videos available to show people how to do a proper exercise with good form.  I do this when I want to find out about a new lift or new method of exercise.

Try new exercises. mix up your routine. Have fun with whatever you decide to do but do it with proper form and safety. – Keith

Probably and Perhaps.

Another High School athlete passed away in what appears to be another case of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).

The initial autopsy revealed an enlarged heart.

Click Here To Read Full Article

What we do know is that a routine screening of this athlete may vary well have shown his enlarged heart and flagged his potential risk of SCA.  An echocardiogram (Sonar) and/or electrocardiograms (EKG) most likely would have discovered the abnormality.

Why are we caught so off guard when these deaths occur?

While advocating for prevention, awareness, and education programs for heart disease and the screenings of athletes in high school and college sports, I’ve learned that although the early detection tests are simple and easy to administer, they’re simply not routinely performed.

Why? I’ll share a couple reasons I’ve learned.

Cost.  Although the cost is very small to have the test(s) performed, the tests must also be read and interpreted by a doctor.

Accessibility. Screenings need to be very accessible and easier to get.

Athletes are afraid that if they admit to having a risk factor (such as a family member with heart disease) they may not be allowed to play. Studies have shown that athletes may not be truthful in answering the most basic risk factor questions.

Statistics are weak at best for the scope of the problem.  The facts, I believe, would show this is a much larger problem than we’re aware of.

Routine screenings of groups of athletes regularly identify potential at risk youth.

We need to ask: Should all athletes be screened?

Who should pay for the screenings?

My personal opinion is that every high school and college athlete should be screened.  It would logically begin with the students with the most basic primary risk factors such as family history.

How do we get an athlete to tell the truth? If a problem is found, is that the end of the athlete’s sports career? Will they ever be allowed to compete again?

Do we allow doctors to clear someone to compete and relieve the doctor of potential lawsuits if a problem occurs?

One person making a difference and saving lives is my friend Holly Morrell of Heartfelt Cardiac Projects based in California.  Her non-profit offers low cost screenings with any abnormal or concerning findings being referred to a physician.  She has inevitably saved countless lives with her work.

The one thing I know for sure is that routine screenings save lives. I’ll continue my fight for Awareness, Prevention, and Education of Heart Disease and the related risk factors. – Keith