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Hunters Encouraged to Follow Health Safety Tips
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An estimated 750,000 Hunters Seeking Michigan Whitetail Deer.
It's that time of the year again. Thousands of people get up at the crack of dawn during firearm deer season and head for the woods. And every year, media reports include stories of sports people suffering heart attacks during this season. If you're not prepared, haven't had a physical and haven't exercised much in the year since the last hunt, you may be putting yourself at a risk of a heart attack.
"A study compared the heart workload of an individual while deer hunting to that of the same individual while exercising on a treadmill on a different day, said Stacy Sawyer, director of communications of the American Heart Association Mid-Michigan area. "Deer hunting puts the heart under more strain. If you're planning to hunt, it makes sense to first see your doctor, and have a check up."
Smoking is another major risk factor for heart attack and heart disease. Other tips include avoiding a heavy breakfast before heading out into the woods and to avoid hunting alone. Bring a cell phone to reach emergency services if needed and tell friends or family your location and scheduled return. Also, make sensible plans for moving any game taken.
Preparing early will not only help with physical fitness come deer season, but also with overall general health. Studies show that being physically fit lowers heart disease risk even in people who have other risk factors like high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.
Warning signs of a heart attack are an uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back again. Also, the pain spreads to the shoulders, neck and arms and is often accompanied by lightheartedness, sweating, nausea and shortness of breath. Stroke is also a concern while hunting and its warning signs include a sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, and a sudden dizziness and loss of coordination. Both heart attack and stroke are medical emergencies and 911 needs to be accessed immediately.
The American Heart Association has a new series of online tools that can encourage conditioning. The online tools can be found at www.americanheart.org/start and include connecting with experts online, related health and nutrition information, virtual teams and overall an interactive experience.
The Start! program is an initiative of the American Heart Association in which tools are provided to businesses and individuals to get Americans walking for health. The focus of Start! is simple -- Walk more. Eat well. Live Longer. Studies have shown that walking is good medicine for the heart. For every hour of regular, vigorous exercise, such as brisk walking, one can expect two hours will be added to their life expectancy.
For more information on Start!, cardiovascular disease, or stroke, you may call (800) AHA-USA1 or visit the American Heart Association online at www.americanheart.org.
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MyBayCity Staff |
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