This page contains information to help you reduce your health risks and improve your health.
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Cancer Prevention Tips (.pdf)
Exercise Tips (.pdf)
Healthy Eating (.pdf)
Managing Blood Pressure (.pdf)
Personal Health Profile Tips (.pdf)
Healthy Aging (.pdf)
Managing Your Cholesterol (.pdf)
Adult Exercise Guidelines (.pdf)
Quit Using Tobacco (.pdf)
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Smoking is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. When someone stops using tobacco, their life is lengthened. It is always the right time to stop.
Download the Tobacco Cessation Resource Guide (.pdf)
The Office of Environmental Health Service's restaurant inspection Web site now provides information on the smoking status for all fast food and full service restaurants in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Visit the Office of Environmental Health Service's Web site and see if your favorite restaurant is listed*
Additional Tobacco User's Resources:
Visit the Become an Ex-Smoker Web site*
Visit the SmokeFree Web site*
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- Have a physically active lifestyle and eat healthy every day.
- Increase your physical activity to a total of 30 minutes a day, no less than 10 minute increments, most days of the week.
- Eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full.
- Cut back on the fat in your food choices. Keep the fat content of your diet to 30% or less of your total daily calories.
- Increase the fiber in your diet by eating fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grain breads and cereals.
- Eat a variety of foods from MyPyramid.*
- Eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables every day.
- Control your portion sizes. Fat free products still have calories, so be careful how many total calories you eat each day.
- Drink plenty of water every day.
- Learn to read food labels.
- Choose health, not appearance, as your reason to lower your body fat level.
- Meet with a registered dietitian, if needed, to help you develop a personal food plan.
- Learn about the Eating for Life program, and learn about your body weight and how to calculate your body mass index (BMI) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.*
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Method
Using the flat surface of the three middle fingers, making small circles, examine each breast using a grid pattern, from the collarbone to the bra line, and from the armpit to the breast-bone. Use superficial and then deep pressure. If you choose to perform your exam monthly, do it on the same day each month 7-10 days after your period. If you don't have periods, pick any day and perform your exam that same day each month.
First, in the shower: Gently lather each breast. With one arm raised, examine each breast with the opposite hand. Feel for any lumps or thickenings that are different from the previous exam.
Second, in front of a mirror: Look for any visual changes in each of the following positions: arms at your side, arms over your head, hands pressed on your hips while flexing the chest muscles, and bent forward with breasts hanging.
Third, lying down: Place a small pillow or folded towel under the side being examined (at mid-back). Repeat your fingertip exam in the grid pattern. Examine the left breast with the right hand and the right breast with the left hand. Gently squeeze both nipples and look for discharge. Consult with your physician regarding any changes.
The American Cancer Society recommends regular mammograms:
Age 40 and over - annually
The American Cancer Society also recommends annual Pap tests and pelvic exams.
When Cervical cancer is detected early it is curable. A Pap test is the best way to detect cervical changes that may lead to cancer. All women 18 and over should have a Pap test and pelvic exam every year or as indicated by your physician.
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Heart Healthy Home Cooking African American Style - With Every Heartbeat is Life
Prepare your favorite African American dishes in ways that protect you and your family from heart disease and stroke. This cookbook provides recipes for 26 tested and tasty favorite African American dishes. Recipes give nutrient analyses that include carbohydrates and protein. Also covers heart healthy food substitutions and food safety.
Download "Heart Healthy Home Cooking African American Style - With Every Heartbeat is Life"
On the Move to Better Heart Health for African Americans
A culturally appropriate educational booklet for African Americans on heart healthy living. In an easy-to-read format, the booklet provides concise information on heart disease and its risk factors. It explains heart attack signs and how to respond to them, as well as how to reduce risk factors for heart disease, prevent and control high blood pressure, lower blood cholesterol, prevent and control diabetes, manage weight, and stop smoking. Includes an action plan and tip sheet.
Download "On the Move to Better Heart Health for African Americans"
Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure: Mission Possible What Every African American Should Know
Fact sheet targeting African American adults with messages about their special risks associated with high blood pressure and tips for preventing and controlling it.
Download "Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure: Mission Possible What Every African American Should Know"
The Heart Truth for African American Women: An Action Plan
This handout gives the facts and figures on heart disease in African American women. It offers five starting steps to lower heart disease risk through a heart healthy lifestyle. Includes 10 key questions every woman should ask her doctor about heart health.
Download "The Heart Truth for African American Women: An Action Plan"
Stay in Circulation - Facts About Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) for African Americans
Stay in circulation! This colorful 6 page tri-fold fact sheet provides easy to read information on Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), as it relates to African Americans. PAD is a condition that affects one out of every 20 Americans over the age of 50. PAD raises your risk for stroke and heart attack. Find out who is at risk for PAD, how it is diagnosed and treated. Learn about steps you can take to reduce your risk of PAD. Provides you with questions to ask your physician to help assess your risk for PAD.
Download "Say in Circulation - Facts About Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) for African Americans"
The Healthy Hearts, Healthy Homes Series (bilingual English/Spanish) offers six easy-to-read, fully illustrated booklets on practical steps to prevent and control heart disease. Each booklet introduces a narrator who demonstrates how Latinos can put heart healthy practices into their family life. Special features include common questions and answers, as well as check lists for personal risk assessment and for making lifestyle changes. Heart health cards help track progress. The series is based on current clinical guidelines and recommendations from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Individual titles:
Are You at Risk for Heart Disease? (Item #08-6351)*
Keep the Beat: Control Your High Blood Pressure* (Item #08-6352)
Do You Know Your Cholesterol Levels?* (Item #08-6353)
Do You Need To Lose Weight?* (Item #08-6354)
Protect Your Heart Against Diabetes* (Item #08-6355)
Enjoy Living Smoke Free* (Item #08-6356)
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Quick Links
To MyLife MyPlan: Staying Healthy
To MyLife MyPlan home
* This link will take you to an external Web site not owned or operated by Optima Health