No Heart Left Behind

Heart Disease Is Not Just a Man's Disease

Now you know. Heart disease is the number-one killer of women. Heart disease kills six times as many women as breast cancer. It’s far better to prevent heart disease than to treat it after the fact.

Let's get started

Each week, check this site to get your coaching assignment. Then, meet with the person you are coaching by phone or in person (20-30 minutes). Talk about the information, and review her assignment for the week.

You have a very important job! By coaching your mother or another important woman in your life, you will help her to achieve four main goals:

Learn the symptoms and risk factors for heart disease.
Increase her level of physical activity.
Make heart-healthy changes in her diet.
Spread the No Heart Left Behind message to others.

If you have questions at any time during the program, e-mail them to mcarter@desu.edu and you will receive a response within a week.

Getting adequate physical activity is the first healthy habit the person you are coaching will be working on. For heart health, she needs 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, five days per week—a total of 150 minutes per week.

Review her assignment for this week:

Print out the Physical Activity Log and post it somewhere visible at home (such as on the refrigerator) or at work. Track how many days in the coming week you are able to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity. Instructions are on the form.
Print out the Know Your Numbers worksheet during your free screening. You're going to need the information from this worksheet in Week 3.

Tell the person you are coaching:

For the Know Your Numbers information, Christiana Care Health System will provide a free health screening for her at no charge (see schedule). Ask your No Heart Left Behind instructor at school for details and provide the options to the person you are coaching.

Weekly review question

Q: What is the number one killer of women?

A: Heart disease.

Coaching tip

Just knowing that you need to do something is not enough for most people to change their behavior. Encourage the person you are coaching to take care of her heart because you care about her—this can help!