Leading heart charity urges Mid Ulster residents to get active

And, with February marking National Heart Month, there’s never been a better time to give your heart the love it deserves.

Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Cathal Mallaghan is supporting NICHS’s Heart Month.

He said: “I am happy to be supporting NICHS’s Heart Month this February to help raise awareness of heart and cardiovascular disease. The statistics here speak for themselves and make for harrowing reading.

"Currently 335,171 people are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions, which is approximately 17% of the population. Almost 4 in 10 (37%) of all adult deaths here are caused by chest, heart or stroke conditions.”

NICHS has launched its ‘Step by Step’ campaign, designed to encourage people to actively consider their cardiovascular health this month, and puts forward easy steps that everyone can take towards a healthier, stronger heart. Step one is simple - increase those steps and sign up to the charity’s annual Red Dress Run, supported by Mace.

Councillor Mallaghan said: “Heart Month is the perfect time for us all to show our heart a little more love and kindness by taking the necessary steps to help keep it fit and healthy. Making healthier lifestyle choices like eating a more balanced diet and being more physically active will have a lasting impact on our bodies and help reduce the risk of developing heart and cardiovascular disease in the future. I am delighted that our council buildings are lighting up red from the 15 – 22 February to help highlight this very important and worthwhile cause.”

Fidelma Carter, Health Director at NICHS, said this campaign is needed now more than ever: “The fact that 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 5 children in NI are already obese and nearly half (45%) of the population were not getting enough getting enough exercise was already alarming, and now the current pandemic is making lifestyles worse. We encourage everyone to look after their hearts by taking small steps every day to maintain and improve their health”

Increasing physical activity can reduce your risk of developing some heart and circulatory diseases by as much as 35% and this is clearly more essential than ever. One step in the right direction is to sign up for NI Chest Heart and Stroke’s Red Dress Run, taking place virtually on Sunday February 21.

Chest, heart and stroke disease are responsible for 16 deaths per day in Northern Ireland and the charity is passionate about keeping local hearts healthy. Funds raised through this year’s Red Dress Run will help rebuild thousands of lives.

In the last year alone, the charity has invested £2.9 million in services and supported over 3,300 people living with a heart, stroke, or respiratory conditions.

So, step out of your comfort zone and step up to the challenge! Whether you are running to keep fit or in memory of a loved one, sign yourself, friends, and family up to the Virtual Red Dress Run on Sunday February 21 at 11am.

Don’t worry if you can’t take part on the date, you can run or walk your way, any day throughout February.

Sign up at www.nichs.org.uk/reddressrun. If you’re not in a position to take part, you can still donate to the Red Dress Run by visiting www.nichs.org.uk/reddressrun

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