(CARLSBAD, CA) - A common misperception exists among women that they have a greater risk of dying from breast cancer than heart disease. Public education campaigns have done a wonderful job of raising awareness of breast cancer risks and compelling women to do their monthly self-exams and annual mammograms past the age of 40. While this has undoubtedly saved lives, Jazzercise founder, Judi Sheppard Missett, says women need to be equally aware of the very real risks of heart disease.

Statistically, women are twice as likely to die from heart disease than all cancers combined, and more than 32 million American women have heart disease. Nearly eight percent of women ages 30 to 34 have advanced lesions in their arteries, while three-quarters have fatty streaks – the beginning of hardening of the arteries. In addition, an alarming 30 percent increase in Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) occurred among young women between 1989 and 1996, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Heart disease is characterized by blockages in the arteries of the heart that can eventually interrupt the blood supply to the heart muscle, causing a heart attack. Either gender may experience:

• pressure or squeezing pain in the center of the chest
• pain in the neck, shoulder or arm
• chest discomfort accompanied by lightheadedness, fainting, nausea, sweating, or shortness of breath.

However, heart attack symptoms often differ for women. Women may feel the following symptoms and not realize they are associated with a heart attack:

• Atypical chest, stomach or abdominal pain
• Recent, unusual shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Dizziness without chest pain
• Anxiety
• Weakness or fatigue
• Back pain
• Palpitations
• Cold sweat or paleness
• Upper abdominal pressure or discomfort

SCD, on the other hand, occurs when the body’s electrical system malfunctions, causing the heart to misfire (arrhythmia) and the cardiovascular system to collapse. While SCD is technically different than heart disease, its victims often have many heart disease risk factors.

Those risk factors include:

• High blood pressure or hypertension
• High blood cholesterol – total blood cholesterol above 200 mg/dl; LDL above 129 mg/dl; HDL under 40 mg/dl; triglycerides above 150 mg/dl
• Smoking – 25 percent of American women age 25 to 44 smoke
• Obesity
• High-fat diet
• Inactivity – 29 percent of Americans report that they do not engage in any regular physical activity

The good news is that we all have the ability to do something about each risk factor! Alterations to your diet can combat high cholesterol and obesity, while exercise is the best medicine for everything from high blood pressure to hypertension to inactivity. Getting more physical activity can be as easy as turning up your favorite tunes and dancing up a storm in your living room. The following basic twist movement is a simple way to get your heart pumping while strengthening and stretching the muscles of your waist.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, and shift your weight forward so that you are standing forward on the balls of your feet with your heels slightly lifted. Reach your arms overhead and twist your heels and hips to the right, then left. Swing your arms back and forth as you twist. Make sure you pivot on the balls of your feet so that your knees and toes are always pointing in the same direction. Have fun and keep on twisting until you’re ready to switch to another move. Always warm up for at least five minutes before your workout and cool down after with at least five minutes of slow movements and stretching after your workout.

Jazzercise, created by Judi Sheppard Missett, is the world's leading dance-fitness program with more than 6,800 instructors teaching 30,000 classes weekly in the U.S. and around the globe. Since 1969, millions of people of all ages and fitness levels have reaped the benefits of this comprehensive program, designed to enhance cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility. For more information on Jazzercise go to jazzercise.com or call (800)FIT-IS-IT or (760)476-1750.

Courtesy of Jazzercise, Inc. - jazzercise.com