Sister to Sister

Screen Four Blog

Since working at Sister to Sister, I've become an active advocate for women's health education. I know that heart disease puts everyone - my mother, my co-workers, my friends - at risk, and that a simple screening can keep them safe. That's why I'm dedicated to getting out the word about heart disease prevention. In this blog, I'll be interviewing every day women who are involved with Screen Four - giving you an inside look at Sister to Sister's campaign to save lives!

Monica Bernstein
Editorial Director 

Confessions From the Heart

Here’s one of the things I like most about participating in Sister to Sister’s Screen Four campaign: Because I’ve told pretty much everyone I know about my commitment to get heart healthy, I’m extra determined not to fail!

At work, I’ve told my friend Dottie that I’m trying to take off inches and pounds. And I’m so glad I did! Each morning when I walk through the office door, she greets me with, "Mornin’, Sista!" It’s her shorthand way of encouraging me to be good to my heart all day.

And for the most part, I am.

I’ve started eating a high-fiber, low-fat breakfast and making my coffee at home in a travel mug, since I like mine light and the coffee shop in my office building doesn’t carry fat-free milk. I’ve also started brown-bagging my lunch; important, since I don’t make great food decisions when I’m hungry or too busy to focus.

I’m also trying to keep a food journal, where I write every bite. This has worked well for me in the past, but so far I haven’t been able to get into the habit. I’m going to keep trying, though, because I need to balance my diet better and limit my calorie intake some more. I’m convinced that journaling will help.

And then there’s exercise. Oh, exercise. I’ve always hated going to the gym and my distaste for playing sports dates back to elementary school, when I was always the last kid picked for kickball teams. ("You take her." "No, you can have her!" Yes, I remember it well...)

Running is the one form of exercise that I’ve always enjoyed. Until about six months ago, that is, when my workload got bigger and the time I had for exercise got smaller. Practically overnight, I went from running three miles daily to running once or twice a month.

Nowadays, even if I can find time to exercise, I don’t have the energy left to do it. Still, I’m determined to get out of this sluggish cycle and back into a regular fitness routine. I’ve started changing into workout clothes as soon as I get home from the office (so far that hasn’t worked!). And in the spirit of Sister to Sister, I’ve asked a few friends to keep me honest by joining me for a walk or a run.

Are you getting heart healthy on your own or with the support of your friends? I’m sure there’s plenty I could learn from hearing your story! What do you say?

My Screening Experience

Okay, so full disclosure: The first time I heard “get screened for heart disease,” I pictured going to a hospital and getting hooked up to an EKG machine and giving 12 pints of blood or something. My imagination ran wild!

Turns out, getting screened for heart disease is no big deal.

I got screened (for free!) at the Baltimore Convention Center during Sister to Sister’s annual Women’s Heart Health Fair this past February (during National Heart Health Month). I must’ve watched a few hundred women go ahead of me while I sold Sister to Sister T-shirts at a nearby booth and worked up my courage to get in line.

Here’s how it went down: First, the nurse measured my waist (no hiding my muffin top from her!), calculated my Body Mass Index (BMI) based on my weight and height, and took my blood pressure. Then, she pricked my finger to get a drop of blood—I swear it didn’t hurt—and processed it in some kind of machine to check my cholesterol and blood glucose (for diabetes).

Ping! After a few short minutes, the machine spit out a printout of my numbers. Then, I sat down with a medical counselor who explained each risk factor and what my numbers had to say about it.

I quickly realized that my doctor gave me these same tests at my annual physical and that my insurance covered them. I simply hadn’t been paying attention. (Can you relate?) How irresponsible of me not to have taken responsibility for my own health information sooner!

I wasn’t surprised to learn that my weight was the number-one thing putting me at risk for heart disease. Still, seeing my numbers in black and white and getting screened gave me the kick in the pants I needed to make some changes. So did getting screened together with my co-workers who care about me.

It’s a new day in Monica-land. My “ah ha” moment has put me firmly on the path to heart health. Want to come along for the ride?

My Screen Four Team

Last year when I started working for Sister to Sister: The Women's Heart Health Foundation, I had a lot to learn about heart disease. There were endless statistics to make sense of. Still, the one that seemed the most senseless to me both then and now is this: One in four women dies of heart disease, even though preventive screenings could be saving lives.

I started to consider who that "one in four" in my life might be - my best friend, Beth? My co-worker, Dottie? My mom? Or even me (yikes). Those odds were scary to think about...but even scarier to ignore.

So I asked them—Beth, Dottie, my mom. "Can I motivate you to get screened for heart disease and get serious about heart health if I promise to do it, too?" It was peer pressure at its finest and it worked—they all said yes!

That's how the idea for Sister to Sister's Screen Four campaign was born. I realized that, like me, it wouldn't take much for other women to motivate themselves and three others to get screened for heart disease. (It's the number one killer of women, after all!)

Just imagine: If I Screen Four and you Screen Four and thousands of other Sister to Sister members Screen Four ... together we can make a major impact in changing those "one in four" odds.

I've told you about my Screen Four foursome. Will you tell me about yours?