Marilyn Vogtsberger never had a heart attack or stroke. In fact, she doesn't have any signs of heart disease, but she does have a family history.
"My father had a series of heart attacks and passed away from one and my mother had strokes, so I just tried to be proactive and doing what I can," explained Marilyn.
Part of being proactive means regular exercise, so Marilyn recently enrolled in Munson's Heart to Heart exercise class. It includes a half hour of cardio education followed by an hour of exercise that targets: blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity and diabetes.
"It is one of the best things I think for women," said Marilyn. "They're women my age who are trying to do something to help their own health. The class is adjusted for your own needs."
Dr. Debra Graetz says even just 30 minutes of exercise a day is key to keeping your heart strong- no matter what your heart status is.
"We encourage people after a heart attack to take exercise as a prescription. We want them to exercise and so we provide opportunities like cardiac-rehab exercise after a heart attack is just as important as before," Dr. Graetz explained.
"Here you are guided by people who are trained in heart area so they know what people our age should be doing or shouldn't be doing," said Marilyn.
Statistics are showing that exercise, even if just minimal is making a difference.
"We've actually look at some studies with the American Heart Association that say if you walk for exercise for an hour, you may extend your life by two hours. So, we can prevent heart disease with exercise just like we can use medicines," Dr. Graetz said.
"If you can find a friend or group it really does help," said Marilyn. "I think this group has helped to inspire all of us, each other to do this on days we're not here...now I'm exercising everyday."
The Munson Heart to Heart Exercise Class is a six-week program offered for women only on Tuesday afternoons. There are also grants available for the class.
