Today kicks off my first of 12-weeks following the American Heart Associations BetterU program and already I’m feeling pretty 
SMART.
The weeks program kicked off with a 5 question quiz and guess who got an A+? Yours truly!
There were a lot of great points in week one of the BetterU program, but I thought we could briefly chat about two: Signs of a heart attack and SMART Goals. Ready to go to BetterUniversity? Let’s get started by talking about….
Signs of a heart attack
It’s important to know these signs to help you spot when a heart attack may be happening:
- Discomfort in the chest or other areas of the upper body
- Shortness of breath
- Other signs of discomfort like breaking a cold sweat, nausea and lightheadedness
If someone has signs of a heart attack, 9-1-1 should be called immediately for help. If someone loses responsiveness or stops breathing, an AED should be used (if available) or CPR performed, in addition to calling 9-1-1.
Want to take an online CPR course or find a CPR class near you, click here.
Moving on to…
SMART GOALS
I’m a big fan of goal setting. In fact, ever since I’ve started using my fitbook, a 12-week training and nutrition journal, I’m getting better about setting, reflecting, and achieving my goals. fitbook helps set 12 week goals, break those goals down into one week chunks, and then break them down further to one day at a time.
The BetterU lesson this week suggests making SMART goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Appropriate
- Realistic and has a…
- Timeframe
I’m no CPR dummy so I’m going to follow this SMART way of goal setting and take accountability for building a BetterMe.
Now I really must go study for week 2 of BetterU…I want my GPA to be like my blood type and my attitude: B-positive!
Jodi (jodiojo) says:
February 8th 2010Point number 1 is so important! Thank you for making it number 1! When I share my story this week and launch my 12 week Better U campaign, I will be talking about how I made that big mistake and did not call 911. It is imperative that people learn the signs and then know what do because of the signs b/c I learned first hand that when it happens, you are too stressed out to think straight. Thanks Joanna!:o)
Chad Tackett says:
February 8th 2010So good to see that you’re recommending the fitbook. I love mine, it’s awesome!
Jody - Fit at 52 says:
February 8th 2010What a great post & we all need to know the signs!!
I love the SMART principle. I have posted about that more times than I can count trying to get people on that bandwagon!!! :-)
Naomi(onefitfoodie) says:
February 8th 2010SMART is such a great way to measure your goals and make sure they are attainable! I am making a presentatoon right now and that is one of the slides :)
Andrea@WellnessNotes says:
February 8th 2010Great info and reminders! And I really love the SMART goals. It’s so important set goals in the right way…
Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman says:
February 8th 2010It’s also important to know that women experience heart attacks differently than men! Thanks for doing a series on this.
Yum Yucky says:
February 8th 2010I know a few dummies. BUT you’re not one of them. Promise. You’re doing a SMART thing. Currently trying to be wiser and obtain a notebook for all these good ideas in my brain.
Suzanne says:
February 8th 2010I’ve also read in several health related articles that unless you have a medical reason not to, if you think you are having a heart attack you chew an aspirin – http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-heart-attack/fa00050
april says:
February 8th 2010Ahh this reminds me of nursing school! When we did nursing care plans we had to do SMART goals too!
Jess (Fit Chick in the City) says:
February 8th 2010SMART goals are so simple, but I think people forget about them. Great reminder!
FatFighterTV says:
February 8th 2010Wow – congrats on your A+! You ARE SMART! ;)
Lani says:
February 9th 2010You are such a great blogger! Good job on the A+. I got an A- fooey.
The Candid RD says:
February 9th 2010Yeah A+!! I’m so proud of my heart healthy genius :) haha
Yes, goals are something like I learned a lot about in school, and the first thing I learned was that they HAVE to be achievable, or your clients are going to give up (this also is the truth for my own goal setting). I think this is why fad diets are so popular. PEople set these unachievable goals and they realize they can’t accomplish their goals, so they resort to fad diets as a way to “achieve” them. Of course they never work. Bummer.
Have a great day Joanna!!
Random Acts of Fitness & Spice Challenge! | Fitness & Spice says:
February 10th 2010[...] blog post is inspired by my BetterU blog post when I said something really clever like: Now I really must go study for week 2 of BetterU…I want [...]