Your Heart is Calling: Are You Listening?

Black History Month is a time for telling stories, celebrating history and remembering heroes. This year I’m focusing on a personal hero: My dad, Jim Cotton, whose legacy of hard work,? ambition and dedication to his family lives on in me.?

My dad died of congestive heart failure at the age of 61. Poor heart health ended his life early. That’s true for many Black Americans. In fact, we’re 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease than white Americans.?

Why don’t we take better care of our hearts? With healthy hearts, we’ll be empowered to enjoy life, care for our families — and keep making history. That’s why I believe good heart health should be part of our legacy. Let’s talk about it.

Is rich food killing us?

Most people know that eating more vegetables than red meat and fried foods is good for you. But did you know that not doing so may be killing you, especially if you have heart disease? Studies show that people with heart disease who eat a lot of meat and fried foods may die sooner than people who eat a Mediterranean diet.

Of course, my dad wasn’t privy to that wisdom back in the 1980s when heart failure began to slow him down. When he wasn’t working his day job as one of Los Angeles County’s first Black electricians at what's now LAC/USC Medical Center, he ran an electrical service business on the side. On weekends, he went to people’s homes, often in affluent areas like Palos Verdes Estates and Beverly Hills, to install lights and fixtures. Once, after visiting a customer’s house in one of those neighborhoods, he came home and bragged to me and my mom: “They only had salad for dinner! Look at us — we’ve got steak!”

Born in 1925, my dad had lived through the Depression. He wanted to give his family the best life could offer. To him that meant steak. Lots of steak. Dad also ate too much salt and fried food. I knew his diet wasn’t good for him, but I didn’t feel confident challenging him about it. For some reason, we didn’t talk much about ways to improve heart health back then -– in our family or in the community. That’s still true today.

I wish I could go back in time and serve my dad what I eat for dinner — dishes a lot like Dad’s customers’ in Palos Verdes Estates: baked fish, chicken and leafy green vegetables. I like to saute the fish and chicken in a little olive oil before I pop it in the oven. I stick to this routine most weekdays. On weekends I take a break and enjoy pizza, tacos and other foods I love, but I still choose a bowl of berries over chocolate cake for dessert.

It’s all about moderation. Yet changing your diet does mean letting go of certain comfort foods. If you have a loved one who craves Southern dishes like my dad did, you may make some headway with this soul food makeover.?

Are we getting enough exercise?

As an electrician, my dad carried ladders around and wore a 40-pound toolbelt. When he wasn’t at work, he worked some more at his side business. And when he wasn’t running his side business, he liked to go fishing. “Getting exercise” wasn’t on his radar screen.

That’s true for many of us. Data shows that Black Americans are less active than other ethnic groups. In addition to making us feel and look better, physical activity reduces the risk of a heart attack. Even people who have heart disease benefit, as long as their workouts aren’t too strenuous.

For many of us, it’s difficult to make time for exercise. If you work a demanding job, you’re probably scheduled in back-to-back meetings. I’ve been there. A busy work schedule typically means you need to exercise in the early morning or at night. When I worked a corporate job, I woke up at 5 a.m. to fit in a workout. But you don’t have to take such extreme measures.?

Set a realistic goal and work up to it. Guidelines call for least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. You just have to do a little bit every day. Start by walking for? 30 minutes a few days a week. You could even schedule the time into your workday.

Are we getting screened?

My dad was of the generation that, unless you were dying, you didn’t go to the doctor. If he’d been doing monitoring and screening, he might have lived much longer. When Dad’s health started declining, he had to see doctors, but at that stage he was fighting a losing battle.

Have you kept up with your annual checkups? Are your loved ones doing the same? When you visit your doctor, ask if it’s time for a heart screening. There are several low-cost options available. For example, here are a few heart and vascular screenings offered by Community Health Network. See what’s available to you.

Your heart may be calling. Find out how it’s doing so you can take care of yourself and continue to build your legacy. The people who love you will be glad you did.