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Action Item #4:  Have a heart to heart with 9 women in your life.  Share the INFluence message and ask them to complete the call to action as well.

How To Share the INFluence Message 

Now is the time to really put your INFluence to the test!  Exactly what you say isn’t as important as getting women to talk about heart health, but here are a couple key points you may want to include:

• Tell them that heart disease is the number one killer of Hoosier women.
• Ask them if they know their numbers (cholesterol levels, blood pressure, BMI, etc.) and encourage them to see their healthcare provider if they are due for a checkup (this works best if you know YOUR numbers, see action item #1!).
• Educate them about small, manageable steps they can take to prevent heart disease: increasing physical activity until they reach 30 minutes per day on most days of the week, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and reducing consumption of high-calorie, high fat foods, eliminating tobacco, and managing stress, and then provide motivation to help them make healthy lifestyle changes.  Offer to partner with them and support them as they take these steps.
• Let them know that women all over Indiana are using their influence to improve heart health…and they can join in the effort by logging on http://www.influence.in.gov/.  Share the Top 9 List with them and ask them to do their part in promoting healthy hearts!

Get creative and communicate the INFluence message to other women in a way that fits your unique personality and skills.  Here are a variety of methods for conducting a heart to heart to get your creative juices flowing:

Pick up the Phone:  Whether it is a landline or cell phone, just about everyone has a phone close by most of the time, so pick it up and dial your mother, sister, daughter, friend, college roommate, scrapbook buddy, or your child’s teacher and tell them what INFluence is all about.

Text Away:  Phones aren’t just for talking anymore…let your thumbs do the walking and send a text to all your contacts.  Be sure to connect them to the INFluence Web site so they can get more information.

You’ve got mail:  Email, that is.  This is a great way to get out a message to a lot of people really quickly.  Admit it…you’ve forwarded a few jokes and chain letters in the past, why not send out a message about heart health that could ultimately save lives!

Facebook is our friend:  If you are connected to a social networking site such as Facebook, MySpace, Ning, or LinkedIn post a message and tell your contacts about INFluence.  You can also join heart health groups and fan pages to expand the INFluence network.

Tweet, Tweet:  If you are a regular on Twitter, then make your next tweet about heart health.  We’ve made it really easy for you by creating two tweets that you can cut and paste and send into cyberspace right now!

• Heart disease is the #1 killer of Hoosier women. Become a woman of INFluence to make a difference. Visit http://www.influence.in.gov/.
• What is the #1 killer of Indiana women? Find the answer and ways to make a difference at http://www.influence.in.gov/.

Snail mail:  If technology isn’t your thing, dig out your good stationary and communicate the old fashioned way!  Nothing says you care like a handwritten message.  Consider including a heart health tip in your holiday cards and letting your loved ones know how thankful you are for their good health.

Girly Gatherings:  Book clubs, home sales parties, mom’s clubs, and other women’s groups you regularly attend are the perfect setting to share the heart health message and connect other women to INFluence.  You can really tie in the message by selecting a book focused on matters of the heart, brining a heart healthy snack, or spearheading a fundraising effort for a heart health organization in your community.

Family Get-Togethers: The holidays are coming up, and these special times with family provide a perfect opportunity to get personal about heart health.  Share information about the INFluence initiative with the women you love at family holiday parties and meals, and set an example by bringing a delicious heart-healthy dish for a pitch-in and taking a walk after the big meal.  

Water Cooler Chatter:  Instead of sharing the latest office gossip or your top pick on “Dancing With the Stars” with your co-workers, make the next water cooler topic focused on heart health.  Or better yet, rather than standing around chatting, use your work breaks to WALK AND TALK with co-workers.

Feel free to use one or several of these methods for sharing the INFluence message with 9 other women (or more!) or come up with your own.  And don’t forget to share your success with us.  You can email Tanya Parrish at tparrish@isdh.in.gov with your creative strategy for completing Action Item #4 and you may be acknowledged on the INFluence Web site!

Heart Health Related Links and Resources

• American Heart Association
• The Heart Truth Campaign
• WomenHeart

Heart Health Toolkit

• Birth / Death Certificates
• Indiana Death Registry System
• Indiana Immunization Registry
• Public Health Training for Providers (CMEs)
• Nurse Aide Registry
• Radiography License Renewal
• Forms.IN.gov

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