Upcoming heart walk offers healthy change

When Keith Blechle of Jackson had a heart attack five years ago, he made a total life change.

"It was on April Fool's Day. No joke. I was 310 pounds at six feet tall, smoked for 30 years and never exercised," he said. "I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar."

Guilt was his first response to the heart attack, and for Blechle, 55, it was a great motivator. He was fortunate to have only minor heart scarring, which left him eligible to sign up for a 12-week cardio-rehab program.

"I was surprised that of all the heart attack survivors that are able to help themselves, only about 20 percent will do it," Blechle said. He decided to do whatever it took to get healthy.

An opportunity to start a similar life change is being offered through the American Heart Association's Heart Walk, which will be held Saturday at the Osage Community Centre. Registration for teams or individuals is at 8 a.m. The event will begin, rain or shine, at 9 a.m., with the walk at 10 a.m.

According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans, with 870,000 deaths associated with it each year. The organization recommends an increase in physical activity to help improve on these statistics.

Blechle's cardio-rehab program pointed him in a similar direction, and he eventually began working out five days a week.

Born in 1951, Blechle said he lived in a time when people gave cigarettes as Christmas presents and there were no fitness centers. He said he had been fortunate enough to be healthy up until then. "I'd had perfect attendance at work for years."

But it didn't stop with exercise for Blechle. He now eats six small meals a day, paying attention to portions. Bike riding and playing with his five-year-old grandson have appeared on his recreation agenda. "My main job in life is to stay young," he said.

The changes Blechle made have resulted in a lot of perks. "I'm not as winded as I used to be," he said. "My clothes fit better and doing yard work and other strenuous exercise do not leave me devastated."

Such changes are only acquired by creating a schedule that you will adhere to just as strictly as other obligations, Blechle said. "You have to be regimented. Even if you can carve out only a half-hour."

To learn more about the AHA, call 1-800-242-8721 or visit americanheart.org. The local contact for the heart walk is Kyle Thompson at 243-9300.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133