Elin's Heart Story

Today’s heart story is from 24-year-old Elin, a member at PureGym Fulham. Elin is passionate about raising awareness of heart health in the younger generation after losing a loved one to a heart and circulatory condition. This is her story.

When did you really start to think about your heart health?

In my family I have a history of heart health problems. But because I was young and naive, I didn’t think it would be something that impacted me, or I would have to think about until I was much older.

It wasn’t until I lost someone close to me to a heart related issue, that I realised I really wanted to make a change. The big catalyst was the thought that if I can’t have him, I just want to make sure that no one else is going through what I’ve been through.

Why do think it’s so important to raise awareness of heart health in the younger generation?

I feel like heart health and young people don’t really get put in the same sentence. There is a big focus in younger generations on fitness, physical appearance, and mental health – but that means heart health kind of just takes a back seat.

It’s the thing you just presume applies to older generations or people who are really unfit and that’s what I’m passionate about trying to change the perception of.

Why do you think heart health checks are so important for young people?

It’s estimated that in the UK, 1 in 2 people will get a heart or circulatory condition in their lifetime, many of those being preventable. Which is why I’m so passionate to encourage young people to get heart health checks and pick up on those preventable risk factors early.

I feel like that’s the kind of issue that we have in our generation: we’re not educated enough on heart health and we’re not aware of how it can impact people of all ages.

I was talking with a friend of mine recently, and he was actually really scared to get his heart health checked because he was like ‘I don’t want to know’.

This what we as young people are fearful of – the unknown. So, I want to encourage everyone to understand that it’s nothing to be scared of, it’s just about helping ourselves in the long term.

What advice would you give for anyone inspired to start thinking about their heart health more?

I think it’s about giving space in your mind, rather than avoiding it, and making heart health a priority in your life that it does deserve.

I’m sure many young people are already doing a lot of the things they should do to look after their heart health, but maybe not the full picture.

I know it sounds overwhelming but there are so many small things you can do that don’t require drastic changes.

Things like blood pressure and cholesterol checks are an accessible way to learn a little more about your heart health.

Plus, some general things like eating better, managing stress, and cutting down on alcohol can be small ways to improve your overall heart health.

I think if we can have more of a holistic approach to everything, I think we will all be better off short term and long term.

My final takeaway is to remember that it doesn’t matter how fit you are or how young or old you are, it can still affect you, so looking after your heart health is so important.