A: Walk—don’t run—and see your doctor as soon as possible. You may be having angina, which means your heart muscle is not receiving enough blood. If so, you are at high risk for a myocardinal infarction (MI), where the blood supply is completely blocked to part of your heart muscle.

 

But don’t panic! It may be nothing more than a muscle strain. I don’t want you to take a chance, though. You have at least two risk factors: (1) You are a male and (2) your dad had an MI at an early age.

 

Your doctor will check for other risk factors, like elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. If he suspects angina, he will also do a stress test by monitoring your electrocardiogram while you exercise on a treadmill.

 

Even if this incident turns out to be a false alarm, consider it your wake-up call to develop a game plan for a healthy heart. In the healthy heart game, you score a touchdown when you attain normal blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and sugar levels. If you’ve been smoking and stop, you not only score a touchdown, but the opposing team loses its quarterback and star running back! Eat five or more servings of fruits or vegetables daily, exercise regularly and get your weight down.

 

If you ever feel the warning sign of a heart attack—a tight, squeezing or heavy sensation in the chest or arm—seek help quickly. Since you are 40, start taking a baby aspirin a day to prevent clots from forming in your heart. Using these proven strategies could save your life.