This early cold snap in November may be interesting to meteorologists, an inconvenience to anyone required to spend time outdoors and finally a reason to pull out your big winter coat. However, to the 49 percent of Americans at risk for heart disease and those already diagnosed, this weather is nothing to take lightly. Statistics show winter is a high-risk time for heart attacks. We tend to stay indoors more, exercise less and eat a little more.

Kenny, Bill and Duane are friends when they aren’t competing. “Ask Kenny about creative accounting,” Bill calls out from the stationary bike. Laughing, Kenny replies, ”They are accusing me of creative accounting.” It is a September morning at cardiac rehab at Hillcrest Hospital Claremore and all three are celebrating the end of summer and the end of the Alaskan Distance Challenge.

In the U.S. someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds – or 800,000 strokes each year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is one of the leading causes of death and disability and can strike at any time. Nearly 25 percent of all strokes happen to people under the age of 65. The good news – as many as 80 percent of strokes can be prevented by working with a health care provider to properly manage risk factors.

What is a stroke?