Joyce Hawks' Story
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Joyce Hawks, 63, had a heart risk assessment at St. John’s Women’s Heart Center last year and realized she and her husband needed to make some lifestyle changes.

“I realized that I really needed to start exercising. I’d get home every night and just collapse because I had no energy. I started walking four to five times a week and it’s made a big difference,” says Hawks, who works as an employment specialist for St. John’s. “I am very impressed with the whole program. Susan (Hansen, BSN, director of St. John’s Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation) did my assessment and went over my results with me right then.”

Hawks also changed her eating habits as a result of her assessment and has cut down on fatty foods and increased her vegetable servings.

“We eat less red meat and I grill or broil almost everything now. We really enjoy fresh vegetables on the grill,” she says. “Susan and I have talked about doing another assessment to see how my lifestyle changes have improved my health over the last year.”