Love Your Heart couldn’t have come to Camp Pendleton’s Paige Fieldhouse at a better time.  This very month, the gym is celebrating Healthy Hearts and the gym’s staff is eager to share more Heart Love by hosting free blood pressure screenings.

Officer Brett Bishop is glad he stopped by the Paige Fieldhouse to love his heart on this sunny afternoon. During his screening, he mentions that his wife inspires him to be healthy, and he wants to take this opportunity to get a free blood pressure screening.  When he found out about his numbers, he was happy to know that his blood pressure continues to be in the normal range. He said that with a big smile!

Sharing his secret to always having a healthy blood pressure, he says: “It’s simple. I just watch what I eat…of course incorporating fruits and vegetables into my daily diet and keeping up with my exercise routine which are both important to a Marine’s lifestyle.”  He encourages servicemen/women to maintain a healthy life for their families and the Marine Corps.

One of the student Nurse volunteers, Elizabeth Lenehan, from Cal-State San Marcos, chimed in to say, “Love Your Heart helps you to remember to be around for your loved ones.”

Kiki Ashley, on the other hand, is a personal trainer at Paige Fieldhouse. Because she leads such an active lifestyle, she was expecting her blood pressure to be within the normal range. After all, she is a trainer and her blood pressure has always been optimal. To her surprise, however, Kiki found out that her blood pressure read higher than she thought it would be. It’s been years since Kiki’s last blood pressure screening and today she is glad that her curiosity led her to these findings. She plans to make changes to her lifestyle and schedule an appointment as soon as possible with her primary care provider. She also wants to share this heart love with her mother by informing her on these findings as well as encouraging her to get her blood pressure checked.  

“Today has been a very positive experience for me. I like to be out in the community to contribute to the health and well-being of others” says Erin Long, another Cal-State San Marcos Nursing Student who is pictured screening Kiki.