The following article is intended for males and females of all ages. Just because you may not be at risk of a heart attack, you probably know someone who is. Exercising regularly can reduce the risks of a heart attack, but it is no guarantee that you will be risk-free.

 Let's say it's late in the afternoon and you're driving home, alone of course, after a long day. You're tired, frustrated, and upset. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five minutes from the hospital, but unfortunately, you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far. What can you do? You may have been trained in CPR, but were not told how to perform it on yourself.

 Without help, the person whose heart stops beating properly and begins to feel faint has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without stopping until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

 Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a phone and, between breaths, call for help.

 Sharing this information with others can help save a life, so please, let loved ones know about these simple actions.