February marks American Heart Month, which is “a time to raise awareness about heart health and urge those around you to prevent heart disease,” as it’s stated across a homepage for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
The NHLBI, by the way, is the nation's leader in the prevention and treatment of those types of disorders.
Our hearts, it should go without saying, are incredibly important to our overall well-being, health and wellness. Did you realize that one person dies every 37 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control? The group also said about 647,000 Americans die from heart disease each year — that’s one in every four deaths.
There’s even an #OurHearts movement underway, which is a national initiative to encourage people to be heart-healthy together, according to the NHLBI.
Need some ideas on where to start?
The site recommends breaking it down by week. This way, you can focus on getting more physically active, eating healthier, tracking your heart health stats and doing things like managing stress -- but you’re not tackling it all at once.
You’re also advised not to act alone. It’s always easier to enlist help from a friend or relative when it comes to something like this. It’s a little like having an accountability partner for the gym. Doing it together should make reaching your health goals more attainable!
Want to read more about why your diet and physical activity matter so much? Click on.
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