Tips To Celebrate Heart Month

Hearts should remind you to take care of YOUR heart!

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the color red and heart shapes are everywhere.

February isn’t just about candy and flowers.  It is also Heart Month and a time to focus on Women and Heart Disease.

As busy women, it is easy to focus on taking care of everyone else and forget to do what we need to do for ourselves.  As we lead up to and during the month of February, when you see the color red or a heart take a moment to do something good for yourself and your health.

Here are some tips:

• Take a breath. Deep breathing is an excellent way to reduce stress. Plus, a few deep breaths can allow you to return to your task more focused.  Try 4-7-8 breathing.  Breathe in as you count to 4, hold your breathe for a 7 count, and breathe out for 8. This is an excellent strategy to relax at bed time too.
• Take a lap. A simple way to increase your activity level and get more steps into your day is to take a quick, 5-minute, walk.  Getting up and moving is also a great way to return to your task more alert and focused.
• Make a call. Talking to a female friend is another great way to reduce stress.  Women who maintain positive relationships with other women are 30% less likely to develop heart disease.  Pick up the phone, and while you are at it, encourage her to do something good for her heart as well.
  
• Make an appointment. If you’ve been putting off your annual checkup with the doctor, it is time.  Get something scheduled now.  This is a great opportunity to find out your current numbers for blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol as well as have a conversation about your personal risk of heart disease.
• Make a good choice: Lunch often derails healthy eating intentions.  We are far more likely to grab what is fast and convenient rather than seeking out what is good for us.  Fill your plate or bowl with lots of color.  A salad, soup, or stir fry with lots of veggies are tasty and satisfying choices.
• Take a  stand. Join the Go Red for Women movement.  Find great information about heart health and opportunities to make a difference in the mission to improve women’s heart disease education, treatment, and research.

… and of course….

Wear Red on February 6, 2015 to raise awareness of the #1 killer of women.

For more than a decade, I’ve traveled the country sharing my story to encourage other busy women to pay attention to their own heart health and to raise awareness about women and heart disease. In many ways, our work has been successful. However, as I wrote about in this article, our work isn’t finished. I’ve recommitted to the cause!

In 2015 my mission is to speak to 10,000 people.

Are you planning something in 2015?  Let’s talk about working together!