Here’s To Heart Month 2025
by Lynn Gorton, Healthcare Professional
Each February, Heart Month is an annual observance dedicated to raising awareness about hearth health and cardiovascular diseases.
This serves as a reminder to prioritize heart-healthy lifestyles, learn about heart disease prevention, and support those affected by cardiovascular conditions.
Start Early: Primordial prevention is preventing risk factors from developing in the first place. Helping children and adolescents develop heart-healthy behaviors such as healthy eating, exercise/activity, and not smoking/vaping.
Focusing on attitudes and behavior of parents, in turn, influences our children.
Stopping smoking or limiting exposure to secondhand smoke.
When parents involve children in food preparation or make more healthy options available at home, a child will eat more fruits and vegetables. Encouraging families to plan and eat healthfully affects all positively.
Parents’ attitudes and activity level can also affect a child’s attitude toward their physical fitness.
Make conscious choices to reduce risk factors and promote health habits:
Eat a balanced diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, healthy grains, lean proteins and dairy products. Limit sugar, empty calories and sodium.
Exercise regularly for around 150 minutes per week.
Take aspirin as directed by your health care professional.
Quit smoking or vaping. Limit air pollution.
Reduce stress and practice mindfulness and prayer to reduce the impact of stress on your heart.
Monitor blood pressure and work with your healthcare provider.
Control cholesterol with diet and/or medications.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Limit alcohol consumption.
Get adequate sleep