My Healthy Heart Articles
Mark Your Calendar! February Is Heart Month
February is a significant month for the heart health conscious. Not only is the entire month dedicated to raising awareness of heart disease, but also there are days and weeks designated to specific conditions and commemorating heart health professionals. Mark your calendar and celebrate a healthy heart this month!
February is a month that focuses on hearts—and not just for Valentines’ Day.
Since Congress made it official in 1963, February has been designated American Heart Month. The month is designated as a time to inspire Americans to fight the battle against cardiovascular diseases—the number one killer of American adults.
During Heart Month, thousands of American Heart Association volunteers visit their neighbors. Their goal is to raise funds for research and education and pass along information about heart disease and stroke.
In addition to the month-long celebration of heart health, February boasts several other heart-conscious occasions:
National Wear Red Day, also known as Women’s Heart Health Day, falls on the first day of February. National Wear Red Day is designed to draw attention to heart disease in women—the number one killer of women older than 25 in the United States. The American Heart Association encourages women, companies, and organizations to wear red as well as make a donation that will help ongoing heart research and education of women.
Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week is also sponsored by the American Heart Association. The week of February 7 to February 14, the association seeks to raise awareness and funds to fight congenital heart defects, which afflict about 36,000 infants a year and are the leading cause of death from birth defects.
Cardiac Rehabilitation Week is February 10 to February 16. This year’s theme is “A Smart Start to a Healthy Heart.” The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) sponsors the week as a way to focus national attention on cardiac rehabilitation’s contribution to the improvement of the health and physical performance of individuals at risk for heart disease and/or those individuals diagnosed with heart disease or dysfunction.
That same week is Cardiac Professionals Week. These professionals are part of the solution for addressing cardiovascular care issues. Developed from the specialization of medicine, and growth of technology, cardiovascular health providers work in a variety of disciplines at many levels of the health care infrastructure.
No matter how you choose to remember your heart health this month, just remember to make a heart healthy lifestyle a top priority this month and throughout the year.
