Well, I wish that I could say this blog post was going to be a prescription, and, if followed, you would attain complete and utter uninterrupted emotional happiness, with your heart continuously effusing joy. Alas, the kind of “heart happy” addressed here is not that kind of happy, but the good health kind of happy (sorry if you’re disappointed!).
February is American Heart Month (conveniently teamed in the same month as Valentine’s Day, so you have a chance to wedge in a bit of short-term, romance-happy for your heart on the 14th). It’s a good time to take stock of how your heart is doing since heart disease (also called cardiovascular disease) is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. Did you know that annually, 1 in every 4 deaths is caused by heart disease? That’s 25% … shocking!
There are many life style changes you can make that will significantly reduce your risk of developing heart disease. These preventive measures can be gradually incorporated into your everyday routines, so you don’t feel overwhelmed by making lots of changes too quickly. You could schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider to discuss this topic. He or she could help you determine if you are on the right track and offer support if you need to make adjustments.
Here at DBRL, we are doing our part to support heart health this month by hosting a program, Love Your Heart and Take Care of It, on Tuesday, February 7 from 7–8 p.m. at the Columbia Public Library. During this event, dietitians will discuss healthy dietary fats and ways to incorporate them into your diet. Isn’t that nice to hear — that indulging in some fat can be good for you?!
And, of course, there are plenty of resources here at the library to inform you about heart disease prevention and what foods and fats to eat, so you can help your heart be healthy and happy — and keep it that way for a very long time.
