Protect Your Heart

A HEALTHY YOU

Protect Your Heart

Lifestyle Changes & Early Awareness

February is American Heart Month – a month-long initiative focused on heart health and cardiovascular disease prevention.

Heart Month aims to educate individuals about the importance of maintaining a healthy heart and making lifestyle choices that support cardiovascular well-being. Graphics featuring red dresses, hearts, and #WearRedDay hashtags spread awareness.

Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide, responsible for roughly 33% of all global deaths.

According to the CDC, one person dies every 34 seconds from Cardiovascular disease. In 2023, 919,032 people died from cardiovascular disease. That’s equivalent to 1 in every 3 deaths. The trend shows that heart disease remains a critical public health issue. Common causes include coronary artery disease (CAD), heart attacks, heart failure, and arrhythmias.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is critical in instances where a person’s heart stops beating or they stop breathing. With any medical emergency, every second counts. Victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest require immediate CPR to prevent damaging effects from lack of blood flow to the brain, heart, lungs, and other organs. CPR can significantly help increase the victim’s chance of survival.

Using rapid chest compressions mimics the heart beating to encourage blood flow, which can help the victim until additional help arrives. For in-person corporate CPR training at your workplace, check out Safety Trainers.

Preventing heart disease involves adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle and managing risk factors.

A few evidence-based cardiac disease prevention tips include: adopting a Heart-Healthy Diet, limiting sodium (less than 2,300 mg/day and aim for 1,500 mg if at high risk), limiting sugary foods and drinks and saturated and trans fats, staying physically active: aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, maintaining a healthy weight: a healthy BMI is between 18.5–24.9, and waist circumference (under 35 inches for women, under 40 inches for men) is also critical.

Decreasing stress as much as possible is important for heart health as stress has been linked to cardiac risk.

Like stress reduction, proper sleep is also crucial to heart health: obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of heart failure by 140%, the risk of stroke by 60%, and the risk of coronary artery disease by 30%.

Other Resources

American Heart Association (AHA)

The AHA offers corporate and individual volunteer opportunities, information about heart health, cutting-edge research around heart disease, and more.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Learn more information about American Heart Month.

Harvard Medical School

Learn how sleep apnea affects the heart and provides a series of questions to help determine if you or someone you know has sleep apnea.

About the Author

Cynthia Conigliaro has been in the field of health and wellness for over 25 years. She has a BA in Psychology from College of the Holy Cross and graduate degrees in Social Work (MSW) and Business (MBA) with a focus in both Leadership and Marketing from Boston College.

Cynthia is the founder of her corporate wellness presentation business Work Well Webinars, a company that designs and delivers wellness presentations virtually and in person to companies, schools, hospitals, libraries and groups across the country. Cynthia’s wellness presentations span body, mind and spirit as she takes a holistic approach to wellness.

For the past six years Cynthia has been an active volunteer at the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts (WWCMA) where she is on both the Programs and Marketing committees. Cynthia is an Ambassador for the Corridor 9/495 Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Programs Committee for the chamber. Cynthia volunteers at All Paths as an Infertility Support Group Leader and Facilitator coaching resilience, stress management and mindfulness for women dealing with infertility and pregnancy loss.

A HEALTHY YOU