Celebrate Heart Month in February

As the #1 killer of Americans, heart disease touches everyone.  But you can take action to reduce your risk. This year for American Heart Month, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI’s) The Heart Truth® program is challenging you to make changes each day for a heart healthy life.

Please join “All Our Stories Are Red: 28 Days to a Healthy Heart” (#MyHeart28), a 28-day challenge during February to take action to prevent and reduce your risk factors for heart disease.  Throughout the month, visit The Heart Truth on Facebook to see the challenge of the day and to share a message or photo that shows how you’re making changes for a healthy heart in 2014.  By participating in the 28-day challenge, you’ll learn heart healthy habits that will easily fit your everyday routine—so you can turn a month of heart health into a lifetime.

The NHLBI invites you to wear red on National Wear Red Day®, which is Friday, February 7.  Americans across the country will wear red—such as a favorite red dress, red shirt, or red tie—to call attention to heart disease and to specifically promote women’s heart health. Wear red on February 7 to show support for the people in your life who have heart disease and to spread the message of The Heart Truth.  You also can add your voice to The Heart Truth’s Thunderclap campaign to promote heart health awareness by signing up to tweet or post a message to Facebook about heart health on February 7.

Heart disease is not just a statistic. It’s a disease that affects people in every community in the United States—and may affect you in very real ways.  I encourage everyone to take part in the shared fight against heart disease. You have tremendous power to inspire, encourage, and motivate change.