With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, many view February as the month of love, but it is also American Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans, taking the lives of 2,200 people each day. In addition, 103 million adults have high blood pressure and 6.5 million are living with heart failure. While genetic factors do play a part in cardiovascular disease, the good news is 80 percent of cardiovascular diseases may be preventable with education and action. Simple lifestyle changes can make a big impact when it comes to heart health.
National Wear Red Day® is the first Friday in February. Wear red and encourage others to do the same. Help raise awareness that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and is largely preventable.
In most cases, heart disease is preventable when people adopt a healthy lifestyle, which includes not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, treating high blood pressure, getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week and getting regular checkups. Remember that Fermilab offers wellness benefits and workshops for its employees and users.
Stay tuned for more information regarding CPR and AED coming in June for National CPR and AED awareness week. If you don’t want to wait, many local community agencies such as park districts or fire departments offer CPR courses. If you have questions about Fermilab CPR/AED training, contact the WPC/Training Group, Paul Satti at psatti@fnal.gov or extension 3685.