Will you take it with me??!
February is American Heart Month!
Time to raise awareness to the #1 cause of death in the United States.
When my grandmother was diagnosed with heart disease many years ago, around the same time I decided to change my life, I told myself I would do whatever it took to help people understand the importance of taking care of their heart before it was too late! When I worked in cardiac rehab, watching patients recover from bypass surgery and many more heart-related problems, I was VERY involved with this month's awareness, 5K walk/runs, campaigns, health fairs and much more! I would visit with these patients and they would always say, "why didn't I take better care of myself?" When I became a physical education and health teacher, I carried my passion to my students and faculty. One year, our entire faculty wore RED and we met in the gym for a giant picture of all of us standing in a "heart", pledging that we were standing up against heart disease! That picture was featured on our district website too-Yay! Almost all of the students in the school wore RED too...how cool is that??!
Now that I am a full-time mom and wife, I still have this passion
and decided to share it with all of YOU,
so maybe you'll take this challenge with me?!
It's easy, just think of a way to improve your heart-health and STICK TO IT!
My heart-healthy challenge to myself is to exercise and eat even better! I know there are times when I let my temptations get the best of me, so in memory of my grandmother and others that have lost their lives to heart disease, I will REALLY pay close attention
to the foods I am putting into my body and my exercise!
We lost my grandmother a year ago February 25th, so this month is especially hard for my family. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of her and the impact she had on my life. She was so proud of me and the way I took my life back...now I live each day wanting to take care of myself and my family, making sure we are the healthiest we can possibly be!
For some helpful tips on heart health for you and your entire family,
here are some websites I find VERY helpful:
www.eatingwell.com has some great heart-healthy recipes!
National Wear Red Day is February 4, 2011...so, whatcha waiting for?!
Get heart-healthy and raise awareness with ME! If you visit www.goredforwomen.org , you will see that if you WEAR RED on Feb 4th you may get some great discounts from their sponsors!
4 comments:
Great idea! I am going to be more mindful of nighttime snacking. I know this isn't earth shattering but late snacking does nothing for my mid section.
Thanks, Marissa for the nudge and the reminder! My mom had a 5way by-pass and has CHF, and I have watched what it has done to her. I have been very blessed to have a supportive family and we are all trying to take better care of ourselves now a days! Hopefully more people will learn and do the same before it is too late.
Happy Tuesday :)
http://xsurvivingmotherhoodx.blogspot.com/
I agree, great idea. I've been wanting to eat better anyways, because of the pregnancy. I ate so healthy with Kenley because I took my food to work. But now that I stay home, my options are a little more open and my temptations get the best of me. Now...what to do to eat healthier...
Thanks for posting about this...Heart Awareness is a big part in my life as my daughter was a heart baby. She is heart healthy now..but we still try to watch what we put into our bodies and to exercise often.
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