February, American Heart Month

Hello February! It's time to "go red" for Heart Month, to get yourself pumped up for another month of wonderment and jump with excitement that we have a month bringing us closer to "spring"!
And yes, it is Heart Month too. At times in times of such stress in our country, in times of news that breaks hearts, that strains our very being and that taxes our nerves, it is sometimes beyond our comprehension that some folks have a heart at all isn't it? Yet, we do know that the heart is the strongest muscle in the body, and for so many it's beat is like Mother Earth and that it leads us, it moves us to move mountains in our everyday lives for the good and for the best outcomes.
This is the time to become more aware of our hearts, ways to treat them well, to honor the power of the heart and to work hard to keep it moving, pumping, and feeling it's magnificent sound as blood flows through your remarkable body to move you.
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 This is the 10th anniversary of "going Red" according to the American Heart Association. There are marvelous stories, challenges, hopes along with information on heart disease specific for women on their website. Information to help and empower women to understand that signs and symptoms for women are distinctly different than that of men who are in harms way of heart disease or attacks. Signs that could indicate danger and should not be ignored.
Sweating. Pressure. Nausea. Jaw pain. Believe it or not, these are all symptoms of a heart attack in women. They are also symptoms that women often brush off as the flu, stress or simply feeling under the weather – which could put their lives in jeopardy.
“I really couldn’t believe this happened to me,” says survivor Jessica. “I thought of myself as a healthy person, and was walking when [my heart attack] happened.”
Whether it’s disbelief, lack of awareness or misdiagnosis, dismissing the symptoms of a heart attack can delay critical, life-saving actions. Being able to recognize the warning signs and act quickly, however, can save a life. Others will tell you they were in the middle of a routine test, when it was discovered that they had a severe blockage, a widow maker in the making yet had never had a symptom.
Awareness is key and that awareness will fill sites of social media this month, campaigns will fill the news to alert and hopefully will save lifes along the way.
Go RED while raising awareness of heart issues and issues of the heart!
 The facts:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day.

We all know someone who has suffered has had heart issues, perhaps even died of heart disease or the well known "widow maker".

"Heart disease takes the lives of far too many people in this country, depriving their families and communities of someone they love and care for—a father, a mother, a wife, a friend, a neighbor, a spouse. With more than 2 million heart attacks and strokes a year, and 800,000 deaths, just about all of us have been touched by someone who has had heart disease, heart attack, or a stroke."
- Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

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Go RED, raise awareness, take best care of you.

Let that heart of yours beat long and hard in ways that will allow you to dance, laugh, love while leaving footprints in the sand and your RED being seen by the world.

Walk in Beauty
DRSES