What do David Letterman, Burt Reynolds, Reggie Lewis, Barbara Walters, Bill Clinton, Hank Gathers, Toni Braxton, Kelsey Grammar, Dick Cheney, and Bret Michaels all have in common? All of them have or had some form of heart disease.
Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States? Even if you do not have a personal or family history, it is likely that you will still be impacted in some way by heart disease during your lifetime. Whether it is a friend, a co-worker, a professional athlete, a celebrity, a neighbor, or a loved one, if you don’t already know someone who has been diagnosed, you likely will.
The Live Healthy Live Well Team invites you to get “Strong @ Heart” with us this February as we celebrate American Heart Month. You may be thinking, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I don’t want a bunch of medical jargon thrown at me. Great! The Strong @ Heart email challenge will give you some information about heart disease and some tips on how to help you stay healthy, but it will be relatable. You see, many of the writers have personal stories as to why this topic is so important to them.
We know that 2020 was a rollercoaster for most people, and 2021 might feel the same. During the Strong @ Heart challenge, we hope to connect with you on a more personal note about how heart disease has impacted and continues to impact the lives of many of us.
What can you expect? Two weekly e-mails will be sent directly to you from an OSU Extension Professional from February 1, 2021 – March 10, 2021. A few of the topics covered include: prevention, signs and symptoms, sleep, physical activity, dining out, good fats, mindfulness, hobbies and laughter.
Become Strong @ Heart with us! You can register by finding your county link below. If your county is not listed, please use the link for Ohio at the end.
Strong @ Heart Ohio link: https://go.osu.edu/lhlwopen
Writers: Misty Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Perry County, harmon.416@osu.edu and Patrice Powers-Barker, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County powers-barker.1@osu.edu
Reviewers: Michelle Treber, Lisa Barlage and Jenny Lobb, Extension Educators, Family and Consumer Sciences
References:
When It Comes to Heart Health, Americans Don’t Know Their Numbers. (2017). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 01/22/2021 from https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2017/02/01/comes-heart-health-americans-dont-know-numbers/
Scammahorn, R. (2021). What does it take to be strong @ heart? Live Healthy, Live Well, Ohio State University Extension. Retrieved 01/22/2021 from https://livehealthyosu.com/2021/01/18/what-does-it-take-to-be-strong-heart/
Heart Snow photo from Pixabay
