Leap into Heart Health

For some cultures in the past, a leap year marked the only time women were “allowed” to propose to their partners. To celebrate February’s extra day in 2024, we’re also asking you to take a leap when it comes to your heart, but not necessarily the kind that requires buying a diamond.

Discussing our hearts in February may seem cliché, but as Billy Ray Cyrus’s 1992 country hit suggests, our cardiovascular systems can sometimes feel “achy” or “breaky.” In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death among Americans, resulting in over 695,00 deaths annually.

Statistics like that may make you feel like your heart will leap from your chest, but the good news is there are ways to improve your heart health – and this year, you have one extra day to do it.

If it’s been a while since you’ve focused on your heart health, that’s okay. We’ll start with small steps before moving to leaps and bounds.

Every other day (or on leapfrogging days), we’ll hop into your inbox to tell you how to set heart health goals, reduce your risk factors, manage stress, beat bad habits and exercise more so you can enjoy many February 29ths to come.

Are you ready to leap into better heart health?

Before we move forward, let’s jump back to the past for a second. Did you know that up to 50% of your heart disease risk can be rooted in genetics?

If you haven’t talked to your grandparents, parents and siblings about your family health history, now is the time. Ask specifically about who had heart disease and at what age they were diagnosed.

If an immediate family member does have a history of heart disease, gather that information and bring it to your doctor. Together, you can discuss steps to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Sometimes, we don’t feel we have full control over our lives, but that doesn’t have to be the case with heart health. Tomorrow, we’ll look at ways to set achievable goals that can change the game.