February is the month of awareness.
It's a time of "singles awareness" for those with a distaste for Valentine's Day. It's Black History Month, which raises awareness of civil rights and race relations in the U.S. And it's the American Heart Association's month of awareness for heart health.
American Heart Month comes at a good time. It's likely this is the month your New Year's resolutions — losing weight, exercising more or trying to quit smoking — sputtered and finally died. But with heart disease being the leading cause of death for Americans, these broken resolutions take on a whole new meaning. The disease is quicker to strike than many realize — it's the third-leading cause of death among 25- to 44-year olds.
A lightbulb moment of inspiration is unlikely and if you wait for it, your lifestyle will never change.
Repeated calls to keep cholesterol, blood pressure and weight in check along with quitting smoking are never going to end. It's much easier to get healthy now and prevent problems than it is to deal with the issue once it takes over your life.
Most students have dealt with heart disease in their families, and getting healthy now is a great way to inspire family, friends or significant others to do the same. Or if they have nagged you to follow their lead, you can get them off your back.
It's never going to be easy to start the change. But it will become easier to live a better, healthier life as time goes on.
Your health is not something to put at the bottom of your to-do list.
Don't let heart disease creep up on you.
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