City of Palm Coast Recognizes American Heart Month

Wednesday February, 21 2024

Each year, the month of February marks American Heart Month, where we focus on preventive measures that can be taken to protect individuals from heart disease. The City of Palm Coast marked this special occasion this year by declaring a proclamation recognizing February as American Heart Month at a City Council Business Meeting on February 20, and partnering with AdventHealth Cardiologist Navi Mareedu, MD to film a video highlighting the importance of protecting the body’s most important muscle.

Each year, the month of February marks American Heart Month, where we focus on preventive measures that can be taken to protect individuals from heart disease. The City of Palm Coast marked this special occasion this year by declaring a proclamation recognizing February as American Heart Month at a City Council Business Meeting on February 20 and partnering with AdventHealth Cardiologist Ravi Mareedu, MD, to film a video highlighting the importance of protecting the body’s most important muscle.

Despite great breakthroughs in science and understanding of the heart over the years, heart disease remains the number 1 killer of Americans as well as the leading cause of death worldwide. According to the American Heart Association, 1 in 3 women is diagnosed with heart disease annually – a number that can take a positive turn with the right preventive measures and adoption of a healthy lifestyle.

The American Heart Association lists not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol, treating high blood pressure, getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, and getting regular checkups with your doctor as key baseline measures to help prevent heart disease.

“For someone looking to be heart healthy, I think individuals should concentrate on making small changes to their lifestyle that they can keep up with in the long term, as opposed to making drastic changes,” Mareedu says. “The main two things I would suggest are getting on a diet and exercise program and, finally, focusing on self-care and stress management, which I don’t think we talk about enough in this day and age.” Learn more about heart health risks, statistics, advancements, and preventive care in the video here: https://youtu.be/kb5c5CGhNRs

The City of Palm Coast is proud to offer numerous physical activity programs for all ages, skill levels, and abilities to aid our residents in staying heart-healthy throughout the year. For more information, visit ParksandRec.Fun

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