Feb. is National Heart Month
February is American Heart Month and Iowans are encouraged to pay attention to the health of their tickers.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. – including in Iowa.
Lezlie Mestdagh, executive director of the Iowa Heart Foundation, said people tend to take their health for granted until something goes wrong.
"The choices that we make over the years – those choices build up and impact our heart health outcome later in life," said Mestdagh. "So we want people to start that prevention early, but know that it's never too late to improve your heart health."
Mestdagh added that movement and exercise are important to heart health, along with getting proper sleep.
Stress can also hurt heart health, and with dire headlines in the news, Mestdagh said it can feel like things are out of our hands.
"We can reduce that stress by really focusing on controlling what we can control," said Mestdagh. "And movement is another way that it's not only great for your heart and your physical health, but it's great for your mental health."
Mestdagh said people should learn their heart health history and know their numbers. Her organization donates blood pressure devices to local libraries for people to check out.
"Know your cholesterol, know what your blood pressure is, your blood glucose," said Mestdagh. "Pay attention to those numbers because those tell the story. And if we know those numbers and stay on top of it to catch it early, prevention is the key."
