T-rrific Activity

Outfit your department with “Love Life...Don’t Miss A Beat” T-Shirts. Request that they be worn on a certain day each week during American Heart Month to raise awareness. Hopefully the shirts will be conversation starters. Supply your t-shirt wearers with “I ™ My Heart” Lapel Pins to give out to anyone who asks them about their apparel.

Word Power

Word puzzles are great for the brain. During February, create some that are good for the heart! Design a crossword puzzle that features heart-health related words and phrases as the answers. (For assistance in building the crossword, go to www.puzzle-maker.com.) Also make a fill-in-the-blank puzzle in which you write tips for a healthy heart and leave out certain words, such as “Choose foods low in saturated ___, trans fats, and cholesterol.” Distribute the puzzles along with “Take Your Health To Heart” Comfort Grip Pens. When someone turns in correctly
completed puzzles, use a “A Woman’s Heart Is A Work
Of Art” Red Coin Purse as a reward.

Lifesaving Display

Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are America’s #1 killer. Being informed can make the difference between life and death. Assemble an educational display about strokes. On it, explain how the risk of having a stroke can be reduced. Also list the symptoms and what to do if someone is experiencing a stroke. Draw women over to your display with free emery boards from the Emery Board Assortment Pack. While they’re there, present them with “ABCs Of Preventing Heart Disease, Heart Attack, And Stroke” Pocket Pals.

Nutritional Superstars

Make it easier for the men and women at your organization to eat with heart health in mind. Hand out “50 Heart-Healthy Superfoods” Bookmarks. Each day of American Heart Month, choose a superfood from the bookmark. Compose suggestions for ways of preparing that item. (Many great articles about this topic are online.) Send these tips out via email. You won’t get through all 50 foods in February, so pick those that might be less common to people. Throughout the month, hold drawings for “Cooking For The Heart” Cookbooks.

Recipe Sharing

For National Woman’s Heart Day, hold a luncheon in which you recruit volunteers to prepare heart-healthy dishes. Have your cooks bring you the recipes they used in addition to the actual entrees. Photocopy the recipes and make them available for anyone at the luncheon who wants them. Distribute “Smart Shopping For A Healthy Heart” Pocket Pals and “Top 10 Heart-Healthy Cooking Tips” E-Z Stick Glancers so guests have helpful suggestions they can use in their everyday lives.

Hot Topic

Cholesterol seems to be in the news often, but isn’t always adequately explained. Invite professionals to come and shed some light on the subject by leading a class. Ask them to tell what cholesterol is, where it comes from, and how levels can be managed. In addition, have them address the pros and cons of cholesterol-lowering medications. Give all attendees “6 Steps To
A Healthy Heart” Bookmarks; they feature recommendations on cholesterol testing. Also hand out Healthy Heart Nutrition & Fitness Guides For Women, which have information about controlling cholesterol through diet and exercise.