February: it’s the month cupid has everyone shuffling, either to find their Valentine the right gift, or just to find a Valentine. But what if we shifted our focus from winning over someone’s heart, and instead focused on keeping our own heart healthy? In honor of Heart Health Month, we encourage everyone to make a healthy heart more of a priority, which can ultimately prevent heart disease, the number one killer of women. In fact, heart disease is such an epidemic, 1 in 3 women die from heart disease a year. That’s approximately one woman every minute. Specific to Alaska, heart disease and stroke is the second and fourth leading cause of death. In 2014, heart disease took the lives of 19 percent of Alaskans, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. And while there are some factors you can’t control when it comes to heart disease, such as age, gender, heredity and race, there are many factors you can control through a healthy diet and exercise.
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