February is the month of love… for your significant other and your heart. That’s right, the little organ in your body has its own month to focus on being healthy and to be able to thrive for several years to come. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the country claiming about one million lives annually.

Luckily it is also one of the most preventable diseases by making heart-healthy choices. It is also very important to know and understand your family’s health history and which diseases to look out for as you get older. As college kids, we are not thinking about our heart’s health as much as we should. Senior, Ryan Dailey says that the main way he keeps his heart healthy is by “eating right like white meats and protein based foods, and making sure to work out regularly whether it be cardio or weight training,” Dailey says.

College students are at a prime age to determine their future health whether it be for their hearts, or any other organ. Wilkes provides two gyms for students to workout at, sadly they always seem to be empty… time to start hitting those treadmills.
According to theheartfoundation.org, about 720,000 people in the United States suffer from heart attacks each year with one happening every 34 seconds. We all know the simple rules to have a healthy heart; not smoking, exercising daily, and eating proper foods.

Yet, not everyone knows what to do in case someone around them does not have such a healthy heart. Around Wilkes’ campus, the nursing program will be spreading awareness for heart health and ways that people our age can start to protect themselves and others.

On Feb. 14 the BACCHUS club and Wilkes’ nursing program will be teaming up and teaching students how to do different forms of CPR in case of emergency situations.
There will be a table in the Henry Student Center offering a quick lesson on how to perform the different forms of CPR, and lots of information pertaining to the subject matter. Senior nursing students, Marissa Viglianti explains, “to promote heart health: healthy diet, exercise, watch sodium (canned soups, and anything else canned etc., and also maintaining a healthy blood pressure.”

Once people learn the CPR strategies, there will be goodie bags for Valentine’s Day to make sure everyone gets something sweet on the 14th. The plus side of making sure to have a healthy heart is that you will be able to spend even more time with your significant other, or your best of friends.

To ensure many healthy Valentine’s Days in the future, make sure to start or continue healthy eating habits and a productive gym regimen.
Staying healthy in your early twenties is the foundation for positive habits in the future, starting is the hardest part… so why not start now!