American Heart Month is Here: Time for Matters of the Heart

During the month of February, we see the human heart as the symbol of love for Valentine’s Day. It’s the heart-shaped candy boxes with chocolates and the little heart-shaped sugar candies with special messages such as “Be Mine”, “Hug Me”, or “True Love” that put us in the mood.

But, there’s also more meaning behind the heart this month because it is officially American Heart Month, a federally designated time committed to raising awareness about heart disease and increasing knowledge about prevention. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men (i.e. our dads, husbands, brothers, friends, co-workers, uncles, grandpas) and women (i.e. our moms, wives, sisters, friends, co-workers, aunts, grandmas) in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease.

COVID-19 Isn’t Helping Matters Much!

Data released in June by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows COVID-19 patients with underlying conditions such as cardiovascular disease are six times more likely to be hospitalized and 12 times more likely to die than patients without any chronic health problems. About 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 has cardiovascular disease, making it the most common underlying health condition.

When it comes to heart health, there are some things that you just can’t control, like your age, gender, ethnicity and family history, but fortunately, there are many things you can do to reduce your chances of getting heart disease.

You can lower your risk of heart disease by:

• Controlling your blood pressure
• Keeping your cholesterol and triglyceride levels under control.
• Staying at a healthy weight.
• Eating a healthy diet.
• Getting regular exercise.
• Limiting alcohol.
• Don’t smoke.
• Managing stress.
• Managing diabetes.
• Making sure that you get enough sleep.

Your Heart Needs Your Love, Excy Wants to Help

Yes, we want you to enjoy February for love, but we also invite you to pay close attention the amazing muscular organ located just behind and slightly left of your breastbone. Sure, this mighty organ is only about the size of a fist, but it beats a whopping 115,200 times per day. It desperately wants your love and attention. So, this month, show your own heart a little love in a way that not only benefits you, but those who love you.

To help, we are kicking off the February Heart Health Month Excy Challenge! Explore the Excy Play List by clicking on the below video. You can also follow the challenge on our social media channels or at www.excy.live.

Excy Cardio and Strength Training: Core Areas for American Heart Month

We built this company to make quality cardio and strength training exercises easier and more efficient, whether battling injury, chronic illness and pain, or a diagnosis like heart disease, Parkinson’s disease or MS. Part of that commitment is making it easy to try Excy for yourself with no obligation to keep it if it doesn’t work for you! That’s why we’ve made is so easy to return it, even taking it back for up to six months. We also offer rental programs to make Excy as affordable as possible.

With Groundhog Day being tomorrow, we invite you to not relive the classic process of letting your exercise goals be sidelined again and again…and again! We’ll be doing the challenge all month, so it’s never to late to join us!

Please use this American Heart Month to Explore Your Risks for Heart Disease

Several health conditions, your lifestyle, and your age and family history can increase your risk for heart disease. These are called risk factors. About half of all Americans (47%) have at least 1 of 3 key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking.¹

Some risk factors for heart disease cannot be controlled, such as your age or family history. But you can take steps to lower your risk by changing the factors you can control.

Always consult a doctor before starting a new exercise program