Celebrate Heart Health Month
During this special month, help kids and adults understand the importance of a healthy heart and actions they can take to live a heart healthy life.
Read MoreThe month of February is typically associated with love. February also happens to be American Heart Month. This makes it a perfect time to focus on the one heart that means the most – your own! Did you know the average heart beats about 100,000 times per day? That’s a lot of work! To keep our hearts strong and healthy and performing their best, it’s important to take time to share the love. Get moving and fuel your body with some heart-loving ideas below!
Get Moving, Love Your Heart
Similar to how we work out other muscles in our body, your heart needs a work out, too! To help strengthen your heart, try to get moving at least 150 minutes per week (that’s about 20 minutes per day!).
The Move Cube
Materials:
Print out the cube template and fill in each side with an action from the list below or come up with your own. Customize to the ages of your participants. For younger ages, consider animal movements (hop like a frog, flap wings like a bird, or waddle like a penguin). Use The Move Cube to get moving in the classroom (during morning meeting, as a fun mid-day break, or as an activity when preparing for upcoming exams) or during free time at home!
Give Your Heart Some Love with These Heart-Healthy Snacks
Keeping your heart healthy includes fueling the body with the right vitamins and minerals. One of the best ways to do this? Eat the rainbow! Fill your diet with many colorful fruits and veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats – like avocados and nuts. Check out these delicious and heart-healthy recipes below. Want to create your own heart-healthy salad or parfait? Host a taste test, and pick from new ingredients.
Kale Berry Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
Directions:
1) Wash all fruits and vegetables. 2) Thinly slice kale and green onions, and dice avocado. 3) Toss all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and chill for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Yogurt Chocolate Berry Parfait
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
Directions:
1) Scoop yogurt into bowl. 2) Top with fruit, dark chocolate, oats, and cinnamon. 3) Serve and enjoy!
Engage parents and volunteers in your community to join or plan a Heart Walk for the school. You can raise funds and get everyone moving together for a great cause in supporting the American Heart Association.
Reach out to a local clinic and ask someone to come in to talk to students and families about heart health.
Incorporate all of these ideas into your Every Kid Healthy Week event plans and host a schoolwide health fair with a focus on heart health. You could invite a yoga instructor, offer taste tests of heart-healthy snacks, and bring in a speaker to do workshops on heart health. Enlist your parent organization or individual parents to help you plan.