Ladies…I have some important news for you! It used to be that heart disease was only a concern for men. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one major health risk for men AND women!

Fact: One out of every four women will die of heart disease each year

Fact: Heart attacks alone will claim the lives of more than 250,000 women

Among the factors that increase your risk, cholesterol level is a key factor. I just had a physical and had my cholesterol level checked (it was normal, by the way, thanks for asking). One of the things I do to keep my cholesterol level in check is to take fiber every day (My husband thinks I’m nuts because I don’t mix it in anything, I just take the powder at night before bed. He hopes I don’t choke!). I also eat a low fat diet, have begun regular exercise, and try to manage my stress. My mom has high cholesterol and my aunt had a stroke so this is an issue close to my heart (no pun intended).

February is Heart Health Month and Metamucil has partnered with WomenHeart in the Beautify Your Heart online program. It was created to encourage women across the nation to commit to getting cholesterol screenings. Here is a little more information about this campaign from the site:

The “Beautify Your Heart” program encourages women to get cholesterol screenings and helps them learn healthy habits for beautiful hearts. To support this Beautify Your Heart program, Metamucil is encouraging 100,000 women to get their cholesterol screened and donating $100,000 to WomenHeart to help fund heart disease education and patient advocacy programs.