letters
BETWEEN FRIENDS
P ro u d to
W e a r Red
bfeart-health stars
from
••■ ''our staff, left to right
Amy Davis Deering
teaches a spinning
class
Kelly Kegans: training
for her first marathon
Cindy Murphy:
monitors her
heart rhythms
Me: 5-a-day fruit
and veggies
Erin Simpson: healthy-
eating advocate
a
s o u r a n n u a l c o lo r is s u e ,
F e b r u a r y ’s
B e t t e r H o m e s
a n d G a r d e n s
is a lw a y s f u ll
o f b e a u t if u l h u e s . B u t m y
le t t e r t h is m o n t h f o c u s e s o n
ju s t o n e c o lo r : r e d , t h e s ig n a t u r e h u e o f
t h e A m e r ic a n H e a r t A s s o c ia t io n ’s
“N a t io n a l W e a r R e d D a y ” F e b r u a r y
5
.
W e a r R e d D a y
(g o r e d fo r w o m e n .o r g )
b r i ll ia n t l y r a is e s a w a r e n e s s o f h e a r t
d is e a s e : a w a r e n e s s t h a t h e a r t d is e a s e is
t h e N o .
1
h e a lt h t h r e a t to w o m e n .
A w a r e n e s s t h a t it a f f e c t s u s d if f e r e n t ly
t h a n m e n . A n d , a w a r e n e s s t h a t w e c a n
g r e a t ly lo w e r o u r r is k s b y t h e w a y w e liv e .
O u r s p e c ia l f e a t u r e “L o v e Y o u r H e a r t ,”
p a g e
185
,
t e lls h o w . I t ’s a m i n i- g u id e to
h e a r t -w is e c h o ic e s , w it h t h e la t e s t a d v ic e
o n h o w to e a t, e x e r c is e , a n d liv e f o r a
h e a lt h ie r h e a r t . M o s t o f t h e s e a c t io n s s t a r t
a t h o m e , a s p a r t o f t h e lif e s t y le w e c r e a t e
f o r o u r s e lv e s a n d o u r f a m ilie s . P le a s e t a k e
a lo o k . I k n o w y o u ’l l f in d a t le a s t o n e
c h a n g e t h a t ’s e a s y to m a k e r ig h t n o w .
E v e n a s o u r e d it o r s w o r k e d o n t h is
s e c t io n , t h e im p o r t a n c e o f p r e v e n t io n
b e c a m e v e r y r e a l to m y o w n f a m ily w h e n
m y 2 2 - y e a r - o ld d a u g h t e r — a f it , n o n -
s m o k in g p e s c a t a r ia n —le a r n e d s h e h a s a
h e a r t v a lv e a n o m a ly t h a t p u t s h e r a t h ig h e r
r is k . I ’m g r a t e f u l s h e d id w h a t m a n y
w o m e n h e s it a t e to d o ; s h e g o t s y m p t o m s
c h e c k e d o u t b y a p h y s ic ia n ( a n d in p le n t y
o f t im e to t a k e a c t io n ) .
I n a s e n s e , s h e ’s a l u c k y o n e , k n o w in g
s h e h a s a c o m p e llin g r e a s o n f o r lif e lo n g
h e a r t -h e a lt h h a b it s . T h e t r u t h is t h a t w e
a ll
d o . J o in m e in w e a r in g r e d F e b r u a r y
5
— a n d in m a k in g c h o ic e s t h a t a d d u p to a
h e a lt h ie r lif e .
I
h o p e y o u ’l l e n jo y a ll t h e c o lo r s in t h is
is s u e , a n d t h e s m a r t , in s p ir in g w a y s to u s e
t h e m . T h e r e ’s n o q u ic k e r w a y to b r in g a
f r e s h lo o k a n d s p ir it to y o u r lif e a t h o m e .
Gayle Goodson Butler,/'Editor in Chief
LETTERS & COMMENTS
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WRITE
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10
FEBRUARY
2010
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: KATHRYN GAMBLE
