VISN 2: Veterans' Wellness, Fall 2007

skip to page content

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

VA Home

About VA

VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York - VISN 2

February 2008 - Keep your heart happy!


Did You Know?
February is not just good for your heart. It also features: Wise Health Consumer Month Get the heart smarts you need! Black History Month Celebrate your ethnicity and remember those who came before you. Go to www.naacp.org* for information about special events occurring throughout the country. National Donor Day, February 14 Organ donations save lives. Find out more about this life-saving gesture at www.organdonor.gov*

People everywhere need to give their hearts a little love—and it doesn’t have to be a chore. This month, the American Heart Association celebrates your heart, and all you have to do is WATCH:

Weight. With today’s array of good-for-your-heart unsaturated and zero trans fat products, you can “watch” yourself trim down.

Activity. Simply walking, swimming or doing your physical therapy exercises 10 minutes a day will have heart-healthy results.

Tobacco. Yes, it’s hard to quit, but you don’t have to do it alone: Try VA Quit Smart. Ask your local VA medical center for information about this four-session group program.

Cholesterol. Too much and it will clog your arteries, translating into less blood reaching your heart.

Hypertension. Unchecked, it can lead to stroke, heart attack and heart failure. With do-it-yourself blood pressure monitors now in pharmacies and monthly screenings at community centers, keeping heart healthy is more convenient than ever.

“I see great days ahead, great days possible to men and women of will and vision. ”

—Carl Sandburg, U.S. poet

To print, download the full "Veterans Wellness 2008 Calendar " in Acrobat PDF Format

February calendar -
Feb. 2nd - Ground Hog Day,
Feb. 4th - Read any good books lately?,
Feb. 6th - Ash Wednesday,
Feb. 8th - Try whole-grain bread instead of white,
Feb. 12th - Lincoln’s Birthday,
Feb. 13th - On your way home, pick up some flowers!,
Feb. 14th - Valentine's Day, National Donor Day,
Feb. 18h - President's Day,
Feb. 22nd - Washington’s Birthday,
Feb. 29th - It’s been two months. Don’t you feel good?

Keep your New Year’s resolve by eating fewer calories and upping your walking time. Don’t forget to “check in” with your VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York calendar:		Starting weight for February: _________ Goal weight for February: _________ Exercise goals: __________________________ What special memory did you make this month? _____________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________

Be heart healthy! Find important cardiovascular information 24/7, 365 days a year, at www1.va.gov/cardiology/

* Links will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked web sites. The link will open in a new window.

Reviewed/Updated Date: January 14, 2008