It's December-the Month of Giving plus Healthy Holiday Living Tips for the New Year!

Make a list, check it twice with these heart-healthy holiday travel hacks: Tips for preparing for travel when you are living with an existing medical condition.

VIDEO: Heart-Healthy Travel Hacks - music and text.

Transcript (doc) | News Release | Spanish News Release

Video copyright American Heart Association 2023

Song: Summer Adventures/ Royalty Free

AHA Winter Holidays Heart Health Tips - Video with music/text

Transcript (doc)

Video copyright American Heart Association 2023 - Song: Christmas Day/ Royalty Free

News release | Spanish news release

• Know the symptoms and take action: Heart attack signs may vary in men and women and it's important to catch them early and call 9-1-1 for help. The sooner medical treatment begins, the better the chances of survival and preventing heart damage.
• Celebrate in moderation 'Tis the season for unhealthy changes in diet and higher alcohol consumption. Eating healthfully during the holidays doesn't have to mean depriving yourself, there are still ways to eat smart. Look for small, healthy changes and swaps you can make so you continue to feel your best while eating and drinking in moderation, and don't forget to watch the sodium.
• Plan for peace on earth and goodwill toward yourself: Make time to take care of yourself during the busy holiday. Reduce stress from family interactions, strained finances, hectic schedules and other stressors that tack on this time of year, including traveling.
• Keep moving: The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week and this number usually drops during the holiday buzz. Get creative with ways to stay active, even if it's going for a family walk or another fun activity you can do with your loved ones.
• Stick to your meds: Busy holidays can make way for skipping medications, forgetting them when away from home, or not getting refills in a timely manner. Here is a medication chart to help stay on top of it, and be sure to keep tabs on your blood pressure numbers.
• Common Heart Attack Warning Signs infographic transcript
  

Snow shoveling can be hazardous to your heart | Palear la nieve puede ser peligroso para el corazón

Extremely hot and cold days linked to cardiovascular deaths

Brrrr.... more tips for a healthier winter season:

How does cold weather affect the heart?

How to Stay Active in Cold Weather

Understanding Over-the-Counter Medications & High Blood Pressure

Lowering stress: Top 5 Tips for a Healthy Holiday Season

Hunting safety should include heart attack and stroke awareness

The American Heart Association says hunters should know heart attack and stroke warning signs and learn CPR to reduce deadly risks throughout hunting seasons - News Release

• It's also National Handwashing Awareness Week 12/1-8. Here are some easy ways to stop the spread of viruses like the flu: Wash your hands often with soap and water.
  

• Rub your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds. (About the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday.") Remember to scrub the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
  

A stressful situation sets off a chain of events. Your body releases adrenaline, a hormone that temporarily causes your breathing and heart rate to speed up and your blood pressure to rise. These reactions prepare you to deal with the situation - the "fight or flight" response.

National strategy focus on advancing nutrition, physical activity

Eating Smart is just one of Life's Essential 8™

Parents say family is less stressed when they eat together

Month of Giving, National Human Rights Month, National Pear Month, National Cat Lovers' Month

• 12/1 - World Aids Day | Rosa Parks Day - the day the American Civil Rights hero refused to give up her seat for a white passenger while riding a Montgomery, Alabama city bus.| National Women Support Women Day | National Eat a Red Apple Day
• 12/1-7 - Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week | National Handwashing Awareness Week
• 12/2 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery | World Pollution Prevention Day | National Mutt Day | National Build Joy Day
• 12/2-8 - National Influenza Vaccination Week
  
• 12/3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities | Make a Gift Day
• 12/4 - National Cookie Day
• 12/4-8 - National Influenza Vaccination Week - Don't forget your flu vaccine.
• 12/5 - International Volunteer Day
  
• 12/6 - National Day of Remembrance and Action On Violence Against Women | St. Nicholas Day
  
• 12/7 - National Play Outside Day (first Saturday of every month) | World Pear Day
• 12/9 -Green Monday | International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide
• 12/10 - Nobel Prize Day | Human Rights Day
• 12/11 - National App Day | National Stretching Day
• 12/12 - International Universal Health Coverage Day | Gingerbread House Day | National Poinsettia Day
• 12/13 - National Cocoa Day
• 12/14 - National Wreaths Across America Day
  
• 12/15 -Bill of Rights Day
  
• 12/16-24 - Las Posadas
• 12/16 - National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
  
• 12/18 - National Twin Day
• 12/19 - National Re-Gifting Day
• 12/20 -International Human Solidarity Day | Go Caroling Day | National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
  
• 12/21 - Winter Solstice | National Homeless Persons' Remembrance Day | National Crossword Puzzle Day | Look on the Bright Side Day
• 12/23 -Festivus
  
• 12/24 - Christmas Eve | National Eggnog Day | Last Minute Shoppers Day
• 12/25 - Christmas | National Pumpkin Pie Day
• 12/25 - 1/2 - Hanukkah
• 12/25-1/5/24 -Twelve Days of Christmas
• 12/26-1/1/24 - Kwanzaa
• 12/26 - Boxing Day | National Candy Cane Day | Day of Goodwill
• 12/27 - International Day of Epidemic Preparedness | National Fruitcake Day
• 12/28 - Pledge of Allegiance Day | National Call-a-Friend Day
• 12/29 - Still Need to Do Day
• 12/30 - National Resolution Planning Day
• 12/31 - New Year's Eve | National Champagne Day | Universal Hour of Peace (from 11:30 pm to 12:30 am on Jan. 1) | Make Up Your Mind Day