Community Health Charities want to help you take a measure of good health. In partnership with our member charities, Community Health Charities continues to offer National Health Day email updates to businesses throughout the state to promote and enhance the health and wellness of employees and their families. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in learning more about any of the monthly National Health Day topics or the health initiatives of Community Health Charities. We may offer a Lunch & Learn relevant to a topic that may be of interest to the employees in your workplace. To support any of the 34 health charities we represent, be sure to ask about our charitable giving campaigns for the workplace to support your health charity(ies) of choice. Wear Red Day For Women - Friday, February 2nd One day a year, the American Heart Association points out that "what you wear is a matter of life and death". This year, that day is Friday, February 2nd. The American Heart Association's National Wear Red Day for Women raises awareness that cardiovascular disease is the number one health threat facing women today; cardiovascular disease kills a woman every minute. On February 2nd, "go red your way" by wearing a red dress, scarf, jacket, shirt, tie, hat, or other item in support of women who have been touched by heart disease or stroke. For more information about National Wear Red Day For Women or the Go Red For Women movement, including FREE materials, FREE women's programs, and a red dress pin, call 1-888-MY-HEART or visit www.goredforwomen.org. A Lunch & Learn topic related to women and heart disease is available. Please refer to topic 28 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: American Heart Association, Heritage Affiliate National Eating Disorders Month More women than men suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia during their lifetime. Research suggests that about one percent of female adolescents experience anorexia and an estimated one to four percent of women experience bulimia in their lifetime. In the United States, as many as ten million females and one million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder. However, did you know that approximately 25 million more individuals are struggling with binge eating disorder? Binge eating disorder is described as periods of uncontrolled, continuous, or impulsive eating beyond the point of feeling comfortably full. The binge eater usually does not purge, but may be involved in sporadic fasts or diets. Body weight may vary from mild to moderate or severely obese. Eating disorders are not due to weak willpower or bad behavior; rather, they are real and treatable illnesses. For more information on eating disorders, refer to www.nmha.org and www.nationaleatingdisorders.org Source: Mental Health America (formerly the National Mental Health Association) and the National Association of Eating Disorders National Heart Month The development of heart disease occurs as a result of many risk factors. Nearly 80 million American adults (or one in three) have some form of heart disease. Obesity, along with its related complications, is a major risk factor and is increasing at an alarming rate, especially in children. Overweight children and adolescents have a 62 to 98 percent chance of being overweight at age 35, which increases their risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association offers suggestions on how to reduce risk for you and your family for heart disease such as ways to develop healthier habits, exercise and fitness activities that can be integrated into a daily routine, how to manage your weight, ways to improve your cholesterol, and tools to quit smoking. The American Heart Association has recently published a new book, The American Heart Association No-Fad Diet: A Personal Plan for Healthy Weight Loss. Why not start 2007 on a healthy note for you and your family? For more information on this book or how to make changes in your life and the lives of those you love, go to www.americanheart.org. Lunch & Learn topics related to heart disease are available. Please refer to topics 5, 6, 22, 28, 31, & 42 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: American Heart Association www.americanheart.org