In February, we can’t help but think of hearts and flowers and chocolates and Cupid. After all, Valentine’s Day is right in the middle of the month!

But there’s another good reason to think of hearts this month: it’s American Heart Month, a great time to focus on making some heart-healthy changes in your life—and urging your workers to make some heart-healthy changes in theirs!

Heart disease is serious business: it’s the leading cause of death among Americans. Chances are you know of someone who died of heart disease; after all, it causes one in four deaths in the United States.

We all know the basics about keeping our hearts healthy: a good diet, stress management, a consistent sleep regimen, and regular exercise. But it can be easy to let those good intentions slide when our lives get busy (or when we get a little lazy!). Do your workers—and your business—a favor, and offer them reminders and opportunities that encourage them to stay heart-healthy. It could give worker morale—and productivity—a real boost!

Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Host a healthy cooking demonstration at lunchtime.
• Invite a health professional to share tips about cardiovascular health in a short, company-wide presentation.
• Develop a schedule of weekend bike outings or hikes for workers, or a company softball or bowling team—and encourage workers to participate.
• Take a look at your company’s vending machines. Do they offer any healthful snack choices?
• Host a workplace health screening for your workers.
• Encourage workers to walk for 20-30 minutes during their lunch break—not only as a great exercise session, but also a stress reliever.
• Include heart healthy suggestions in your company newsletter. For instance, you can share heart-healthy recipes or ideas to incorporate more exercise into each day.
• Invite the Red Cross to offer a CPR training for your workers.
• Support your workers in their efforts to get heart healthy. Creating an environment that supports healthful change will have a powerful impact on your workers.

Beall Financial and Insurance Services has been working with business-owners for more than 25 years to help them protect their most important assets, and their companies’ future. If you have questions about insurance coverage for your business, contact us.