25 Ways 

To Take Part in 

American Heart Month

Each February, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) marks American Heart Month by raising 

awareness about heart health and urging Americans to reduce their risk for developing heart disease. Taking 

care of your heart health has never been more important, and there’s a lot you can do to prevent heart disease. 

Encourage others to join you. More work needs to be done—and you can help!

February

Help share heart health messages. Check out these ideas to honor American Heart Month.

There are dozens of ways to spread heart health messages during February and beyond. Here are a few:

1 Join the #OurHearts movement by sharing on social 

media how you’re working with friends or family to be 

heart healthy. Encourage your friends and family to as 

well. Be sure to use the #OurHearts hashtag!

2 Wear red on the first Friday of February for National 

Wear Red Day® to raise awareness about heart disease 

and encourage others to do the same. Use NHLBI’s 

Wear Red Day resources to help spread the word.

3 Set up an online support group with friends far 

and wide to encourage each other in your goals to eat 

healthier, manage your weight, and quit smoking.

4 Commit to a walking schedule with a friend or 

family member.

5 Challenge your organization to participate in a 

“steps” contest. Use activity trackers to see which 

team takes the most steps.

6 Share NHLBI’s #OurHearts video on social media 

or play it before your next team meeting to encourage 

colleagues to work together for a healthier heart.

7 Try a new recipe weekly. Ask friends and family to 

share their favorite heart-healthy recipe with you. NHLBI 

offers a variety of recipes on its website.

8 Be social. Use NHLBI’s social media materials to 

help spread the word. 

9 Make television watching more active by doing 

jumping jacks or push-ups during the commercials, 

or just standing up and stretching. Find other ways to 

move more.

10 Sign a social support contract with three family 

members or friends who also have heart health goals.

11 Blog about it. Write a blog post about American Heart 

Month, the risk factors for heart disease, and how you’re 

making heart-healthy changes in your life.

12 Attend a cooking class with friends and learn new 

heart-healthy recipes. Or sign up your kids for one!

13 Plan a date to go on a hike or cook a heart-healthy 

meal with your loved one on Valentine’s Day.

nhlbi.nih.gov/heartmonth
14 Write an article for your organization’s newsletter or 

the local newspaper about American Heart Month and 

ways to keep your heart healthy. Don’t have time? NHLBI 

has pre-written articles you can use.

15 Send a press release to your local paper or online 

newsletter to promote local American Heart Month 

activities within your community, and pitch them stories 

of how community members are taking steps to prevent 

heart disease.

16 Post flyers with heart-healthy messages at local clinics 

or pharmacies. 

17 Create a Pinterest board with heart-healthy recipes 

and share it with your organization, friends, and family. 

Make it a public board and encourage others to add 

their favorite recipes. See The Heart Truth’s® 

Pinterest board for other ideas you can repin.

18 Ask if you can insert a fact sheet with heart health 

information in take-home bags at your local grocery 

store or pharmacy.

19 Share NHLBI’s slides as part of a heart health, online 

educational presentation, distribute during faith-based 

services, or show on informational screens such as 

those in local clinics, or anywhere there are screens to 

share information. 

20 Encourage your local representatives to post 

statistics about coronary heart disease in your 

state on their social media sites. 

21 Ask local healthcare providers to give a 

presentation to your organization about ways to 

prevent heart disease.

22 Host an online or community event where families 

can be active and learn about local heart health 

resources.

23 Partner with a local hospital to do heart 

screenings such as those for blood pressure, 

blood sugar, cholesterol, and body mass index (BMI).

24 Work with local recreation and fitness centers to 

spread the word online about the importance of physical 

activity to prevent heart disease.

25 Use NHLBI’s American Heart Month materials. 

Share the materials with your organization’s members, 

your workplace wellness team, and other health 

advocates to encourage them to champion heart health.

Find graphics, videos, flyers, 

and article samples at 

nhlbi.nih.gov/heartmonth

nhlbi.nih.gov/heartmonth