Here in Boston February roared in like a lion with extreme cold and wind and given that Valentine’s day is right around the corner we’ll be pretty thankful for some heat by the middle of the month. Speaking of Valentine’s Day… we’ve been preparing for celebration of love since the Christmas holiday rush came to a close and have been looking at a lot of red, shades of red and pinks around the office. This fiery color is one of our faves because it’s associated with so much energy and emotion. Red represents heat and symbolizes romance, passion, sex, love and joy – wow what a powerful color! You don’t really need a reason to wear red but in case you do take these reasons to heart…

Go Red for Women

Today is February 3rd and it’s National Wear Red Day to raise awareness about heart disease in women. Did you know that heart disease is the NO. 1 killer of women?  It causes 1 in 3 deaths every year — that’s 1 woman a minute! Women also have a much higher lifetime risk of stroke than men and about 55,000 more females than males have a stroke each year.  Join the Go Red for Women movement today, it’s time to take our cardiovascular health seriously and learn what it takes to protect yourself against heart attack and stroke.

G: Get Your Numbers – Know what your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are

O: Own Your Lifestyle – Stop Smoking, lose weight, exercise, eat healthy

R: Realize Your Risk – We never think it will happen to us

E: Educate Your Family – Make healthy food choices and keep kids active

D: Don’t be Silent – Tell every woman you know that heart disease is our No.1 killer

Wear Red to Celebrate Heart Month

The month of February isn’t just for lovers it’s also American Heart Month.  Just like Go Red for Women Day, American Heart Month looks to continue the education about heart health all month.  We’ll bet you that almost anyone you know knows someone affected by heart disease, it’s that common! But, it’s also the most costly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that heart disease and strokes cost nearly a billion a day in lost productivity and medical costs.  Spread the red!

Wear it for Your Mom, Grandma, Aunt, Sister, BF…

We know we sound like a broken record… but tell every woman you know that heart disease is our No.1 killer.  Most women believe that breast cancer is the culprit but while 1 in 39 American women die from this type of cancer every year, sadly she is ten times more likely to die of heart disease. Heart disease is clearly no longer just a man’s disease.  And by the way, a heart attack in a man may appear differently than in a woman so learn to identify the major symptoms and call 911 when they occur. Get familiar with the signs of a heart attack (for both men and women):

Symptoms of a heart attack in both men and women:

• Squeezing chest pain or pressure
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Tightness in chest
• Pain spreading to shoulders, neck, arm or jaw
• Feeling of heartburn or indigestion with or without nausea and vomiting
• Sudden dizziness or brief loss of consciousness

Symptoms more likely in women:

• Indigestion or gas-like pain
• Shortness of breath
• Unexplained weakness or fatigue
• Discomfort or pain between the shoulder blades, pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest lasting a few minutes or comes and goes.
• Sense of impending doom

Wear Red for Love’s Sake

As women we tend to put others before ourselves, wear red this month to remind yourself to commit to your heart health. What does that look like?  It’s as easy as moving more, eating healthy and monitoring your blood pressure. Take care of yourself so you can take care of others when they need you!

And, finally, a Healthy Heart is a Sexy Heart!

Let’s wear red because It’s February and Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.  It’s a passionate month after all and we want your heart to skip a healthy beat during this romantic of all the months – we think there’s nothing sexier than a healthy heart!

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Deb Fries works with the Julianna Rae team to offer the best shopping experience for quality silk and cotton sleepwear while also writing for the blog at Juliannarae.com.