8News talks with American Heart Association for Heart Month

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- In honor of February being American Heart Month, 8News got the chance to speak with a member of the American Heart Association's (AHA) Central Virginia Board of Directors about local events focusing on heart health.

StormTracker 8 Meteorologist Matt DiNardo spoke with special guest Dr. Anika Hines, Assistant Professor of Health Behavior and Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) School of Medicine, about bringing awareness to heart disease.

The first movement that Hines mentioned is Go Red for Women Day -- coming up this Friday, Feb. 7 -- which aims to help educate women about how heart disease can impact them.

"What many people don't know is that cardiovascular disease is also the leading cause of death for women specifically," Hines said. "So this is really a campaign to improve awareness and education around heart health for women."

Hines also spoke about the different aspects of how someone can keep their heart health in check on a daily basis, including physical activity, healthy eating, good sleep, blood pressure and stress management.

People who want to learn more can also attend the Go Red for Women luncheon on Friday, Feb. 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Richmond Marriott Downtown. Click here to purchase tickets.

For more information about how to manage your heart health, visit the AHA website.