A big heart for February

February is the month for matters of the heart … both the physical heart and the spirit of the heart. Both equally can cause the death of a person if not taken care of— having a strong physical heart but living with a broken heart means you’re surviving but not thriving as you truly desire.

For romantic matters of the heart, check out our “Power couples” article and see how three local couples keep their marriages strong. There are great tips to learn from these happy people. Some pray together … stay together. Some play together … stay together.

February is American Heart Month, and our four-page guide on cardiac health provides information and tips about how to identify, avoid or survive heart disease, the leading killer of Americans. This material could guide you to a healthier life.

Perhaps the key to longevity is tea. In an interview, author Mimi Kirk, 81, extols the virtues of tea and also provides recipes from her book, “Tea-Vitalize.” She believes her favorite beverage has healing powers and helps keep her youthful.

We’re always looking for great story ideas about health matters, inspirational people in the community and more. If you have any suggestions, contact me at sabrina@akersmediagroup.com. Happy Valentine’s Day and may your month be filled with lots of love … especially for yourself.

Doug Akers / President doug@akersmediagroup.com

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Healthmatters

BABY, BE PREPARED

Save Your Money

Throughout the years, we’ve repeatedly preached in our Healthy Finance section not to foolishly throw your money away. Sure, we’d all love to win the lottery and spend the rest of our lives on an endless vacation. But shelling out your hard-earned dollars on lottery tickets is a complete waste of money. Your odds of winning Powerball are 1 in 292 million, according to lotteryusa.com. For comparison’s sake, here are some occurrences that are more likely to happen:

• If you live to be 80, your odds of being struck by lightning are 1 in 15,300, according to the National Weather Service.

• Your odds of dying from a shark attack are 1 in 3,748,067, according to the International Shark Attack File database.

• Your odds of becoming a movie star are 1 in 1,190,000, according to William Morrow’s “The Book of Odds.”

• If you’re an amateur golfer, your chances of hitting a hole-in-one are 1 in 12,500, according to 60-year data collected by Golf Digest magazine.

• You have a 1-in-200,000 chance of giving birth to conjoined twins, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

• Your odds of dying of a bee sting are 1 in 6 million, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

• Your odds of hitting a royal flush in the game Texas Hold ’Em are 1 in 649,740, according to pokerking.com.

• Your odds of playing on the Professional Golfers Association Tour are 1 in 326,000, according to the PGA Tour Media.

Count Carefully

Here’s something for fast-food aficionados to consider. After researchers at Harvard Medical School surveyed 3,000 participants in 2013, 25 percent of them underestimated their fast-food intake by at least 500 calories.

South Lake Hospital is offering a one-day childbirth education class to prepare expectant parents for labor, delivery and postpartum. Participants will learn about the process of labor, as well as relaxation and breathing techniques. A tour of the South Lake Hospital Center for Women’s Health is included. The class is scheduled from 10 am-12:30 pm Feb. 22 inside the SkyTop Conference Room at the hospital, 1900 Don Wickham Drive, Clermont.

Healthy You

Central Florida Health offers Healthy You, Healthy Us classes, programs and events, including Weight Watchers, Quit Tobacco, diabetes self-management, lunch & learn, stress management, breathing, blood pressure management, Alzheimer’s disease support group and more. To learn more, call Juli Romero-Gomez or Janice Boleyn at 352.323.4291 or email healthyus@centflhealth.org.

DON’T SAY ‘I DO’ ON VALENTINE’S DAY

Those who marry on Feb. 14 are 37 percent more likely to divorce, according to the University of Melbourne in Australia, which researched more than 1.1 million Valentine’s Day weddings.

DID YOU KNOW?

Leesburg Regional Medical Center, 600 E. Dixie Ave., has an on-campus fitness track located around the Urgent Care Center that the public can use. Three laps around the track equals 1 mile.

A Calorie Inferno

Considering a new exercise to lose weight? Here is the number of calories a 160-pound person would burn in one hour by performing the following exercises:

EXERCISE

Low-impact aerobics

Water aerobics

Bicycling less than 10mph

Ballroom dancing

Hiking

Running (5 mph)

Swimming laps

Walking (3.5 mph)

Source: mayoclinic.org

BLOOD TESTS: SNAPSHOTS OF OUR HEALTH

The Sunrise Rotary Club of Leesburg will provide its annual blood screening event Feb. 22 at the Venetian Center, 1 Dozier Court. The cost of the basic blood screening is $45. For an additional $30, men can also have a PSA test.

Blood screening can help identify problems such as anemia, diabetes, liver disease, vascular disease, kidney disease and other health problems. The profile of tests being offered includes cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, glucose, potassium and others. Funds generated are used for numerous community projects.

Registration is required no later than Feb. 18. Register at facebook.com/leesburgsunriserotary

Steps Toward A Cure

Relay for Life is an 18-hour event held in communities throughout the country. Participants take turns walking around a track raising money to fund cancer research and create awareness about this deadly disease. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

Relay for Life of The Villages and Lady Lake will start at 10 am March 20 at The Villages Polo Club, 703 N. Buena Vista Blvd. For more information, contact Jessica Combs at 813.298.6165.