If you didn’t already know it, February is American Heart Health Month. The campaign is designed to bring awareness to all that getting your heart health checked by your doctor is something that isn’t done often enough. There are a lot of ways to prevent heart issues, and Walmart wants to share some of these tips, along with some other basic Wellness tips with you.

My Father in-law has been visiting with us this week, and hearing some of his stories about his sort-of-recent heart surgery have had me thinking. He worked hard at his job, still does. He went to the gym almost daily. He ran just about every day, and everyone, including himself, thought that he was doing everything right, and had no medical issues. That is, until one day when he made a phone call to his doctor’s office to schedule some blood work that he had been putting off for a while. He kept putting it off because he was “too busy at work”. How many times have you said that, or heard that from someone you know?

He had been feeling a strange burning sensation in his chest when he ran. He wasn’t out of breath, or feeling faint. It wasn’t like he had a myriad of symptoms. Nope,just this one thing. He told the nurse while he was on the phone, and she told him that he needed to come in immediately. His blood work came back ok, but his doctor had a sneaking suspicion that something wasn’t right. He was quickly sent to the cardiologist to have some more tests done, and soon found out that he had TWO blockages. 70% blockage in one side of his heart and a 50% blockage in the other. It’s called “the widowmaker”…. and for good reason. Within a few days, he was set up to have surgery… a surgery that has allowed him to still be here today, to visit us, and see his grandkids grow up… What would’ve happened if he put off calling the doctor any longer?

What I’m trying to say to you is, Don’t put it off any more. Even if you don’t think you have something wrong, or if you don’t think that it’s a big deal. Seriously, think about your family, your spouse, your kids, your grandkids. If you know someone who probably isn’t taking care of themselves as well as they should, urge them to see their doctor. You never know what could happen….

If you haven’t made an appointment yet, do it now. If you have, and you want more information in the mean time, check out Walmart’s Health & Wellness Center. There you can find some great tips on heart health and even just staying healthy in general.

Check out the “Shop Heart Health” section on the left sidebar, where you can view great products to keep your heart healthy, like aspirin, blood pressure monitors, supplements, heart rate monitors.