Sessions to provide information on heart health

SAN BENITO — This month is all about the heart and not just in the romantic way.

February is the month of American Heart Disease Awareness and the people at Healthy South Texas in Cameron County and the A7M AgriLife Extension office are teaming up to provide classes on healthy living.

Multiple sessions will be available Friday to discuss health and what steps to take to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Free classes will be held at the Cameron County San Benito Annex building and are open to the public.

Health educator Veronica Ramirez said there will be three sessions held Friday and Feb. 23 offering free screenings and cooking demonstrations.

“This is the first time we are targeting heart health, something our department hopes to continue,” Ramirez said.

PowerPoint presentations from different agencies will be given followed by a demonstration or a free screening.

“They’ll really be learning about things you think you know, but don’t because information is constantly being updated,” Ramirez said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in four people or more than 600,000 Americans will lose their life to heart disease every year.

That number increases to one in three for women.

“It’s about being active and knowing your numbers,” Ramirez said. “Sometimes you can be asymptomatic and be totally fine on the outside but on the inside it’s not good.”

Cooking demonstrations will be available to teach participants ways to cut back on sodium and fat content in daily cooking routines with recipe samplings.

Free BMI screenings will be provided and agencies will stop by to provide information on healthy eating and physical activities.

Ramirez said there are only 50 spots available and is encouraging people to sign up ahead of time and wear red on the day of the session.