February isn’t just the time to think about our emotional hearts, but more importantly our literal ones during American Heart Month.

Guthrie County Hospital and Clinics Cardiac Rehab Manager Christine Drake says heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S. Some good news she shares is that coronary artery disease decreased by 31.8 percent from 2006 to 2016, “Unfortunately though, heart disease costs the country a lot of money so it costs $351.2 billion in 2014 and 2015. So if you think about that that’s five years ago, five to six years ago, so the costs have gone up, I’m sure significantly.”

Drake emphasizes that heart disease and the conditions that lead to it can happen at any age, so it’s important for parents to ensure their children are getting an hour of physical activity each day, and cutting down on foods that contain high amounts of sodium, trans-fat, saturated fat, and added sugar. For adults, quitting smoking is also hugely important, as well as managing high blood pressure and high cholesterol.