February is American Heart Month, let’s take a bit of time this month to collectively learn about things that make our hearts happy and healthy. In the United States, heart disease is still the leading cause of death according to the "2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics". Join Cornell Wellness the second week of February (2/10/25 – 2/16/25) for ways to make your heart healthy and happy.

Open to the entire Cornell community, no Wellness membership needed. Participate in one or more activities to connect with others while simultaneously learning about heart health and be entered into a Prize Drawing worth $50 (50 points through the Employee Appreciation portal).

Register here to indicate your interest in participating in one or more activities listed below

• Open Your Heart to Stretching - Join Tina, Cornell Wellness Staff, for this 15-minute recorded session as she guides you through heart-opening, tension-relieving stretches and movements to make your heart happy and bring joy to your day. The video recording will be made available so that you may enjoy it at your leisure, whenever it fits in with your schedule.​​
• ​​​Post to Viva Engage – The week of February 10, connect with your Cornell community through sharing a picture of yourself on Viva Engage holding a hand drawn heart containing one or more words describing what makes your heart happy. Your heart can be simple or creatively bedazzled, and what you write inside of it is completely up to you. Many things can contribute to a happy heart including healthy foods and physical activity, plus anything that reduces our stress such as spending time with friends, snuggling with pets, visiting favorite places, getting enough sleep, and so much more. Share and connect with others in the Cornell community through the Cornell Wellness Experiences Viva Engage page. New to Viva Engage? See information from Cornell IT on how to get started. If you experience any challenges using Viva Engage, alternatively you can email Kerry Howell your picture, and she will post it.
•  Demystifying Physical Activity Guidelines - Join C, on Thursday, February 13, 12.30 -1.00pm for this educational workshop to learn about the physical activity guidelines for keeping your heart happy and healthy. We will discuss the benefits of physical activity in addition to figuring out what kind and how much is best for you. Other topics will include how to know what different levels of intensity might feel like, as well as using technology to track your heart rate and overall fitness. There will be a Q & A section at the workshop, so please bring any questions you have! While the Zoom live workshop itself will not be recorded, a pre-recorded video version will be released as well in case you cannot attend the Zoom live session.
• Cocoa and Heart Health -  Being happy is actually good for your health, especially your heart. Researchers found that happy people are 22% less likely to develop heart disease over the course of a 10 year follow up. Show your heart some love on Valentines Day, by making chocolate from scratch with Brinda while learning some myths and facts on the heart health benefits of cocoa. February 14, 11.30am -12.30pm. In-person at the East Hill Plaza Wellbeing Room, 345 Pine Tree Road. A pre-recorded video version including tips and tricks of chocolate making will be released as well in case you cannot attend the in-person session.

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Questions/comments, contact Brinda Vijaya Sankar.