Cindy Richards, the editor of BC/BSIL LifeTimes shared that every 43 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack, the majority of them for the first time; 117,000 of those people will die as a result.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Your chances of surviving a heart attack increase if you can be treated as quickly as possible, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet, in a 2005 survey, most people recognized only one symptom – chest pain – as a sign of a heart attack. Just 27 percent were aware of all of the potential symptoms.

A heart attack occurs when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a section of the heart is cut off. If the blood flow isn’t restored quickly, the heart muscle begins to die, leading to coronary heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in American men and women.

According to the National Heart Attack Alert Program, you should call 9-1-1 immediately if you or someone near you is experiencing:

• Chest pain or discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests taking the following steps to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy — and ready to enjoy the holidays.

Wash hands often: It’s flu season. Wash your hands with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds to help prevent the spread of germs.

Manage stress: Give yourself a break if you feel stressed out, overwhelmed, and out of control. Some of the best ways to manage stress are to find support, connect socially, and get plenty of sleep.

Bundle up: Stay dry and warm. Wear appropriate outdoor clothing: light, warm layers, gloves, hats, scarves, and waterproof boots.

Be smoke-free: Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke.

Fasten seat belts: Always buckle your children in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt according to their height, weight, and age. Buckle up every time, no matter how short the trip and encourage passengers to do the same.

Monitor children: Keep potentially dangerous toys, food, drinks, household items, and other objects out of children’s reach. Protect them from drowning, burns, falls, and other potential accidents.

Practice fire safety: Most residential fires occur during the winter months, so don’t leave fireplaces, space heaters, food cooking on stoves, or candles unattended. Have an emergency plan and practice it regularly.

Prepare food safely: Remember these simple steps: Wash hands and surfaces often, avoid cross-contamination, cook foods to proper temperatures and refrigerate foods promptly.

Eat healthy, stay active: Eat fruits and vegetables which pack nutrients and help lower the risk for certain diseases. Limit your portion sizes and foods high in fat, salt, and sugar. Also, be active for at least 2½ hours a week and help kids and teens be active for at least one hour a day.

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Hello Healthy asks, “Is your daily walking workout challenging you?” It should be! In order to improve your fitness level and continue getting results, you have to keep changing up your routine to make your body work in new ways. And yes, you can do all of that while sticking to walking as your preferred form of exercise.

Next time you lace up your sneakers to head out for a sweat session, try one of these simple ways to increase your calorie burn and amp up your daily walk:

1. Pick up the pace.

If you find yourself walking at the same pace day in and day out, adding music or bringing a fast-moving buddy could be the perfect motivator to get you to move at a quicker clip. At least a couple of days a week, try to walk faster during your entire workout by matching your steps to the beat of a fast song. Keep your steps short and fierce.

Tip: You’ll know you’re walking fast enough if it’s tough to hold a normal conversation because you’re running out of breath.

2. Add some weight.

While it’s not really a good idea to use hand or ankle weights when you walk—weights can cause overuse injuries or change your natural gait—you can wear a weighted vest, which will add resistance to your center of gravity and up the intensity of your walk.

Tip: Keep your chest up, shoulders back, and brace your abdominals as you walk.

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Popsugar shared that you may know that drinking enough water every day boosts your immune system and helps keep you looking young, but did you know it can also help in your quest to lose weight? That’s because many people confuse dehydration with hunger, causing them to eat more when all their body is craving is a tall glass of water. Drinking enough H2O is an easy way to help your belly feel satisfied without overeating.

Drinking water helps your waistline in other ways, too. A recent study showed that dehydrated people did fewer reps and felt tired faster when they were exercising, which can mean hundreds of fewer calories burned. Also, making a habit of drinking water with lemon throughout the day helps many people feel less bloated — hello, flat abs!

Want to use water to your weight-loss advantage? The next time you feel like snacking, have a glass of water first to see how hungry you feel afterward. And when you sit down at a restaurant, make sure you drink a glass of water before ordering those deep-fried appetizers. You can also keep a big pitcher of lemon, mint, cucumber, and ginger water in your fridge to help you detox and debloat all day long. In the meantime, print or pin this poster to help you remember to drink more water, and check out our other reasons why you’re not losing weight.

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BEE WILSON shared in the Wall Street Journal on December 12, 2015 that no loving parent sets out to make a child unhealthy or fat. So why are some 18% of American children aged 6 to 11 now obese, with many more overweight? Why are pediatricians seeing rising numbers of children who eat no vegetables at all?

We often blame the food industry for the terrible diet that many kids eat—who could resist those high-sugar concoctions in cute packages? But there is no intrinsic reason for children to prefer junk food to home-cooked lunches. Any child can enjoy a balanced diet. Our basic mistake is treating meals as occasions for getting a child quickly fed, rather than opportunities for learning how to eat.

As omnivores, children aren’t born knowing what or how to eat. Each of us learns that for ourselves, and the science shows that children’s food preferences are surprisingly malleable. We start life drinking milk, but after that, it’s all up for grabs.

Parents may struggle to persuade a child to consume nutritious foods, but we underestimate the dramatic impact our own behavior has on a child’s eating. Even the way we talk about food makes a difference. In a 1938 experiment, Karl Duncker, a German psychologist, succeeded in persuading most of a group of 15 4-year-olds that they disliked white chocolate simply by calling it “bitter hemlock.”

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DEBORAH HOLSTEIN, for Grokker asks, “Who hasn’t had the experience of eating too much and relaxing your workout routines over the holidays?”  She goes no to say that  her cycle is that she gain a few pounds and then resolve to “do better” come the new year.

The holiday season, which seems to begin even before Halloween, brings with it both end-of-year work commitments and increased personal and family commitments. And as the days become shorter and the weather colder, it becomes far too easy for me to put aside the good personal wellness habits and routines I’ve developed over the year. Plus many of my family’s holiday traditions tend to center around rich comfort foods, special desserts, football watching and more-than-usual wine and cocktail consumption.

So this year, I am exploring adding some new, healthier traditions.  Here are 5 ideas I found to benefit my family and me during this holiday season and into the New Year.

Start the day being mindful – During the holidays both the days and nights can be over scheduled with activities plus your sleep is impacted by either an unfamiliar (uncomfortable) bed or just overcrowding in your own home. Guests and hosts feel stressed and that mood is contagious, leading to arguments and whiny, tired children.

Starting each day with a quick, relaxing shared meditation break could be just the thing for your family, and even the children will benefit.  Put on one of the 5-10 minute introductory guided meditations from Grokker expert Mark Coleman on your living room TV (here’s how) and ask everyone to try it out. I guarantee, everyone’s day will start off on a better note.

Food does not improve your mood, exercise does – When stress levels rise, it’s tempting to turn to our personal “comfort food” of choice in order to feel better. And for me, a few of my comfort foods are even more plentiful and accessible during the holidays (nom, nom pumpkin bread).

Before you dive into the fattening snacks, remember that science has now proven that comfort food does not improve your mood. But guess what does help you…exercise improves your mood, concentration, and creativity.  It may be harder to find the time to get to the gym, or it’s too cold for a walk or run, so an at home workout can be just the thing.  Yoga is for everyone and perfect for a multi-generational family to do together.  Any of Grokker Expert Siri Peterson’s Beginner Yoga videos could work and it may even jump start Grandma’s own yoga habit.

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