So what did you do on Valentines Day?

Ms. Amina Gilyard - Miss Black DC USA & Wellness Ambassador

Photo credit: James Brantley

If you were smart, you would have included a free cardiovascular screening to go along with the Champagne & Chocolates.  Not very sexy, but neither is the alternative.

MC Elizabeth Kucinich and The experts with Irene Pollin - Sister to Sister founder

Sister to Sister, a nonprofit working to promote heart disease prevention, held an event on heart health in the Hart Senate Office Bldg. on Valentines Day to get Senators and their staff  ‘heart smart’.   February is National Heart Month, so please tell that to the candidates.......the way the campaigns are going, they could probably use some heart tips.

"I love the fact that most of the people we see here today are between the ages of 25 and 45. When people in this age group know their numbers and areas of high-risk, they can make relatively simple lifestyle changes that will make a big difference,” Pollin remarked.

Freebies, besides the screenings with instant results, included a neck massage, a high-striker (look it up), hula hooping, healthy finger food and a new health tool called Smart for the Heart.  Now we're talking, who doesn't love the hula hoop.

 “Million Hearts was delighted to participate in the Sister to Sister event. By equipping us with our blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, Sister to Sister is helping us prevent a million heart attacks and strokes by 2017, ” said Dr. Janet Wright

“Fighting for women’s health has been one of my life-long priorities. For far too long, women did not believe heart disease was their disease.  When I first came to the Senate, women’s health wasn’t a national priority. I’m proud to support the work of Sister to Sister so that we can have a heart to heart about the importance of heart health. We must raise awareness, raise consciousness and raise hell so that women are not left behind when it comes to their health and survival,” exclaimed Senator Barbara Mikulski.