Flee From the Flu  

During the winter, the flu can travel from one person to the next, from city to city. The American Heart Association has recommendations about the flu vaccine for people with cardiovascular disease and special considerations about taking decongestants for people with high blood pressure. This information, plus other winter-related tips such as the dos and don’ts of snow shoveling, are available at americanheart.org/wintertips.    

Shrink Your Stress

Caring for a family member who is a stroke survivor or who has a serious heart ailment can add more emotional and physical stress during the already hectic holiday season. But taking care of yourself allows you to help care for your loved ones. For tips to help you relax, rejuvenate and replenish, visit americanheart.org/caregivers.

The Pressure of Travel

Whether it’s by plane, train or automobile, many people will travel hundreds of miles to see family and friends this holiday season. For those with high blood pressure, monitoring it away from home is easy. Take your blood pressure cuff with you and use the array of free online tools available anytime at americanheart.org/bptools. 

People who have a history of cardiovascular disease, stroke or thrombotic episodes (blood clots) risk getting blood clots in their legs during airplane flights lasting 10 hours or more.  Before heading out on a long trip this season, read more about deep vein thrombosis (DVT), also known as economy-class or coach-class syndrome.

Winter is a great time to get your kids up and moving. Try taking them to an ice skating rink, bowling alley or to a museum to keep them active on days when the weather is too harsh to play outside. Get more tips about keeping kids active when it’s cold outside with help from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. 

Walking with Jack Frost

Don’t let the chill of Old Man Winter keep you from getting in your physical activity. Download the American Heart Association’s free winter walking brochure at heart.org/startwinterwalking.

     Soulful Holiday Eating

Celebrate the holidays with health! Create delicious, healthy meals for your family using the The Best Healthy Soul Food Recipes cookbook.  Each recipe in the cookbook is lower in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium than normal recipes of the same foods. To order a copy for a loved one or friend, or for yourself, visit at ShopPower.org.

Gobble Guilt Free

Does your holiday dish include poultry or meat? With poultry, use the leaner light meat (breast) instead of the fattier dark meat (legs and thighs) and be sure to remove the skin. Use a rack in the pan so the meat or poultry doesn’t sit in its own fat drippings. Instead of basting with pan drippings, use fat-free liquids like wine, low-sodium tomato juice or lemon juice.  When making gravy from the drippings, chill first, then use a gravy strainer or skim ladle to remove the fat. Get more cooking tips at americanheart.org/facethefats.

Grocery Shopping Hassle Free

Forget to pick up an ingredient for your holiday casserole? Next time, build your free heart-healthy grocery list before you head to the store at heartcheckmark.org. Products bearing the American Heart Association’s heart-check mark are certified to be low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Once you’ve built your list, save it and print or access it from your Web-enabled mobile phone or PDA at mylist.heartcheckmark.org.