February is American Heart Month. Women are ten times as likely to die from heart disease as they are from breast cancer. That's about one woman every minute. They are just as likely as men to suffer a heart attack and, after age 75, more likely.

This is the reason the American Heart Association has launched the red ribbon campaign. Knowledge and awareness are powerful tools to improve the above grim statistics.

There's nothing to be done about the risk factors of age, gender or family history, but there are actions available to greatly enhance the odds of not falling victim to the nation's number one killer. You know them, but they bear repeating:

Don't Smoke. Why anyone continues this stupid habit is beyond comprehension. All the reasons not to smoke are overwhelming. It causes heart disease, cancer, stroke, emphysema and on and on. Smoking spells death a dozen different ways.

Move. Exercise, walk, dance, garden, swim, whatever you like and whatever gets your blood pumping. Do it at least 30 minutes a day and put it on your "to do" list. Contributing to your health and survival is more important than meetings, shopping trips and the next episode of any program.

Keep Your Weight Down. This is a challenge in a society filled with easy, calorie-dense food, stress from multiple sources and an environment conducive to inactivity.

Cars, televisions, computers, motorized everything from can openers to leaf blowers to Segways - we've managed to remove the effort and motion from almost everything. Make the choice that makes you sweat. Take the stairs, shovel snow, and park the car six blocks away.

Eat Healthily. Keep the fat and salt low and make vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and whole grains the bulk of what you eat. Exercise master and nonagenarian Jack LaLanne's rule of thumb is "if man makes it don't eat it." So much for Cheetos, Ho-Hos and any place with a drive-thru window.

Insist on a Healthy Environment. We are all entitled to safe and available venues to walk to work or ride a bike to school or wander to a neighboring village on a fine day. With such a network in place, exercise becomes second nature and less of a chore. Not just pathways in the country, but trail way alternatives to cars in populated areas that are used everyday and available to the most people. Remind our elected officials that "transportation" is not bound to internal combustion and, for the health of their constituents, transportation dollars are well spent on a non-motorized network for Otsego County.

Brenda Berstler is the founder of the Walking Example Group (WE-GO) a non-profit organization encouraging walking and walkable communities. Visit their website at www.we-go.org.