Live It Articles Hearts

Our minds turn to love and hearts as we approach St Valentine's Day. I did a little research and was surprised to discover that the origin of Valentine's Day has more legends than the American Heart Association has "factors that predict most heart attacks." I would like to share a legend or two.

Three hundred years after the death of Jesus, the Roman emperors still demanded that everyone believe in Roman gods. Valentine, a Christian priest, had been thrown in prison for his teachings. On February 14, he was beheaded, not only because he was a Christian, but also because he had performed a miracle. He supposedly cured the jailer's daughter of her blindness. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer's daughter a farewell letter, signing it, "From Your Valentine." Another legend tells us that this same Valentine, well loved by all, received notes to his jail cell from children and friends who missed him.

Other legends

• An Italian bishop named Valentine, who lived about the same time as Valentine the Christian priest, was burned at the stake for secretly marrying a couple, which was contrary to Roman laws.
• Ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, a festival held at this time where each young man randomly chose the name of a sweetheart to escort to the event. The custom of choosing a sweetheart on this date spread through Europe in the Middle Ages, and then to the American colonies
• Europeans believed that birds chose their mates each year on February 14.
• Cupid the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty, became a symbol on many valentines.
• One of my favorites is a legend from medieval days when English maidens and bachelors were matched as valentines for a year. He wore her name on his sleeve on a heart and he was bound for that year to attend and protect her. Hence the expression, " He wore his heart on his sleeve."

This is only a sampling of the legends passed down, but one interwoven theme is love and hearts. Speaking of hearts and protection, let us fast forward to Valentine's Day 2004. We live in a time where our hearts are in dire physical danger. Faithfully completing the physical commitments in First Place is a giant step in doing your part to reduce the risks of developing heart disease. Proper exercise and healthy food choices are personal choices that may determine just how healthy your heart can be. Listed once again in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association are Factors to Fear of having a heart attack. This was after new long term studies including only the first four factors produced data stating that 87-100 percent of people who died from a heart attack had at least one of the following major risk factors:

1. Cholesterol of 240 or higher, or taking cholesterol-lowering medication
2. Systolic blood pressure over 140 or diastolic over 90, or taking blood pressure- lowering medication
3. Diabetes
4. Cigarette smoking
5. Overweight

The lead author Philip Greenland, M.D. believes that " preventing overweight" should be given priority of all risk factors, since it helps reduce your chances of developing three of the first four factors. Greenland states that if obesity had been in the equation of the study mentioned above, 100 percent of people with heart disease would have had at least one of the five factors.

Each of you has taken a giant step in protecting your heart by joining First Place. Protecting your heart depends on your lifestyle. Exercise and following the Live-It will help you reduce all but one of these risk factors.

I plan to speak more about fiber next month, but I want to mention that fiber, having many health benefits, is also found to help fend off heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends 25 to 30 grams a day, a goal most Americans don't meet. Soluble fiber found in oatmeal, barley, beans and peas, as well as most fruits and vegetables, are somewhat more protective, but any fiber is beneficial

May God Bless each of your hearts this St. Valentine's Day.

Kay Smith
First Place Associate Director


Kay is the associate national director of First Place and has been on the First Place staff since 1987.

Kay is a popular speaker at retreats, seminars, Conferences, FOCUS Weeks and Workshops across the country. Kay is the First Place food exchange expert and writes a monthly article in the First Place E-Newsletter on nutrition. She also was a contributing writer to the Today Is the First Day devotional book. Her delightful personality and love for people endears her to everyone she meets, and they quickly become her new best friend.

Kay and her husband, Joe, live in Roscoe, TX. They have two children and five grandchildren. Two of the young grandchildren are making a name for themselves on the golf circuit. Two of the young grandchildren are making a name for themselves on the golf circuit, and the three oldest grandsons are all involved in numerous sporting events, which Kay and Joe attend as often as possible.