It's American Heart Month, sis. Risk factors like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking and physical inactivity put Black women at a higher risk for heart disease. These factors can be controlled by lifestyle and dietary changes. So it's time to literally take the necessary steps to protect your heart. Other factors, like a family history of early heart disease can't be controlled. For women, heart disease becomes a risk factor at 55. That’s because, as the American Heart Association explains, after menopause, women are more likely to get heart disease. Partly, this is because their body no longer produces estrogen. Also, middle age is a time when women tend to develop other heart disease risk factors. That's even more incentive to take care of ourselves, physically and emotionally. Stress can also wreak havoc on our heart health. So make self-care a priority, whatever that looks like for you. Light some candles, put on your favorit