Ideas from the heart

What’s the best way to show a loved one you care this Valentine’s Day? According to a poll conducted by the American Heart Association (AHA), more than 50 percent of adults say "time together" is best—better than showing affection or buying expensive gifts.

Four of 10 people polled said they preferred to celebrate Valentine’s Day with dinner at a restaurant, nearly 30 percent felt a vacation or getaway was the most romantic—with less than 10 percent interested in dancing or another activity (bowling, skiing, etc.).

The poll is part of AHA’s Power of Love campaign, which helps people celebrate the love in their hearts while raising vital funds for research from participating sponsors.

AHA has a long tradition of helping heart health through research and education. Now consumers can show their feelings for loved ones by logging onto a special Power of Love Web site, www.americanheart.org/love. This site for sweethearts includes:

Complimentary Valentine’s Day screensavers to keep love on your computer screen and in your heart-or to share with your sweetheart;

Free Valentine’s Day electronic greetings to send to loved ones-including a link to honor your sweetheart with a "donation from the heart" to the American Heart Association;

Results from AHA’s exclusive poll on romance and matters of the heart and opportunities to take part in online instant polls;

Information on how some of your favorite celebrities spend Valentine’s Day; and

Links to Power of Love sponsors. During February, these sponsors—the makers of beauty products and other retailers—will contribute a portion of their sales to the American Heart Association.

Thanks in part to AHA-funded research, important discoveries such as CPR, life-extending drugs, pacemakers, bypass surgery and surgical techniques to repair heart defects have been discovered. Countless people are alive today to enjoy the love of family and friends due to these life-saving advances. With the help of the Power of Love campaign, even more lives may be saved in the future.

The American Heart Association understands the life-saving, life-changing power of love.

For more information, visit www.americanheart.org or call (800) AHA-USA1.