Valentine’s Day makes February a natural choice to be Heart Month. If you’re going to offer someone your heart, after all, it better be healthy.

Heart disease doesn’t just happen to older adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised. Unfortunately, it is turning up more often in people who are younger and middle age, partly because the conditions that lead to heart disease are happening earlier in life.

Heart disease — and the conditions that lead to it — can happen at any age, according to the CDC. High rates of obesity and high blood pressure among people age 35 to 64 are putting them at risk for heart disease earlier in life. Half of all Americans have at least one of the top three risk factors for heart disease. Those are:

— High blood pressure. Millions of Americans of all ages have high blood pressure, including millions of people in their 40s and 50s. About half of people with high blood pressure don’t have it under control. Having uncontrolled high blood pressure is among the biggest risks for heart disease and other harmful conditions, such as stroke.

— High blood cholesterol. High cholesterol can increase the risk for heart disease. Having diabetes and obesity, smoking, eating unhealthy foods and not getting enough physical activity all can contribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels.

— Smoking. More than 37 million U.S. adults are current smokers, and thousands of young people start smoking each day. Smoking damages the blood vessels and can cause heart disease.

On average, U.S. adults have hearts that are seven years older than they should be.

Other conditions and behaviors that affect your risk for heart disease include:

— Obesity. Carrying extra weight puts stress on the heart. More than 1 in 3 Americans — and nearly 1 in 6 children ages 2 to 19 — are obese, according to the CDC.

— Diabetes. Diabetes causes sugar to build up in the blood. This can damage blood vessels and nerves that help control the heart muscle. Nearly 1 in 10 people in the United States has diabetes.

— Physical inactivity. Staying physically active helps keep the heart and blood vessels healthy. Only 1 in 5 adults meets the physical activity guidelines of getting 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity.

— Unhealthy eating patterns. Most Americans, including children, eat too much sodium or salt, which increases blood pressure. Replacing foods high in sodium with fresh fruits and vegetables can help lower blood pressure. But only 1 in 10 adults is getting enough fruits and vegetables each day. Diet high in trans-fat, saturated fat, and added sugar increases the risk factor for heart disease.

To take control of heart health, the CDC recommends:

— Don’t smoke. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

— Manage conditions. Work with a health care team to manage conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This includes taking any medicines you have been prescribed. Learn more about preventing and managing high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

— Make heart-healthy eating changes. Eat food low in trans-fat, saturated fat, added sugar and sodium.

— Stay active. Get moving for at least 150 minutes per week. You can even break up the 30 minutes into 10-minute blocks. Learn more about how to get enough physical activity.

For more information, go to https://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth.