Did you know that Valentine’s Day just happens to fall right in the middle of American Heart Month? That’s right. February is National American Heart Month and I believe that this is not just a coincidence.
You see, cardiovascular problems effect approximately 48 percent of all adults in the United States and although heart disease is sometimes thought to be a man’s disease it actually effects almost as many women as it does men.
Studies have shown that there is a significant correlation between our emotional heart and our physical one. Most people are aware that things like an unhealthy diet, inactivity, over consuming alcohol, and smoking can lead to heart disease. But, it is also true that things like stress, loneliness, depression, and burnout all increase the risk of cardiovascular disease while joy, love, laughter, and self-care can actually reduce the risk.
So, this Valentine’s Day and during the entire month of February, let’s take the opportunity to not only show our loved ones how much we care about them, but also shower ourselves with a little self-love too. Here are a few ideas to help you get started to support your emotional heart which will also help keep your physical heart healthy at the very same time.
Care For Your Emotional Heart
Create Joy Daily – Take care of your emotional heart by focusing on things that create joy in your life. Happiness comes in many forms and what makes us happy is different for each of us. Whether it be spending time working on a hobby or project you enjoy, going for a walk with a family member or your dog, treating yourself to a massage or a pedicure, or inviting a friend to lunch, spending time doing things that we enjoy either on our own or with people that we care about, lifts our spirits and can be very healing.
Re-evaluate Your To-do List – Avoid stress and burnout as much as possible by doing a review of how you are spending time and evaluating what needs to go and what you want to continue doing. Time is the one commodity that we all have the same of. We all have exactly 24 hours in every day. Sometimes the hours get over-filled with tasks that have piled on over the years. Tasks that seem important but are they truly important to you? Follow this simple method to inventory your to-do list and determine what tasks you can either let go of, have others help you with, or possibly even hire out such as dog grooming, yard maintenance, house cleaning, shopping, or even cooking a few weekly meals for you.
- On a sheet of paper, make 2 columns. At the top of the first column write Things I want to Keep and at the top of the second column write Things I’d like to let go of.
- Brainstorm all of your tasks and responsibilities that you plan to do over the course of the next week and write them down in either the column of things you want to keep or the column of things you’d like to let go of. Make sure to include self-care items like meal planning, exercise, prayer or meditation, and personal care such as hair & nail appointments.
- Once your list is complete, go back through the things you’d like to keep and put a star by the ones that are non-negotiable. You either want or need to do these things yourself. These things you will continue to do as long as they are necessary and/or that they truly give you pleasure.
- Next, review the remaining items in the things to keep column and decide if you really want to keep them or if you could let them go. If you want or need to keep them, either place a star next to the item if you intend to do it yourself or place and “O” next to the item indicating that it still needs to be done but you can delegate it to “other” people. Cross off any items you decide you don’t want to continue doing yourself or to delegate.
- Next look at the things you’d like to let go of column and determine if each item really needs to be done or could you let it go altogether. If the item needs to be done, put an “N” next to it indicting that it is needed. Draw a line through the remaining items that are not needed. Yes! These items are no longer on your to-do list.
- Now, review the items you marked with an “N” as needed and see if any of these can be taken care by or delegated to someone else. Mark any items that can be done by other people with an “O”. Perhaps the kids or your spouse could take on some of the housework, a teenager neighbor could help with yardwork & car washing, or the grocery shopping can be done by placing an order with a local grocery store or through the Instacart app so that the shopping can be done while you are at work and delivered to you right before you head home at the end of the day.
- Begin setting up those needed tasks to be completed by other people that you no longer need to do. Communicate clearly what needs to be done, any time frames if they need to be done by a specific time, and make sure the person is able and willing to carry out the tasks. If you get any resistance from family members, assure them that by helping out with these tasks, they will be greatly helping you and taking an important role in supporting the household. By working together, the tasks will get done more quickly leaving more time for fun stuff.
= Things you want to continue doing yourself.
N= Things that need to be done by either you or others.
O= Things you will delegate to other people or hire out.
Draw a line through any items that you will no longer be doing or delegating to others.
Except Help, Nurturing and Affection
When we re-evaluate our to-do list as outlined above, some people especially women, find it difficult to delegate tasks and except help when someone offers it. Remember that people want to help and allowing them to do so gives them the opportunity to give back to you and make them feel good. Except help whenever it is offered knowing that it is as good for them as it is for you.
Nurturing and affection are shown in many ways. A gentle touch or kiss, holding hands, receiving help, and random acts of kindness are all ways that demonstrate our love for each other. When we give or receive help, nurturing, and affection from others, our bodies respond by producing more happy hormones and even increasing levels of estrogen in women and testosterone in men. A healthy dose of these hormones supports both your emotional heart and your physical heart too.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day and the entire month of February, I’m inviting you to take care of your heart and make your emotional well-being a priority with these helpful tips:
- Make time for self-care whether it’s booking a spa day appointment or simply taking time to read your favorite book.
- Accept nurturing and affection
- Feed your body nutritious foods
- Include Omega 3 fats in your diet daily from salmon and other cold water fish, arctic cod liver oil, grass-fed beef, butter from grass-fed cows such as Kerrygold, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and their oils. Foods containing omega 3 fats, are very beneficial to reduce inflammation and support a healthy heart.
- Get daily exercise. Even a 30-minute brisk walk makes a big impact on our cardiovascular health.
- Connect with friends & family with a simple phone call or set up a time to go for a walk or to have lunch together.
- Be kind and offer gratitude to yourself and your body through your thoughts, how you speak, and by enjoying healthy indulgences.
- Avoid sugar, smoking, recreational drugs, and overconsumption of caffeine and alcohol.
- Avoid negative thoughts and negative talk about yourself, your body, and about others.
May you have a very happy Valentine’s Day and always enjoy good health.
Soon to be Released!
My new book The Simply28 REAL Food Cookbook with everything you need to improve your health and live your healthiest life through real food is coming soon! In this book I teach people how to get back to our roots of preparing and enjoying nutrient dense foods to lower blood sugar and A1C levels, boost your immune system, reduce bloating and intestinal discomfort, give you more energy and look and feel better than you ever have before! Plus, you will find over 100 easy to prepare gluten and grain free recipes. The book will be available on Amazon and through Simply28.com spring of 2023.
The Simply28 REAL Food Cookbook
