February is Heart Month

February is the month to be mindful of our hearts. And, it seems the interpretation changes as we get older - but it shouldn’t. Yes, it is nice to be about love and relationships, but how about nurturing the actual pitter-patter? Let’s teach our kids about the importance of being heart healthy - along with the cute valentines))

Let’s make February the month to improve our cardiac outlook. How about including a healthy additive to your diet - oatmeal, or flax seed, or how about Brazil nuts? Dr. Michael Greger from his book How Not to Die discusses a research study that was done in Brazil on the benefits of Brazil nuts. The researchers found after testing that the group that was taking a single serving of Brazil nuts, their cholesterol went down markedly. And you should know, that increased cholesterol has a direct connection to heart disease. As Dr. Greger points out - with the good benefits of Brazil nuts like the mineral selenium, taking about 1 serving (4 nuts) a month is safe and could be beneficial, there is no down-side.

And what about momo - movement & mobility? How about taking a brisk walk every day. But it’s raining! How about going out with an umbrella and celebrating the winter bliss. Or, take it to the mall with some good walking shoes and go ‘round and ‘round. Whatever - but don’t use the rain as an excuse.

And spiritual health - remind yourself of all the love that surrounds you. Whatever warms your heart, your family, dog/cat/pet, a baby - whatever makes you smile -get more of that.

This is how you can be heart healthy in February!