Helping your
Valentine stay “Heart Healthy”
Valentine’s Day is over and we gave
our hearts to the people we love most in our lives. What better time of year to make sure that
the heart we gave so freely is the healthiest heart it can be? Sometimes the people we care about most need
a little help and encouragement in recognizing the habits they should embrace
to improve their cardiovascular health so that they can be around for many
Valentine’s Days to come! Here are some
ideas to help make improving heart health a shared effort that can help improve your wellbeing in
addition to bringing you closer together with your spouse or loved ones.
Pick certain nights of the week where you each get to pick a
healthy recipe to try for dinner that night.
Take your spouse to the grocery store to pick out the ingredients for
the meal. Once the ingredients are
gathered, cook together as a couple or a family. Since you are spending more time in the
kitchen now, take time to re-organize the kitchen together. Replacing less healthy foods with more
nutritious options or making them less conspicuous so they are not your first
choice when searching for a snack.
Who says your workout buddy cannot be your spouse? Sign up to take a class together, or if you
are already taking a class, invite your spouse or significant other to see what
it is like. Find something that you both
enjoy and you will be more likely to stick with it, all the while spending time
together!
Make it a date!
Instead of going out for dinner at a restaurant where it is
easy to have your efforts sabotaged, take your spouse out dancing or some other
physical activity. Go for a bike ride or
a long walk to get some exercise and get closer with each other. And keep in mind that being intimate is an
excellent form of exercise and decreases stress too!
So this month, make it a point for you and your valentine to
implement one of these ideas into your routine.
Hopefully it will lead you both to a more heart healthy lifestyle while
bringing you closer together.
- Ryan Schaul, MPT
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