5 tips to show yourself some love this valentine
- By Bea Recuerdo (BSc)
- 7 Mar 2022
Valentine’s day: it’s that time of the year that we celebrate love and we love with our hearts, right? But It's not every day that we remember to take care of our hearts. Numbers show that cardiovascular diseases remain one of Europe's leading causes of death (Source: Eurostat). That's why this Valentine's Day, show yourself some love through a heart-healthy lifestyle. We could all use a little extra self-love this Valentine's Day, especially with all the stress, isolation, and anxiety caused by the pandemic.
And what better way to do it through these five self-care tips:
Tip #1: Exercise
It's no secret that exercise helps you maintain a healthy heart. But not everyone remembers it, though. Physically inactive individuals, or those who spend a lot of time watching tv, sitting, or driving in cars, have a higher risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases (Source: HSPH)
The American Heart Association recommends the following tips to live an active lifestyle:
- Remember: spend less time sitting. Try doing a light-intensity activity from time to time.
- Allot at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic exercise, or a combination of both preferably spread throughout the week.
Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities:
- Brisk Walking with at least 2.5 miles per hour
- Light Swimming and Water Aerobics
- Dancing (Either ballroom or other genres of social dancing)
- Backyard or Heavy Gardening
- Tennis (Doubles)
- Biking with speed not faster than 10 miles per hour
Examples of vigorous-intensity aerobic activities:
- Hiking uphill or with a heavy backpack
- Running
- Swimming Laps
- Aerobic Dancing
- Heavy Yardwork like continuous digging or hoeing
- Tennis (Singles)
- Cycling 10 miles per hour or faster
- Jumping Rope
- If you have time, you can also add moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity (such as resistance or weights) at least twice a week and increase the amount and intensity of your exercise gradually over time.
(Source: AHA)
Benefits of living an active lifestyle:
Aside from heart health, being active helps improve an overall sense of well-being. Studies have shown that exercise helps reduce the risk of developing dementia, and Alzheimer's, improve sleep brain activity such as memory, and attention, help maintain your weight and reduce the risk of depression and anxiety. (Source: AHA)
Working from home or don't have time to go out to exercise?
We recommend that you check out our climaqx home workout kit to help you get started with an active lifestyle.
Tip #2: Getting Sufficient Sleep
Loving your heart and yourself also means you need enough time to rest and "Getting sufficient sleep" is one of the most ignored health tips. According to studies, adults who sleep less than 7 hours every night are more at risk of developing health problems such as:
- High blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity;
- Affect productivity, attention, and memory; and
- A lack of initiative to exercise, and increased cravings for unhealthy food choices.
(Source: American Heart Association)
Here are some suggestions you can follow if you're having trouble sleeping:
- Maintain a consistent sleep routine. Every night, including weekends, go to bed at the same hour and rise at the same time.
- Obtain sufficient natural light much earlier in the day. Take a walk in the morning or at lunchtime.
- During the day, get enough physical activity. It can also be advised to reduce or avoid exercising too close to bedtime.
- Avoid artificial light, especially if you're going to bed a couple hours early. On your computer or smartphone, use a blue light filter.
- Avoid eating or drinking within a few hours of going to bed; especially avoid alcohol and foods heavy in fat or sugar.
- Try sleeping in a bedroom that is calm, dark, and peaceful.
Source: CDC & American Heart Association
It is also essential to seek help from professionals if you have sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and insomnia. (Source: American Heart Association)
Did you know that there are nutrients that help regulate your sleep?
L-Tryptophan has been studied to maintain regular sleep, including quality, efficiency, and sleep duration. We suggest you check out NOW foods L-Tryptophan if you're interested in helping improve the quality of your sleep.
Tip #3: Diet and Nutrition
There's a saying that goes "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach" and one way of looking into this saying is that taking care of our heart is not just about sleeping and exercising, but we have to be conscious of what we eat too.
A healthy and balanced diet is one way of preventing any form of the disease, especially non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and malnutrition, from developing. It also helps support the different functions of our body, especially immunity (Source: WHO).
Unfortunately, dietary trends have changed due to increased processed food manufacturing, rapid urbanization, and changing lifestyles. Today, a lot of people prefer convenient foods, and usually, these food products are high in calories, fats, added sugars, and salt/sodium.A healthy diet is a diet that:
- is a balance of fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, and protein;
- t's a diet that doesn't take up more than 30% of calories from fat and avoid foods that are high in trans-fat and saturated fats;
- A diet that is within the recommended level for salt and that's 5 g per day or 1 tsp.; and
- A diet that limits foods and drinks that are high in added sugar.
(Source: WHO)
It sounds easy, but asking help from a dietitian is also recommended as food portion sizes differ depending on an individual's age, sex, physical activity, and health condition. It's also important to consider your food preferences; this is still possible in a healthy diet!
For vegan people or who want to go vegan, we have a particular blog that discusses A Vegan's Beginner's Guide that you can check out here.
Have you heard about Omega-3?
According to studies, it has been proven that an intake of 250 mg EPA and DHA daily contributes to normal heart function. Read more about Omega-3 here.
Tip #4: Building & Maintaining Habits
The tips above are easy to list down, but it's pretty hard to follow for some. That is why building and maintaining healthy eating, exercise, and sleeping habits is essential.
Habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol should be avoided since both can increase the chance of developing heart problems, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, thus putting your body at risk. (Source: NCBI)
Create Good Habits
It's challenging to change habits all at once, so it's better to set small goals first. Start with something simple until it becomes easy for you to do, where it doesn't feel like an obligation.
There may be instances where you want to slip back to your old habits, or you might encounter a situation that can trigger bad habits. This is normal. That's why you slowly replace these bad habits with good ones and record them in your phone or diary.
Here are some reminders that can help you build healthy habits:
- Determine your goal. Start simple and do it one at a time.
- Plan how, when, and where you're going to do it. If you want to exercise regularly, you can start with simple stretches for 10 minutes a day, then once you get the hang of it, you can add a new exercise routine until you reach 30 minutes a day.
- Think about your goal when you see yourself turning back to your old habits. Take action and have self-control.
- Don't forget to congratulate yourself when you find yourself doing the action. Remember that a small win is still a win!
- It gets easier over time, and eventually, you should find yourself not thinking about it and doing it naturally.
Tip #5: Emotional Self-care
The heart has always been connected with love, feelings, and emotions, when technically, it's a body part that simply beats and helps supply blood across our body. But did you know that studies show that our emotions can negatively or positively impact our heart health?
Studies have shown that being exposed daily to stressful and traumatic events can increase the risk of heart disease. While workplace stress, loneliness, resentment, hostility, depression, anxiety, and even being pessimistic all have an impact on one's overall health, putting your heart at risk.
While being optimistic towards living life has been connected to improved sleep quality and a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases. (Source: American Heart Association)
The American Heart Association acknowledges the growing evidence between an individual's mental health and their physical health. An example is being exposed to chronic stress can increase hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol that impact blood pressure and heart rate. Studies further look into focus as a risk factor for heart disease. (Source: APA)
This is why taking care of yourself emotionally and mentally is essential. Talking about your feelings and managing and coping with stress is a critical factor to a happy life. The best way to start is by talking to a professional for some.
Mental Health Europe (MHE) is a non-governmental network organization in Europe that helps campaign the importance of mental health and do social work. You can check their website and read about their recent blog post about 10 ways to cope with stress during the pandemic.
The Benefits of Following These Heart-Healthy Tips
According to studies, there is a strong relationship between a healthy lifestyle and preventing heart diseases (Source: HSPH). See! Loving yourself through a healthy lifestyle has its perks!
Want to share the love this Valentine’s Day?
Share this post to your friends to let them know how important self-care is to the heart!
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