Treat Your Heart with Love this February

February is our month to honor those we love. Before we can love anyone else, though, we have to start with our own self-care. Loving ourselves, and taking good care of our bodies, makes us healthier and happier. It also sets a good example for those we love.

Alarmingly, the CDC notes: “Heart disease doesn’t happen just to older adults. It is happening to younger adults more and more often.” Why is this the case? The CDC further explains: “High rates of obesity and high blood pressure among younger people (ages 35-64) 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 (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking).”

If you have one of these risk factors, consider making it your mission to address that this February. It helps support your own heart health and it provides a good example to the younger people in your family. Be their role model for good self-care by enacting lifestyle choices that benefit your heart and your health.

Drop a bad habit

Smoking is a hard habit to break, but doing so is great for your heart. It also shows the young people in your family: “our tribe can conquer this! Smoking isn’t going to bring us down!” No doubt about it, quitting can be a challenge. If you feel like you’ve tried everything before, consider thinking differently about your ambition to quit. Talk with your doctor and see how he may be able to help.

Also, consider a new approach, such as hypnosis. While this may seem kind of a new age approach, many smokers have been able to kick the habit by being hypnotized. Another alternative, consider reading Allan Carr’s book The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.

The book basically deconstructs how we get addicted to smoking in the first place. It then challenges us to examine why we’re even attracted to the habit. By the time you put the book down, you realize that the habit is something that we’ve trained ourselves to enjoy. Carr’s method for quitting, then, is really just unraveling that training and recognizing the ways in which we’ve created a mythology around smoking.

In some ways, hypnosis can work the same way. A hypnotist may ask a subject to replace pleasant associations with unpleasant ones, and over time the subject may realize that smoking is no longer enjoyable.

Whatever works for you, quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. Plus, it sets a great example for the ones you love. Treat your heart and your tribe to that precious gift this February.

Get Your Groove On

Move in whatever way is available to you. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of movement per week. Maybe that means grabbing a partner and going to the community center to waltz, cha-cha or tango. Perhaps it means chair yoga. Maybe you can play table tennis, swim or play pickle ball. Perhaps you and some friends can meet up at the mall for a morning walk.

Take a class. Join a group. Play a game. Do whatever kind of movement gets your heart pumping and feels fun! Just make sure to get the thumbs up from your doctor before you decide on a workout regiment to make sure that it’s a good fit for you.

Eat Like Your Doctor’s Watching

Treats are a wonderful and necessary part of life, but we have to use them to season not dominate our dietary routines. The CDC reports: “High cholesterol can increase the risk for heart disease. Having diabetes and obesity, smoking, eating unhealthy foods, and not getting enough physical activity can all contribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels.”

Discuss your diet with your doctor and then eat in a way that furthers your health goals. Try to avoid foods that are high in sugar, salt, trans-fat and saturated fats. Instead, fill your plate with the good stuff - fruits, veggies and healthy proteins.

Get Good Health Care

Find a doctor you like and trust and keep up with your visits. Then honor your doctor’s recommendations. Make heart health a priority for yourself, and also for your family. Your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are watching. They learn how to treat their health by watching how you treat your own. Start a family legacy of good self-care this February by showing your family how it’s done.