February is Heart Month: Here Are Ways to Improve Your Heart Health

How to Improve Your Heart Health

February is Heart Month: Here Are Ways to Improve Your Heart Health

Valentine’s Day is the day of love. On this most romantic day of the year, it’s all about love and that SOS who makes your heart flutter with happiness. But, if you aren’t heart-healthy, those romantic flutters could cause more damage than you could ever imagine and perhaps cause medical concerns small and large. February is Valentine’s Day and it’s Heart Month, a time when people should make a commitment to getting heart-healthy.

Three simple steps you can take to improve your heart health:

  1. Purchase a set of divided plates. The plates should have three sections. Each section should have a different food group. A colorful plate is a healthy plate. Aim to eat lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid processed foods, sugary sweets and other not-so-good for you foods.
  2. How fast do you eat the food on your plate? Far too many eaters do so quickly. This causes them to eat more food and miss out on the delicious morsels with each bite. Even more troubling, when you eat fast, it may cause concerns such as indigestion or bloating. Slow down when you eat, chewing each bite of food thoroughly before you swallow.
  3. Take three bites. It’s a rule of thumb and it’s the limit. Not for bites; not five even if you could finish it off in this number of bites. You want the first bite. The second bite is defiance. And the third bite is the bite is yours to savor and enjoy. Since we’ve discussed the importance of properly chewing, each bite can be amazing! Eat no more and no less and you’ll improve your heart health!

How to Create a Heart Health Plan

If you can afford prepared foods made through those diet programs, choose a cardiovascular-style diet and enjoy easy meals without the need to count calories, portions, etc. For everyone else, browse the web or other sources for diets that are approved by the American Heart Association. You can lose weight when you change your diet and eat the right foods. When the foods you choose are also AHA approved, you are doing great things for your well-being and overall health.

It is important to create a weight loss and heart-health plan no matter how you choose to do it. Every person is unique; if it works for you, strive to do great things with your life. Your age is unimportant as well. Everyone needs to take the steps necessary to keep their heart at its best. When you lose weight, you’ve already taken a huge step to improve your heart health.

Losing weight and improving your heart health takes diligence and effort. It takes persistence and a desire to improve your overall well-being. But, it is always possible if you are ready to make the efforts necessary for great change. Create your heart health plan, aim to lose weight and enjoy much more healthy Valentine’s Day with the person who’s always made your heart skip a beat.