Give A Little Love to your Heart

Give a little love to your heart! Heart health is critical to healthy bones and muscles! This Valentine’s Day weekend pledge your love to your heart by taking these simple steps to improve your heart health:

1) Load up on heart-healthy veggies and fruits-leafy green vegetables, beets, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries all are great for reducing blood pressure, decreasing inflammation and improving oxygenation.

2) Pamper yourself! While not all spas are back to normal just yet, prioritizing self-care is critical in reducing stress, which helps with lowering blood pressure and inflammation in your blood vessels.

3) Exercise regularly-we recommend exercising for at least 30 minutes daily, five days a week. Activities such as Pilates, yoga, interval training, weight training are all great options. And if you need help with getting your muscles going, make sure you make an appointment with Dr. Erin, our physical therapist!

4) Practice mindfulness-the practice of actively and intentionally noticing new things. This helps with centering you in the present, which ultimately reduces stress levels.

5) Improve your Vitamin D levels- low Vitamin D levels are a leading risk factor for heart attacks, as well as many of the conditions associated with high blood pressure and diabetes.

6) Opt for dark chocolate-this Valentine’s Day, reach for the dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids, which can boost heart health.