Heart Health Month: Love it up!

February is here, is almost half over! 2013 is going by quickly for my family, how about yours?

February has been named "American Heart Month" to help bring awareness to the number one killer of both men and women, heart disease.

Taking good care of your heart is very important.  The good news is through a healthy diet and regular exercise you can keep your heart muscle working long into the future.  We all know someone who has suffered or died from heart disease.  We should all take it very seriously.  But, this post is not about how often to workout or what type of food you should put in your grocery cart.  It is about love, yeah the other "heart".

Since becoming a mother I have often said I think babies take a piece of the mom's heart along with them when it leaves the womb.  If you have nursed your newborn you may have noticed yourself being "flipped off", good for a little chuckle and maybe a picture.  I told my mom about how many women share photos of their nurslings flipping the bird, and she, in her vast amounts of grandmotherly wisdom (ok, she is a nutritionist who has also studied alternative medicine at the Kushi Institute), quickly said "the middle finger is the heart regulator" of course babies flip the bird when nestled into their mother's bosom, their hearts are tied to and opened from the love of their mothers.

Here are the two hearts that tug at mine.
Thank you Lamarand Style Photography!

We often say things like `my heart is filled with love`, or `I have a broken heart`.  We don't "feel" with our heart, of course, emotions are "felt" in the brain.  There is a mind body soul connection that impacts our actual health.  When we are happy our health benefits from it, and when we suffer from mental health problems our physical health shows an outward display of this malady (for more information see healthy people).  Mental health status is associated with many of today's chronic diseases, including heart disease.

Just like we can keep our heart muscle in shape by the things we eat and activities we do every day, we can also keep our love in shape.  In fact, we should put just as much effort into keeping our bodies healthy as we do our minds and souls.

Making sure our children feel loved at all times is important to their mental and physical health.  When you hug someone you can actually feel relaxed, calmed, your heart rate can come down if you are frightened or stressed.  Love, the physical action of positive touch, can actually help your heart!  (Now, take a moment to go hug your kids!)  Welcome back! I hope that hug turned into a giggle or a snuggle or a book being read, a moment shared.  You will never regret giving your child an extra hug.  Giving a hug, or other form of physical contact helps the person giving and the person receiving, so give often and receive openly.

We need to remember to love our partners too.  For my family that means a very hard working and dedicated father.  He deserves more affection than I manage to give him, I know that!  This is one area where I can always improve.  Along with physical contact we also need to use words that always convey the love we truly hold for one another.  'I'm sorry' is often just as, if not more, important in a marriage as 'I love you'.  My husband and I have been married for over 7 years, we hope to live see our 70th wedding anniversary. I know our life will be filled with thousands of chances to say I love you and I'm sorry.  Do your heart and your partner's heart a favor let go of even the tiniest grudge, together, maybe this Valentine's Day?

Our little girl pulls at her Daddy's heart.

Finally, we as mothers often forget to love ourselves.  Truly, deeply love yourself. Say it with me.  "I love me! I am amazing! I am a mommy, and I love me!"  It is very easy for mothers to use their family as an excuse for not taking care of themselves.  "I don't have time to eat right or exercise" - but the truth is you don't have time not to.  Your children deserve a mother who is healthy, both mentally and physically.  You are the example for your children.  They need to see a mother who cares about her own health, because they will emulate you.  Want you kid to eat healthy? Eat healthy yourself.  Want your kid to be a healthy weight?  Exercise yourself.  Want your child to be confident? Have confidence. Want your child to show the world love and joy? Show the world love and joy! Easy pattern to follow, not always easy to execute.  Work on each thing slowly and deliberately and you will see your love and life grow.  

Happy heart health month, may your hearts be filled with love to give from the love you have received.



HealthyPeople.gov. Mental Health.  Accessed February 12, 2013. http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/LHI/mentalHealth.aspx