Declared the month of love and Black History, February is an eventful time of the year. But did you know it is also American Heart Month? How have you been intentional about your heart health this month? Can we have a heart-to-heart? The truth is that your heart’s physical and emotional state significantly impacts your mindset and overall well-being. Identifying strategies to improve your physical health, manage stress, and engage in empowering social interactions boost your energy, peace of mind, and creativity.
Diet & Exercise
Many of the major and costly chronic health conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, can be eliminated or controlled with proper diet and exercise. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I understand the struggle of choosing healthy options over those oh-so-delicious, not-so-healthy ones. The trick is to remember that it’s not about perfection or a complete overhaul of your diet. It’s small incremental changes that eventually amount to big rewards—choosing, for example, to limit sugary drinks to 2-3 per week. Or exchanging frozen or processed meals for more fresh food options, choosing baked and broiled versus fried. Or satisfying your sweet tooth with naturally sweet fruit instead of candy, cakes, and cookies. Moderation is the key. Again, it’s not a complete overhaul all at once. Enjoy the foods you like, but decrease the frequency and mix in something new.
Being active and moving your body not only helps to burn off the extra calories you ingest, but it also helps to keep your body healthy and strong. Think about it: you will have the same heart, lungs, brain, bones, skin, muscles, etc., for 80, 90, 100 plus years. If you want it to last, you must treat it right. That doesn’t mean intense workouts for 2 hours a day, seven days per week. Thirty minutes is a great baseline. That can be lifting, running, swimming, or even walking. The key is to do something. Another phenomenal benefit of routine exercise is its ability to help drive your diet changes and promote mental health.
Stress Management
Have you heard of fight or flight? It explains a fantastic process within the human body where, when faced with a dangerous situation, the body undergoes physiological changes to prepare you to fight for your life or run to safety. These physiological changes, like dilated pupils for a wider visual field, increased respiratory rate to take in more oxygen, and increased blood flow to vital organs, are significant compensatory mechanisms for survival. Stress also triggers this process. The problem is that with stress, these changes, which are meant to be brief and temporary, become prolonged and constant and eventually wear down the body systems. Therefore, managing stress is not only good for your mental health but also significantly impacts your physical health. Consider using some of the following strategies to manage stress effectively:
Deep breathing exercises help you regain focus and reestablish homeostasis.
Journaling allows reflection and practical sorting of emotions.
Meditation restores peace through inner and outer balance.
Spending time in nature restores connection and prioritization.
Empowered Interactions
Connecting, collaborating, and contributing to the world around us feeds our confidence and fuels our purpose. Interactions that support these concepts facilitate peace and fulfillment, which ignites our creativity and drives us to produce and contribute on a grander scale. When considering who we are and what we can accomplish, we must also consider our environment. Research says that we are the average of our five closest relationships. Being intentional about the environments and people we share our energy with is not merely social etiquette but mental preservation. Engage with people, places, and things that align with your purpose and self-perception, and don’t be afraid to protect your peace.
While it is true that we are complex beings living in a complicated world, we can have an uncomplicated experience when we take a step back, remember what’s important, and take things one step at a time. Developing healthy habits, effective coping skills, and quality connections are crucial to building a strong foundation. With that, the sky is the limit. Live your best life.