5 heart-healthy valentine’s day gifts
Valentine’s Day is unquestionably the holiday with the most heart. The universal symbol for love comes in the form of heart-shaped chocolate boxes, tiny candies and flower arrangements. But this year, instead of gifting your partner with a pound of sweets, why not give a gift that tugs on the healthier side of the heartstrings? Here are five heart-healthy gift-giving alternatives to show your loved one you care.
A comedy movie or show
If you’re the type that prefers spending a night out, skip the fancy (and often times gluttonous) dinner in favor of a funny movie or stand-up comedy show. Laughter provides a strong punch line of health benefits for the heart. When you laugh, your body releases endorphins that can reduce stress hormone levels, lower your risk of blood pressure, and boost your immune system.
www.upmc.com
Gym/yoga pass
For more active couples, what better way to strengthen your relationship bond then with a membership to your favorite gym or yoga studio? This one goes without saying; regular exercise is and always will be one of the best ways to improve the health of your heart. Plus, think of how rewarding it will be to accomplish health goals by sweating it out with the one you love.
Fitness tracker
Gadgets are generally a safe bet regardless of the occasion. If committing to a membership is too much for you, then a fitness tracker with a heart rate monitor is a step in the right direction. The wearable devices make keeping track of your physical and mental well being easy. Most devices are compatible with your smartphone, and you can tailor them to your fitness needs.
Heart-shaped berry arrangement
If fitness really isn’t your thing, then why not try a healthy, eatable arrangement. Berries pack a delicious array of heart healthy benefits, they’re a good source of fiber and vitamin C, and are linked with lowering the risk of heart attack. Not to mention how good they taste and how cute they look.
www.health.com
Dark chocolate
For those who need to indulge in their sweet tooth, dark chocolate is the way to go. As with berries, dark chocolate provides plenty of heart healthy benefits as a good source of antioxidants and fiber. The compounds in dark chocolate can be protective against the oxidation of LDL, which means it can prevent cholesterol lodging the arteries, lowering the risk of heart disease. How sweet is that!
www.healthline.com
new guidelines for staying active in 2019
Are you and your children struggling to get in the recommended two-and-a-half hours of exercise a week? Try parking your car a little further out in the parking lot, and play jump rope or shoot some hoops with your kids. In November, the federal government released new guidelines—the first in 10 years—highlighting the benefits of regular exercise.
According to the health and human services department, 80 percent of Americans don’t get enough exercise. That increases the risk of depression and anxiety, the risk of diseases of aging (such as Alzheimer’s), and the risk of early death. Here are a few of the new guidelines:
• Move more and sit less.
• Include strength training of some sort two or more days a week.
• Children aged six to 17 need at least an hour of exercise a day, including bone-strengthening exercise such as jumping rope.
• Toddlers and small children should keep active throughout the day, getting a minimum of three hours of light, moderate and intense exercise every day.
What are the benefits of exercise? Small children grow stronger bones and maintain healthier weights. Older children learn better. And exercise lowers the risk of eight types of cancer: breast, colon, lung, endometrial, bladder, esophageal, kidney and stomach. In the long term, exercise lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes. And in the short term, it improves memory, reduces anxiety and depression, and improves sleep.
www.nbcnews.com
