The secret to your hearts happiness? Eat. Sleep. Play! Three steps to start romancing your heart.

What you put on your plate plays a huge role on how your heart behaves. A healthy diet can reduce your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease and keep your heart pumping with love.

Put these on your plate!

Increase your hearts happiness by including these fibrous fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also rich in vitamins and minerals like potassium, magnesium and antioxidants that are beneficial to you little love muscle. Go to town like it’s a hoe down on these:

Scratch the salt

Eugh … if it’s my one weakness in life it is anything salty. I love the stuff but unfortunately salt is a no-no when it comes to your hearts wants and desires. A high level of salty foods has been found to increase your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. It also causes some other unflattering symptoms like fluid retention. Now ditching the salt at the dinner table is not the only thing I’m talking about, as a general rule most processed and pre-packaged foods are full of salt – so remember fresh is best! If you are going to eat something from a packet (let’s face it, we all have these moments) make sure you read your labels before you start your hoe down.

Fat attack

When eating for your hearts happiness you really need to be mindful of the types of fats you are consuming. Eliminate trans fats from your diet altogether … this means deep fried, fast foods, pre-packaged foods and microwave dinners, anything that lives in a box or a can, and any of those tasty treats from the bakery around the corner … I’m sorry but they need to go too. You can however, consume “healthy fats” from plant based origins, so feel free to enjoy avocados, nuts, olives and coconut oil.

Don’t forget to increase your omega 3’s which is actually a fatty acid that helps reduce your risk of heart disease. You can find this omega goodness in things like fresh fish and salmon or if you don’t consume meat treats, then try Chia seeds instead.

Lack of sleep can quite often be the difference between healthy and not so healthy. You can read the article on www.snorebay.com to know more about snoring and its effect on sleep patterns.  Allowing your body to sleep and be in a restful state gives your body a chance to regenerate and recharge. Just like your phone battery drains throughout the day from usage and you need to plug it in at night time, you too need to plug in – or rather unplug.

Sleep deprivations can lead to a range of health issues like obesity, low immunity, depression, high blood pressure and even heart attack. Make sleep a priority and make sure you completely unplug. Don’t over stimulate your brain just before bedtime. This means no browsing through the book of faces or pinning cute looks for tomorrow as you lay in bed and no falling asleep with the TV on “sleep timer”. Get ready for bedtime like you would for a date – take your time to enjoy some downtime.

Hop, skip, jump, dance, run, skate, slip, slide … however you like to move your body, just do it – Play every day!

Regular moving and shaking is beneficial not only for our bods aesthetics but also for our hearts. Try and get at least 30 minutes a day of “play time” and reduce your risk of heart disease. Exercise also helps to slim your waistline and reduce your risk of other diseases that can be damaging to your little ticker. As if that wasn’t enough, increasing your heart rate and moving your body produces feel good endorphins – making you quite literally happier! Talk about a win-win combination.

Make sure you make it fun. This will increase your chances of success. Organise to go for a hike with friends, or stand up paddle boarding. You could even get all your friends together and dress up in your 70’s disco attire and have a roller skating party! Moving your body doesn’t just have to be sweating it out on the treadmill, be open to new activities that help you work up a sweat.

While we are talking about matters of the heart remember to love with all your might, quieten your mind from time to time and don’t sweat the small stuff …

For more Healthy Living Inspirations head on over and visit my friends at Raw Blend. Don’t forget to share all of your healthy living adventures we wanna see your photos and videos on Instagram and twitter and so sure you tag @paigehemmis and hashtag #DIYplay #EverydayAdventures 

Ameka Jane

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