Love Your Heart This Valentine’s Season
Put Your Heart First This Valentine’s Season
What’s on your Valentine’s Day list this year? A dozen red roses? A box of gourmet chocolates? A romantic getaway or tickets to the big game? These excellent choices may cause hearts to flitter—a great reminder that with all the love going around, our hearts need love, too!
As one in four deaths are caused by heart disease, American Heart Month in February is a great time for some uplifting activities that our hearts can fall in love with.
Ask your heart to dance
It’s not always easy to exercise in winter, so why not get creative? Bust a move and clean your house to music. Try your hand at an indoor climbing wall. Play laser tag with the kids. Go ice skating, or try yoga, Pilates or water aerobics. As you dance about, remember that signs of heart attack vary for men and women; if you don’t feel quite right, be sure to seek care.
Take your heart to dinner
Love with every “fiber” of your being—by keeping fiber and whole grains in your meals! High-fiber diets have been shown to lower blood pressure and encourage a healthy weight. (While we’re on the topic of fiber, February is a great time to schedule your colonoscopy!)
Find a partner your heart can trust
Every heart has a story to tell. When it comes to choosing health care providers, let your heart in on the decision. PacMed’s team features some of the longest-serving doctors in the region, who invest in doing right by patients over the long haul.
If you’re looking for someone new, drop in for a visit—including our state-of-the art Nuclear Cardiology department at our First Hill clinic, led by Dr. Philip Massey and assisted by Dr. Keiko Aikawa.
