Four ways to tell your heart “I love you”

The Canadian Heart and stroke association tells us that 8 in 10 cases of premature heart disease and stroke cases are preventable through healthy lifestyle behaviors. We’ve rounded up the top 4 ways to show your heart some love.

Eat a balanced diet

The key, like we’re always saying, is to include a variety of vegetables, fruits, protein, and healthy fats in your daily diet. In other words, eat the rainbow! When you have the time and energy, you can opt for cooking yourself a meal at home from scratch, that way you’ll know exactly what goes in your meal. 

Don’t be afraid to snack! Snacking in between meals can help keep you energized and functional until your next meal.

Move 

Heart and Stroke recommends adults should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. 

Vary between endurance exercise (running, cycling, swimming, tennis…), stretching (yoga, gardening, tai chi), and strength training (push-ups, weights training, resistance bands)

The serotonin and endorphins released during exercise can even help you manage your stress. 2 in 1!

Manage your stress

Although stress is completely normal and can even help us in many ways, letting go of stress from time to time is essential to avoid it from having a negative impact on our sleep, immune system, and overall health. 

If you are going through a period of stress, make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Try a meditation video or podcast to help you clear your head from what is worrying you and focus on the present. 

Add whole grains to your diet

Low in fat and high in fiber, whole grains are some of the best foods for maintaining healthy blood pressure and telling your heart "I love you". 

Whole grains (like quinoa, wink wink) contain good amounts of fiber, protein, and nutrients that will help you stay satiated for longer. And studies show that high-fiber diets can lower the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases.

Adding whole grains to your diet doesn’t have to be complicated! And it doesn’t have to happen overnight. Switching up your side of white rice for quinoa on one day, trying a pasta recipe using GoGo Quinoa quinoa pasta on another, and finding a whole-grain bread that you like. If you don’t like it, don’t force yourself. Try something else. Find something you like.

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