Heart Health

Welcome back Natural Health Family. We are flying through the year already and March is approaching. As the days get longer and weather warms we will start to do more outside. This time comes with more events, activities, and opportunities to connect with others. For us at Natural Health February is heart month. Let’s discuss what all heart health entails and what we can do to help ourselves. 

So let’s start with food and exercise. Many people tend to think that they have to do a certain diet or they have to perform an exercise routine in order to be healthy. Food is fuel and nourishment of our bodies. The world is filled with so many different foods and food products that people may get confused. However, the simple way is to look back and ask what foods were grown in the garden, made by a tree, or part of what our ancestors hunted and foraged. These were healthy whole foods. Now it can be fine to eat different foods and snacks but important to make the staple good foods with no or minimal labels. Exercise is also important. It also doesn’t have to be a struggle and strain. The best thing to do is something small and build up to more as your body gets accommodated. Another important aspect is to like what you are doing. Everyone is different so explore what feels good to you, enjoy the process, and continue to work to get you to the goals you want to achieve. That being said, for our health, a little each day goes a long way. 

Now let’s talk about some features of the heart. Did you know that the heart alone each day pumps 2,000 gallons of blood. Is that not a wild statistic? I mean this intelligence that our body has is incredible. Now what about the heart's electrical capabilities. Did you know that the heart contains 40,000 neurons? That means that the heart permits and communicates a lot of information to the body. So when the brain and body communicate properly sending the correct signals then it produces what it needs to be healthy, and the heart influences that communication. When the heart functions properly then it pumps all that blood to all the cells of the body providing what our bodies need to live happy and healthy.    

Our hearts are some of the most amazing organs that we have. We are finding out more scientifically now what many people in the past knew about the potential of our hearts. When we connect, communicate, and are grateful for the things we have and the people we interact with we contribute positively to our overall heart health.

Be well everyone and enjoy your week.

Dr. Chip