When love goes bad we often refer to it as broken-heart and though we may think this is a purely psychological phenomenon there is evidence that the heart literally breaks and even the best heart doctors may struggle to differentiate it from a heart attack. The good news is when your heart breaks from love gone bad, loss of a loved one, a financial challenge and even strangely extreme happiness such as winning a huge amount of money or even a surprise mega party, all the changes are reversible from a few days to maximum 2 or 3 months.

This year St Valentine has decided to visit on a weekend making it even more difficult to sleep peacefully through the period. If you want a stress-free way to celebrate the weekend and yet make a lasting impression on hearts then print out these points and start practicing them together and you will be on the path to creating hearts fit for valentine and beyond.

1. Know your family

a. Unfortunately many of us are not aware of diseases that run in our families. It is important to know especially for those who died at an early age. Once you are aware of a lurking danger, then you must put in more effort to protect yourself.

b. Check on potential heart disease risks in your family such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol challenges, obesity and even alcohol abuse.

c. Discuss these with your doctor and map out an appropriate strategy.

2. Manage Stress

a. You may work or study hard but make time to “play”. It is important to have a balance in life.

b. Make time to sleep to rejuvenate and remember a walk outdoors may be a great stress-buster.

3. Know your numbers and keep them under control

a. It is important to check and know your blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol and weight. Getting to know is a great first step then go ahead to do what it takes to keep them under control. Do not wait for an ideal start day; start now with a small healthy choice.

b. Remember that most of these diseases; high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol are “silent”, they creep up on us slowly and we may even develop complications before symptoms and signs show up.

c. Fortunately for us, obesity is one of the few diseases that never requires a second opinion – tackle it aggressively.

4. Eat and drink right

a. For heart health cut back on “junk food”, minimize salt, sugar and oils (fats) and grab your fruits, vegetables and grains.

b. You know you should not smoke cigarette and if you do not drink alcohol please do not start, if you already drink stick with the barest minimum.

5. Exercise appropriately

a. The single most powerful tool for protecting your heart. It impacts positively on almost all the modifiable risk factors for heart disease.

b. The important point is to ensure it is regular and not excessive. Start slowly and increase intensity and duration as you get fitter.

c. Moderate (able to keep up a conversation) intensity exercise is best for most of us and we should aim at exercising most days of the week. At your peak you should be doing at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day and thankfully we can break that down into 10-minute chunks if we are hard pressed for time.

6. Indulge in Cocoa

1. Cocoa is by all standards a super food and the benefits to the heart and many other systems are overwhelming. The fewer the additives the better and we should all drink a warm cup of pure cocoa powder twice a day or at the very least once a day and our hearts will sing a melodious tune for years to come.
2. The role of cocoa (and dark chocolate) in controlling or preventing diabetes, managing high blood pressure, modifying blood cholesterol and improving our brain function all help to make our love life even more beautiful and what a great weekend to start making cocoa consumption a habit.

Is it not amazing that only small changes to our lifestyle have a huge effect on our HEART? Fortunately for us many of the factors that cause heart and blood vessel disease can be modified. Always remember that the following modifiable factors can have devastating implications on your heart if not tackled;

• High Cholesterol

• High Blood Pressure

• Diabetes

• Obesity

• Smoking

• Lack of Exercise or Inadequate Physical Activity

I believe you have done more good to your Valentine this weekend by sharing these points and pledging to follow the steps; so sit back, relax and enjoy a hot cup of pure cocoa drink and top it up with coconut juice. These two have a potency to ward off heart disease that is difficult to rival.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd/Mobissel/St. Andrews Clinic

(www.healthessentialsgh.com)

*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise.

Thought for the week – “If you plan to live to a ripe old age, make those golden years healthy ones and not bedridden years.”

References:

1. Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth – Dr. Kojo Essel
2. Health by Choice not Chance by Aileen Ludington & Hans Diehl