Ways to a Healthier Heart
February is heart health month and the best way to get your heart healthy is to practice a few heart health exercises and to adopt a strategy to keep your heart at it’s best. Here is some ways right now you can get that heart into tip-top shape before the end of the month and keep the habits throughout the rest of the year.
1. Call your doctor: Make an appointment to get your heart looked at. There are several risk factors that should be checks such as blood pressure, weight, cholesterol level and even blood sugar index. This test can be done in one visit and it’s the best way to find out how healthy your heart is to begin with.
2. Get enough sleep: Sleep is something that seems to be a luxury to some more than others. WE deprive ourselves of sleep and in turn we are weakening our hearts as well. So always get enough rest, your heart needs it too.
3. Eat right: Always opt for a snack with a peels rather than a snack with a wrapper. Eating more fruits and veggies are the best way to help your heart. And when you eat out, make smart choices. Avoid anything that says crispy, crusted, breaded or sizzling. Instead stick with roasted, steamed, grilled, baked or even poaches or broiled.
4. Stay moving: Always staying moving is the best way to a healthier heart and if you have trouble sticking with your exercising, up load your favorite music onto an MP3 player and get going.
5. STOP SMOKING!
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Earthly Eating Recipe
Spinach and Fig Salad
Serves: 4
8 ounces fresh spinach
8 ounces blue cheese
6 figs
Handful of almonds
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. powdered sugar
1 small shallot, finely minced
1/2 garlic clove, pureed
7 springs of thyme, stems removed
4 ounces pomegranate concentrate
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 ounce vinegar
4 ounces olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees and roast the handful of almost for about 15-20 minutes.
Cover the almonds with a dusting of powdered sugar, cayenne and pepper to your taste and set aside.
Combine the shallots, garlic, thyme, pomegranate concentrate, mustard and vinegar and oil and season with salt and pepper to your own taste.
Mix the spinach with the dressing and season once more to your taste with salt and pepper.
Place the coated spinach in serving dishes and top with the almonds and the blue cheese and serve.
Happy Eating!
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