Easy ways to boost the heart you love

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Valentine’s Day may have been and gone, but you still need to look after your heart and keep it healthy and strong if you want to live well.

On the go food, desk jobs and social media scrolling can all lead to a life that isn’t so great for your heart.

We aren’t here to spoil the fun or lay down the law, but we have some easy to implement ideas that could help you to boost your heart health and lead a better, fitter, happier life in 2020.

Look at portion sizes
The extra-large hot chocolate with cream, the super-size fizzy drink at the cinema and just one more slice of cake might taste good, but the additional calories, sugar and fat could play havoc with your heart as well as your waistline and your teeth. When it comes to portion sizes, you don’t have to overload your plate at every meal or fill your bowl to the top when it comes to cereal. Go easy on meat, stack up the veggies and be sure to drink plenty of water.

Snack on nuts
Yes, we know they come with fats, but eating nuts can help lower your cholesterol levels and half a handful with a banana will help to fill you up. You might want to try walnuts because they are a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acids that can help decrease inflammation in the arteries and protect your heart.

You generally want to eat a balanced diet that is rich in fruit and veg as well as wholegrains, protein and water. Yes, have treats but don’t make take-aways your daily supper staple or you may end up in trouble.

Think about how you cook
As well as what you eat, when it comes to your heart, you need to think about how you prepare your food. To boost your heart and overall health, we suggest you avoid frying or cooking foods in fat and this includes meat, fish and vegetables. If you bake, boil, grill, steam, or poach you will get all the goodness without the nasty heart harming extras. If you are worried about losing flavour, add in spices, herbs, garlic and lemon juice but ease up on salt, cheese and artery clogging cream.

See your friends
Loneliness and isolation aren’t good for any of us. As well as leaving us sad and prone to eating junk food and binge watching boxsets, it can raise the levels of stress hormones which can interfere with circulation and this makes your heart work harder, but not better. So, why not get out and see your friends, make new ones at a club or start a hobby and fill your heart with happiness and connections? Even better, play some sport or join a dance class and get some of the exercise your heart craves and loves.

Give up smoking
We know quitting is hard, but if you do smoke now is the time to stop. Smoking is one of the main causes of heart disease and as soon as you stop, your risk of a heart attack begins to fall. Quitting will also mean you smell better, breathe more easily, save money and generally live life in a smoke free, heart happier zone. There are many free resources out there to make this easier, and you can speak to your GP for help with this.

Ease up on booze
We always say everything in moderation, and that includes drinking. Some research says drinking red wine could be beneficial for your heart, but this is a ‘may’ so if you want to boost your heart health, limiting your consumption of alcohol will be a step in the right direction. Too much wine, beer or vodka won’t be good for you and can lead to abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure as well as strokes, liver issues and some cancers.

The thing is, you only have one heart, so love it and look after it and it will serve you well.

Team Pure Beauty

The Loving Way to Do Valentine’s Day

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Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

The history of Valentine’s Day is somewhat shrouded in mystery but we believe it is named after a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century, with origins in the Roman holiday, Lupercalia.

Regarded by some as a commercial exploitation exercise and an excuse to spend money, 14th February is the traditional day of love around the world.

While it is love that counts, we have come up with a few ideas to make sure the person you love, really knows it.

Organise a picnic in the park complete with blanket, champagne and cake.

Book a table at the restaurant where you had your first date.

Send flowers to the office, but not roses, everyone will have those on their desks!

Surprise the one you love with a weekend away to a city you have never been to.

Have a photo album of your most treasured pictures created.

Buy them a star – a real declaration of love.

Propose.

Take a helicopter ride.

Go to a matinee at the cinema and hold hands in the back row.

Find a first edition copy of their first book.

Adopt a monkey, dolphin or elephant and share your love.

Go dancing.

Bake them a cake.

Buy silk pillowcases – they promote sleep and a gorgeous complexion.

Cook dinner at home and enjoy some quiet time together.

Take afternoon tea at a manor house.

Go on an open top bus tour and watch the buzz of the city under the stars.

Eat fish and chips on the beach.

Go to a cocktail making class.

Find the record of your song and have it framed.

Buy a diamond.

Go on a date if you are single.

Get on a train and see where it takes you.

Buy chocolates and give them to a stranger.

Renew your vows.

Go on a long bike ride and feel the air in your lungs.

Take an exotic holiday and get away form the cold and wet winter.

Go to the zoo.

Book tickets to the theatre.

Explore the woods.

Drive out to the countryside and have a pint by a roaring fire.

Take a boat trip along the river.

Sit in the stalls at the opera.

Book a personal shopper and add in some spending money for a fancy frock.

Climb a mountain together.

Serenade your loved one, if you have the voice for it or are feeling brave.

Go to Barcelona for lunch and Paris for dinner.

Spend the day at a spa being pampered.

Take to the skies in a hot air balloon.

Go to a rock concert.

Hold hands and walk along the beach.

Put photos of the two of you in a locket.

Buy them some beautiful Dermalogica products.

Take the day off work and do nothing at all.

Whatever you do and whomever you do it with, say I love you and mean it.

Team Pure-Beauty