Broken heart

So Valentine's Day is over - hope it brought you whatever you wished for….. a mountain of cards from secret admirers, flowers, chocolates, dinner or just an unexpected cup of tea in bed ( it's the little things) or maybe you are single and suffering from a broken heart :(Well this post is actually about your health - and most importantly your heart. See whilst we talk about the emotional broken heart, the truth is that many people don't look after their physical heart and hell, without it your heart pumping blood and oxygen around your body, the fact that someone dumped you and you might feel like Bridget Jones will be the least of your problems.February is National Heart Month and organizations and charities like the British Heart Foundation are asking everybody to pay attention to their hearts and start living healthier lifestyles.Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer causing around 82,000 deaths a year and around one in five men and one in eight women die from the disease.In the UK, there are an estimated 2.7m people living with the condition and 2m people affected by angina, the most common symptom of coronary heart disease.Most people know someone or have themselves been directly affected by heart disease and the saddest part is a lot of times it is avoidable by changing lifestyle habits. Simple changes in diet by reducing your salt intake and eliminating processed foods from your diet and trying to get a several hours of exercise a week can make a huge difference.A healthy diet reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and prevents weight gain which puts pressure on your heart, the introduction of a healthy diet also helps to prevent further worsening of existing heart disease and it’s NEVER too late to start eating healthily. Just eat foods that are close to nature and you can’t go wrong - the mediterranean diet is a very heart healthy diet so would be a good one for us to follow. If foods is packaged with loads of additives to make it last months then it isn’t very close to it’s original state. Most people know that fast food isn’t good for us but some of the foods sold in supermarkets as healthy aren’t good to consume all the time either.To help prevent heart disease here are a few obvious, but often overlooked tips that anyone can do.EXERCISE AND LIFESTYLE

1. Quit smoking - this is one of the most important things you can do today to help your heart and there is so much support available to find the best way for you.
2. Cardio workouts that work the heart and lungs are a great way to keep your heart healthy with the added benefit of increasing your energy, making your skin glow, improving your sleep and toning up your body. You don’t have to go for long runs to get the heart pumping, even just dancing to a few of your favourite songs can get your heart and lungs pumping ( if you are not sweating after 10 minutes you need to work a bit harder). At Zest bootcamp we do fitness boxing in many of the sessions which everyone loves as it works a sweat.
3. Lose weight by joining a fitness class - training with like minded people gives your the support and encouragement to keep going when you don’t want to. It’s also a great way to make friends with people who are also interested in a healthier lifestyle.
4. Drink less alcohol and switch to red instead of white wine as it contains a compounds called resveratrol that is heart healthy - just one glass a day though not a bottle!
5. Walk instead of driving when possible such as on short trips - can yousometimes walk the children home from school instead of using the car? (plus helps be a good role model for the next generation). In the supermarket park as far away, not close to the doors. In car parks, shopping malls or at work you can use the stairs instead of the lift or escalator.

If you live in Bath our next 4 week bootcamp starts on Monday 3rd March and we are offering a TRIAL WEEK for you to try out our group exercise classes - Click here today as spaces are limited.Can't get to our classes but want to cook tasty, easy to prepare, heart healthy meals that the family will love - then check out our 90 recipe cookbook here Happy hearts and minds :)