Its the month of lurve which means roses, chocolates, impromptu propositions and the card companies rubbing their hands with glee because it makes them a small fortune every year!

The organ responsible for it all is your heart, and looking after it could be the difference between being able to celebrate many more years of lurve or pushing up the daisies!

So, how does it do its thing and how can you keep it healthy, happy and skipping a beat for all the right reasons?

Here’s the bit we all love, the science…..

Weighing on average between 7 and 15 ounces, a healthy heart will beat around 100,000 times a day and pump around 2,000 gallons of blood around the body. Like a clock, the blood only flows one way around your body, and the valves in your heart are responsible for controlling that flow. Also known as leaflets or cusps, they are similar to a door, opening and closing with every single beat. (Lets hope someone keeps those hinges oiled!)

Split into two, your right and left side have an upper chamber and lower chamber and are separated by a thin wall known as the septum. Each chamber serves a very important purpose. The two upper chambers, also known as the atrium’s are responsible for the blood flowing from the body into the heart. The lower chambers are the ventricles, pumping your blood back out and around your body.

Linked to the rest of your circulatory system by an intricate collection of arteries and veins, the heart delivers blood that is high in oxygen to the arteries who redistribute it to other areas of the body. The veins then bring back the de-oxygenated blood to the heart ready for it to go back to the lungs and be re-oxygenated again.

Working in perfect sync with each other, each side of your heart is a true powerhouse of ingenuity and design. Mother nature and evolution really outdid themselves with this one!

Without it, you wouldn’t be here finding out all sorts of interesting facts. How lucky are you!

As we all know, there are conditions that can impact how efficiently your heart works, but there are a lot of things that you can also do that will help to keep it healthy. As with most things – it all starts with you!

• Its Time To Get UP!

Whether at home or work, we have all become a bit of a sedentary bunch, and that’s not only bad for the waistline but it can impact mood, posture and crucially, your cardiovascular health. But, all is not lost! Yes, you may be chained to a desk staring at a screen Monday to Friday, but there are small changes you can put in place that will break that pattern, and leave you feeling more refreshed and able to take on the day.

Keep a full water bottle, but make sure its a small one. That way as you drink it throughout the day, you will have to get back up to refill it. (FYI, this means you also need to actually drink it though!)

Linked to your water bottle is using the toilet. I know this seems an odd one to add, but how many times have you become so focussed on a project that you have sat until you have to get up, rather than going when needed. Making sure you get up when you need to will not only break up the day a little, but also helps to keep another powerhouse in your body healthy – your kidneys.

Taking a walk, even if its just around the outside of your building for 5 minutes will not only get you going again, but it gives your eyes a rest from the screen, allows you to get some fresh air and hopefully, if you are in luck, a little bit of sunshine.

If you are lucky enough to have a day off or work from home, do something with it! Even if its just going out for a walk around your local area, the screen break is really important not just for physical health, but mental health as well.

Keeping yourself active through the day helps to reduce the chances of developing high blood pressure, cholesterol or type two diabetes. With loads of hints and tips online to encourage you to get up and move around during your day, there is no excuse not to move so check them out. Any small change is still positive change.

• Lets eliminate those creatures that make your clothes tight!

We all know how delightful it is to have the last biscuit in the jar or guzzle down a bag of beefy hula hoops, but the reality is that these are not conducive to a healthy lifestyle.

At Normedica headquarters we are firm believers in everything in moderation, but in today’s world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stick to that. Food is faster than ever and snacks are a quick and tasty way of filling up on the go. The problem is, too much of the wrong types of food will not only raise your cholesterol levels to a point where they can become dangerous, but also your blood pressure. Alongside that you run the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and putting on weight which has a knock on effect on how you feel mentally, physically and emotionally.

Although cholesterol is an important element within your body, you will only use as much as your body requires to make hormones, vitamin D and digest food. If you have any left after it’s done it’s work, this will begin to build up in your arteries, eventually resulting in blockages and damage to the heart.

Controlling your diet and eating heart healthy foods is the best way to avoid high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Below is a list of just some of the foods that will go a long way to helping keep your heart healthy.

• Reduce your alcohol intake and STOP lighting up

Its almost impossible not to come across something that shouts about the dangers of smoking and drinking whilst alongside that we are bombarded with ads that attach drinking to a particular lifestyle or person, making it seem so much more appealing. Maybe if advertisers had to show the reality rather than the fantasy, we would all be less inclined to drink!

Unfortunately, as lovely as an ice cold pink gin is, too much alcohol can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. You also run the risk of vascular dementia, arrhythmia, heart failure and type 2 diabetes. This doesn’t take into account potential weight gain and mental health issues that can come as a result of drinking too much. Alcohol is a natural depressive and can leave you feeling very agitated and upset with no real reason as to why. If you are already suffering with low mood, it can also worsen existing symptoms.

Although we don’t want to be the ones to spoil all your fun, smoking is also a major factor for heart disease.

The chemicals within cigarettes cause damage to the heart and blood vessels which make plaque build up within the blood vessels much more likely. Potentially leading to a range of different health conditions, it can be a direct cause of hypertension, arrhythmia, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, heart failure, peripheral artery disease and aortic aneurysms.

When you look at it in black and white, it is very sobering – pun most definitely intended!

• It’s Time For A Little Stress Relief

Stress plays a huge part in how effectively your body works. Although it can be a positive emotion, the type of stress that a large number of people experience day to day can also create a huge number of symptoms resulting in a myriad of health problems.

From high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and IBS to depression, anxiety and panic disorders, its massively important to learn how to manage unavoidable stress in a way that will help to reduce potential health issues.

Stress can be controlled in several different ways. Exercising regularly helps to reduce stress hormones in the body. The recommended physical activity guidelines currently sits at a 150 minutes per week. Not only does it help to reduce stress, but also the risk of heart disease. You can keep it simple and just walk, or go for something a bit more fun and try something new like roller skating. (Top tip: Laughter is also a great way of reducing stress so roller skating could be a double whammy for bringing those levels down a bit!)

Along with exercise, spending time with family and friends is hugely beneficial. Emotional support and connection with other people releases feel-good hormones which counteract stress hormones helping to prevent you feeling too overwhelmed.

Hobbies that help to relax you are also highly recommended. Whether it be something you already take part in or something new, they are not only a really good distraction but also release dopamine into your system which helps to improve mood. Learning a new skill or developing a skill you already have is also a great way of helping you feel that you have achieved something positive.

Your heart has to last your entire life so its really important to look after it. Whilst there are conditions that can arise that you have no control over, its important to control the things that you can and give yourself the best chance of many more Valentines!

Alongside the day to day self care tips, there are also medical devices that you can use to monitor how well your heart is working.

Shameless plug – these are all devices that you can purchase direct from us.

Although these devices are not perfect and don’t replace the need for you to see your Doctor if there are external risk factors or symptoms, they allow you to monitor your ‘normal’ at home and let you know when that changes and a Doctor may need to investigate.

For those moments when something more substantial is needed, we also sell defibrillators. There has been a huge push on these over the last few years and all businesses should have something in place in case of an emergency.

There are loads of ways of protecting your heart but the reality is, it all starts with you and making the right choices.