No one can take better care of your heart except for you. Valentine’s day, or February 14, is fast approaching, and it is not just a time to spend with someone special.

Every February of each year, the Philippines celebrates National Heart Month. Heart Month is more than simply love. It’s also about taking care of the heart organ. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 3 deaths worldwide is due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). With an estimated 50,000 deaths each year, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the Philippines. 

Several risk factors, including smoking, a poor diet and obesity, inactivity and alcohol usage, hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol, frequently bring on heart attacks and strokes.

Here are some tips to make your heart beat healthily:

1. It’s time to move on

We are not talking about moving on from heartbreak but instead moving on to a new habit of having at least 2.5 hours of physical activity each week.

It's better to do some physical activity than none. Better cholesterol and other blood lipid levels improved blood pressure, and weight management are all benefits of exercising. People are encouraged to do 150 minutes or more of moderate physical activity each week, divided out among activities such as brisk walking, stair climbing, dancing, gardening, and domestic duties that may cause a little increase in heart rate.

2. Love in moderation!
As the saying goes, loving too much is bad for your heart. To safeguard your heart, it is best never to drink alcohol because there is no safe amount to consume. More than 200 diseases, including cardiovascular illnesses, have been related to drinking alcohol.

3. Let go of things that no longer serve you
Smoking only harms your heart, and second-hand smoke harms your loved ones. The greatest present you can give your heart is better health, and quitting smoking offers short- and long-term advantages, including extending life by up to ten years.

4. Get that green flag
Eating various foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains,  legumes, and nuts, is a green flag to make your heart healthy. Limit your consumption of salty foods such as dried fish and meats like ham, bacon, tocino, sausage, and hotdogs high in salt.

Heart month or not, it is important to be consistent and committed to improving your health.

Afterall, we only have one heart--and following through on the Valentine's Day theme--because the other was given to someone, for us to find.  (PIA-NCR)