Go and Love Yourself.

It's February and that means the focus is all on February 14th...VALENTINE'S DAY! I have never been a huge Valentine's Day fan. I was always the one who thought it was an over embellished holiday and a huge money grab so we don't tend to go overboard in our house with this holiday.

The concept of one day to show the ones you love LOVE; really?!? Shouldn't we be doing this all year long? Please don't save up all your romanticism for one day!! Spread the love around!

What I do LOVE is the month of February and it being the HEART month. I spend some time focusing on my heart and the hearts of the ones I love. I want to teach my kids that loving yourself and loving yourself enough to respect your body and mind is a very important concept in life.

As a nurse and holistic nutrition coach I am fascinated with the heart. I mean it pumps blood throughout your whole body, delivers vitamins and nutrients to the vital organs and keeps you alive; what is not fascinating about that! Yet; it is a very concrete scientific concept.

Keeping your heart healthy is not and should not only be scientific. LOVE is an amazing tool to have in your wellness toolbox...I believe it should be at the top!

Following the path of Whole Body Wellness; healthy food choices, exercise and self care all have a MASSIVE impact on our HEART as well as your overall health and wellness. These simple tips will get you started in the right direction in giving your heart some LOVING this month.

Go and Love Yourself in the month of February and all year long with this tips:

Make healthy food choices. DUH, right?!! Seems simple enough, but it is not always as simple as this. We all lead busy lives, deal with a lot of stress, and most of us are fully aware that a plate full of vegetables is better for our bodies than a plate full of french fries. It is all about making healthier choices and living a healthier life at least 80% of the time. Click HERE to learn a bit about the Fresh Food Pharmacy concept and why it is good for your HEART health.

Move YOUR body daily. This does not mean you have to become Mr/Mrs/Miss Fitness and you have to work out for hours at the gym and and walk around sporting 6 pack abs. This means making a conscious decision to choose the healthier options; like taking the stairs, walking to work, going to yoga, lifting weights, HIIT...whatever you want to do, as long as you move your body. Just 30 mins of daily activity is proven to lower your risk of heart disease and it gets your endorphins (the natural happy drug) flowing. Click HERE to see a sImple workout that you can do in your living room.

Love YOURSELF too. You know who needs love too? YOU!! This love should not always come from the people around you; it should come from within. Show yourself some love this month. We can spend so much time and energy loving everyone around us that we forget to love ourself. Buy yourself a gift. Do something special for yourself. Take yourself on a date. Focus on YOU! My absolutely favourite author is Brene Brown and she has so many amazing quotes, but these ones seemed fitting for this blog post.

Stop being BUSY. We all love being busy. The busier the better in today's society. What if being busy was not so glorified? What if "I am so busy" became a negative statement? We put so much emphasis on busy = productive and successful. Today's society is so busy being busy that we are the most stressed out generation of all time. In order for our body to heal and repair it needs rest. Rest lowers stress levels (or at least it should) and actually can make a person healthier and happier in the long run.

"This is probably the hardest concept for myself. I have always equated success with working hard and if you were not successful it was because you were not working hard enough. I also always believed that we should always be doing something; errands, DIY projects, cleaning, activities with the kids, etc. Changing my head space around this one concept has saved me years on my life". ~ Amy

Grow your mind. Fall in love with growing your mind and soul. There are so many great books out there that can change your life forever. Growing your mind and feeding your soul with information and knowledge can be the catalyst to loving yourself more, creating healthier relationships with those around you and lowering the stress on your heart. My all time favourite book is "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown. The words in this book spoke to my mind, heart and soul. It will forever be the book that changed my life for the better.

I hope this month you choose to LOVE you and those around you everyday. Spend some time this month being NOT busy, focusing on healthier eating, moving your body and see how you feel. Your HEART will thank you:)

Share with me how these little changes make you feel.