Heart Month

February is the month of hearts with Valentine's day right in the middle, but it's also American Heart Association Heart Month, and very appropriately so. In my efforts as a writer/editor, I have been pursuing topics that are healthy to the heart such as exercise, healthy eating and healthy snacks, and it all seems so easy to read, write and edit about it.
In a perfect world, it is easy to live a healthy lifestyle. No life distractions to take you away from exercising, no unhealthy foods attracting you with their smell or visual appeal, and no unhealthy items on the grocery item shelves to distract you from organic oatmeal.
The reality is that with more than one person to keep track of, that is, if you have a family, you can be so easily pulled away from that fitness routine or exercise plan. Transportation to school or other events, athletic competitions and dance recitals and practices, music performances and play dates take your time outside the home, plus shopping, mail and oftentimes outside work. Once home, you've got laundry, meals to prepare, homework to attend to and general housekeeping. Sometimes, that just leaves little time for yourself to get dressed for exercise, exercise, shower and dress.
My solution on those days is to park a little farther from the school or grocery and walk quickly, run up the driveway more than once to check the mail, stretch while I'm in my office working and waiting for the computer to complete a task, and maybe even walk back and forth a couple of times from the baths to the laundry room to get in that extra walk.
Regarding healthy eating, I believe in the rule of everything in moderation. I only occasionally stop in to get those yummy smelling french fries or buy a tasty frappuccino at Starbucks. I stick to the outside edges of the grocery store where the fresh fruit and produce and dairy and meat items are located. Yes, I have to travel to the baking, canned foods and cereal (oatmeal) sections often as well, but the fresh food areas are your most healthy and without processing.
American Heart Month is near and dear to my heart because for at least ten years I volunteered on the communications committee, fundraising and board of directors for the AHA in San Antonio and Dallas. Living a healthy lifestyle is just part of doing what's good for your heart, which leads to a happier life.