50 Promises I Make To My Heart #WorldHeartDay

The theme for World Heart Day this year is 'My Heart, Your Heart'. 

Compassionate and yet motivational, the theme bonds you and those you care about, asking the key question - "What can I do to look after MY HEART as well as YOUR HEART?" For us in the medical field, there is of course a third connection - how can we look after YOUR HEART?

A key secondary factor that the World Heart Day focuses on this year is to inspire us all to commit and show intent to 'MAKE A PROMISE' to ourselves and our loved ones to care for our hearts. 

Yes, heart disease (cardiovascular disease or CVD) remains the number one killer of human beings even today. Here's the thing though. Small changes make a big difference. And that is what I want to do here for you with this post. 

I want to help you MAKE PROMISES to your heart as well as the hearts of those who matter to you. 

The promises I suggest below may not all be medical... but they are minor changes in your routine that can lessen the strain on your heart and guide you to a healthier, happier life.

So join me and choose your picks from the list below. 

For the Happiness of My Heart, I Promise To...

01. Stop smoking - No more thin white butts!
02. Add a fresh green vegetable to my diet every day.
03. Laugh aloud. No, really. Laughing lowers stress hormones and decreases inflammation in your arteries.
04. Reduce the elevator time and walk up two flights of stairs every day.
05. Spend quality time face-to-face every day with the ones I love.

06. Burn some calories dancing to my favourite music.

07. Yes, exercise. Those endorphins are natural painkillers of the mind.
08. Commit to a new activity that relaxes and unwinds my heart - reading, painting, cooking, yoga or just playing jigsaw puzzles.
09. Add some omega-3 fatty acid rich fish like salmon, tuna or sardines to my diet at least twice a week. 
10. Add some fiber to my diet - be it black beans, apples, oats or avacados.
11. Add some comedy videos to my online viewing time from YouTube.
12. Stop looking at others plates - figuratively! No point being jealous of what they have! This is your heart and your journey, not theirs.

13. Spend less time fighting on social media with strangers. 

14. No mobile phones while having meals with family.
15. Hug the ones I love, even if it makes them feel awkward. I don't care!
16. Reduce the duration of time as a couch potato or desk jockey.
17. Drink eight glasses of water a day.
18. Donate some of the stuff I never use to those who need it.
19. Plan a pleasant surprise once a month for someone I know. 
20. Take better care of my teeth. Gum disease may / may not increase the risk of heart disease but why take chances?
21. Take the effort and reconnect with old friends I've been meaning to get in touch with for so long but didn't have the time to.
22. Walk while talking on the phone.
23. Make myself more productive instead of just more busy.
24. Have a good nutritious breakfast involving combinations featuring whole grains, lean proteins, low fat dairy, fruits and vegetables.

25. Indulge in some dark chocolate since I know they have heart-friendly flavonoids. 

26. Say 'I Love You' and mean it.
27. Think more positive thoughts and attract more good vibes into my life a la Rhonda Bryne's 'The Secret'.
28. Keep my work at the workplace and do not carry my stress back home.
29. Enjoy some unconditional love with a pet (some one else's if I can't have one at my own house.) 
30. Reduce the fat in my diet... and thus, my belly.

31. Take a holiday once a month and just treat myself. Because I am worth it! 

32. Keep track of the number of steps I take with a fitness tracker. 
33. Do a semi-annual health check up and check how the parts inside me are doing!
34. Walk away from arguments or when I am angry with someone. 
35. Cut off from people who bring out the worst in me - be they blood relatives or colleagues. My heart, my life.
36. Educate myself on why heart disease is such a killer for people in their thirties now, as compared to a generation before.

37. Write down a list of happy memories and keep that list with me at all times. I will turn to them in my darkest moments to remind me to be happy. 

38. Cry once in awhile to get out the pent up stress within me. I may choose to cry openly or mask it by putting on the ending scene of Furious 7, that is my prerogative. 
39. Forgive myself for my past mistakes.

40. Forgive others for what they did. I need not forget, just release myself from that pain. 

41. Be the best version of myself that I can be for the future.
42. Make you proud to call me someone you like. 
43. Aim to reach my ideal weight but don't fret if the goal seems too distant. One step at a time, literally.
44. Love myself, flaws and all. 
45. Share a happy picture of myself either online or with those who care about me.

46. Get adequate sleep. I mean it. 7 to 9 hours. A day, damn you, not a week!!!  

47. Stop reading the news every break you get. You don't need that kind of aggravation.  
48. Do a random act of kindness for someone you don't know.

49. Smile more in public. 

50. Not just read this list BUT ACTUALLY incorporate this into my life this year to be healthier to My Heart and Yours too.

I wish you a year filled with happy moments, healthy changes and love-filled surprises. Now seriously! Choose some promises from this list and start planning.

Authors note:

29 September is World Heart Day. 

As an anaesthesiologist, I get to deal with plenty of patients of all ages suffering from various heart diseases. 

As a blogger though, my role is more to educate than to heal. In addition to this post on positive changes you can make in your life, I also have written a serious guest post on Why Millennials are Suffering from Heart Disease Earlier Than Any Previous Generation.