Make Love to Your Heart This Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day, make a date with your heart! February is American Heart Month, and there is no better time than Valentine’s Day to start taking steps to be heart-healthy.

Sure, you can buy your sweetheart a lovely bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolate, but after the flowers are wilted and the chocolate his been consumed, how can you show your loved ones that your heart will always be around to love them? Here’s how … by taking care of it!

Here are some heart-healthy tips and some great healthy date ideas (don’t tell your significant other that you found these ideas online, let him/her think you thought these up yourself for some major brownie points!) from the Rutherford First Aid Ambulance Corp. and the American Heart Association: 

Try Something New - Dare yourself to try a new fruit or vegetable! Next time you're at the store, pick up something you've never made before. Many grocery stores have free recipe cards in the produce section or just type the food into your favorite search engine. 

Sharing is Caring - If you do go out for a romantic dinner date, order one entree to share. Many restaurant servings are enough for two-splitting will keep you from overdoing it. 

Get Active Inside - Winter is almost over, but there are plenty of ways to get moving indoors that don't involve a gym membership! Start mall walking, hit the stairs at work, or check out an exercise DVD. 

Go Fish - Did you know that for ideal health you should eat fish (particularly oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, or tuna) twice a week?

Cook at Home - Cooking at home is an excellent way to control the quality and amounts of what you eat. Take a date to a local cooking class to practice your skills or learn a new technique.