More Americans succumb to effects of heart disease than any other illness. Rated number one killer, heart-related ailments are brought about by a variety of circumstances – some of which are preventable.

The power that each individual has to ensure their own heart health is amazing, when you consider factors that play a role in variety of diseases that target heart. The fact, then, that one out of every twenty people under age of 40 suffers from some form of heart disease indicates that too many people aren’t taking their heart health seriously.

Factors such as family medical history, menopause, diabetes mellitus and age (for those over 65) are among risks that are beyond control of those who may suffer from heart related ailments.

Those which are within scope of control include stress, inactivity, smoking, high cholesterol, obesity and hypertension (high blood pressure). By exercising discipline and reducing or eliminating these factors, your chances of heart disease are dramatically decreased.

In addition to more traditional methods of reducing your risk for such ailments, laughter has also been found to fight heart disease and promote good heart health. Since laughter is a great way to release pent-up stress and tension, this simple act might very well be just what you need to reduce level of stress that might, otherwise, have a negative impact on your health.

I want you to think about your body as one of your children or someone else you love dearly. When was last time this person did or said something that really made you mad? In that moment, you might have been thinking “I really don’t like this person right now.” However, did his behavior cause you to stop loving him? Absolutely not! My teenager regularly acts in a way that I do not like, but I still love him. I will protect him, do what I think is best for him, and give him what he needs.

Now let’s return to your body. How often do you look at your body and think, “I do not like my legs, my hips, my butt (or whatever)”? I admit it. I do not like my thicker waist that came from my second child and being over 40. Okay fine, so it also comes from sometimes eating too much of wrong foods and not exercising consistently. It’s one thing to dislike your body. It’s something completely different to have an attitude of hatred or disgust towards your body. This attitude will cause you to mistreat your body instead of loving and honoring your body.

Your body, with all its imperfections, is sacred. It is only body you have been given for your entire life. Your body houses all organs that keep you alive. It gets you around from place to place. Your body pumps oxygen to brain that enables you to feel, think, create and function. You need to take care of your body like any relationship with a loved one. Loving and respecting your body requires same ingredients. So what can you give to your body that you would give someone you love?

1. Daily Attention To nurture a relationship, you need to pay attention to what it needs. If you ignore your loved one for a long period of time, what happens? The relationship begins to die. In order to grow my relationship with my little guy, he needs daily doses of conversation, playtime with me, and cuddling. In order to thrive, your body needs adequate sleep, proper nutrition, exercise, and plenty of water everyday. You wouldn’t go for a week without talking to your child or husband, so why would you go for a week giving your body 4-5 hours of sleep a night or regularly feeding your body foods with no nutrition? Love your body by staying conscious about how you treat it on a daily basis.