This February, Take Care of (Both of) Your Hearts
February is close to our heart in more ways than one—this month, we celebrate both Valentine’s Day and American Heart Month. These few weeks are a time for celebrating friendship, romance, and connection, as well as focusing on lifestyle choices that can help keep the most important muscle in our bodies pumping. What do you picture when you think of a heart? Is it a pink paper cut out? Or a pulsing organ with arteries and veins? These are two different ways of thinking about our most important emotional and physical organ—and they are both important to your health and wellbeing.
Emotionally, your heart leads your decisions regarding relationships and allows you to build meaningful connections with others. Evidence shows that strong personal relationships help you live longer, deal with stress, and enjoy a healthier life. Physically, there are many lifestyle choices you can make—including eating a healthier diet, getting adequate exercise, and managing stress—that can help prevent heart disease.
At first glance, it may seem like the heart needs separate care for its emotional and physical needs, but there is a place where the two intersect.
A recent study from the University of Aberdeen has shown that exercising with a new companion increases the amount of exercise you do, especially when they are emotionally supportive of you. We already know how important physical activity is for keeping the cardiovascular system in good shape. Now researchers are pointing out the link between connecting emotionally to another person and getting the exercise the body needs.
The 8-week long study of 223 participants found that “actively looking for a new exercise companion and exercising together seems to be beneficial for the promotion of received emotional and instrumental social support. Emotional support in turn promotes exercise by enabling better self-regulation, in particular self-efficacy.”
By choosing to work out with a new friend, you are also choosing to spend quality time with another person, which is important in building meaningful relationships. Think of how many times your relationships have drifted due to busy schedules and other responsibilities. Carving out time together while giving your body a healthy workout helps you stay connected and benefits your physical health—a win-win for both your emotional and physical hearts.
Ready to get started? Follow these tips.
- Find an exercise partner who is emotionally supportive and whom you enjoy spending time with.
- Offer support back by encouraging your partner and celebrating successes together—it’s a two-way relationship.
- Try aerobic activity, which especially improves cardiovascular health and helps protect against heart disease.
- If you don’t know who to ask, try joining a running or walking club, or taking a cycling class, where you are supported by others in a group setting.
- If you’re struggling with motivation, read up on our tips for setting goals that stick.
- Don’t overdo it. Check our guidelines for physical activity to stay safe.
Rackow, P., Scholz, U., Hornung, R. (2015). Received social support and exercising: An intervention study to test the enabling hypothesis. British Journal of Health Psychology; 20(4), 763-776.
