Recently I had a health scare involving my heart. Much to my relief, with excellent care and lots of loving support, I am back on track

But through and after this experience I’ve had much time to reflect and I’m keenly aware of my heart. As a result, I’m taking much more tender care of myself.

Changing lifelong habits and navigating the path to ideal heart health can seem overwhelming. There’s loads of information to wade through out there, but here are a few articles I found especially beneficial. Success is the result of the many tiny—but important—steps you take each day.

I have learned all sorts of new and important information and am taking this advice “to heart”.

With February being “Heart” month, I’d like to share these tips so that you can give your heart some TLC.

9 Simple Tweaks to Make Now for a Healthier Heart

Simple lifestyle tweaks from cardiologist Tara Narula, MD, can help you protect your heart—morning, noon and night.

A woman dies from cardiovascular disease approximately every minute in the U.S. That stat alone should be a powerful motivator to make the battle against heart disease personal. Yet often when I speak with my patients about modifying their risk factors, a telltale look appears on their faces. It says, I want to do this, but how can I possibly get from here to there? Changing lifelong habits and navigating the path to ideal heart health can seem overwhelming. The secret: Refocus your viewpoint from the future to the present. We’re taught to dream big, but I tell women to think small. Success is the result of the many tiny—but important—steps you take each day. Think about it this way—each hour provides an opportunity to shift your choices. Over time, those changes can create incredible transformations. These tips will help you give your heart the love it deserves.

Men vs. Women: Matters of the Heart

No matter what your gender, you have about 100,000 miles of blood vessels in your body— enough to circle the earth four times. And your heart pumps about 4,300 gallons of blood through those vessels each day to every single organ and other tissues in your body. The blood drops off oxygen and nutrients to all of the body’s cells, and it picks up carbon dioxide and other waste. But inside a woman, a heart has a distinctly feminine touch. Consider these differences between women and men……..

Making Your Heart a “Zone of Peace”

Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield says that when people take the time to quiet their thoughts and truly experience their feelings, both positive and painful, an amazing thing happens: We become kinder and more compassionate. Watch Jack explain how to make your heart “a zone of peace” and how this creates a peaceful ripple effect in the world.