Getting Your Heart On Track

Every so often life gives us the opportunity to renew ourselves. Once again it's that time of the year when we begin to think about new beginnings. Some people make new year's resolutions, but if that's not something that interests you, you still may want to think about the new year as simply a time of renewal.

Everyone can benefit from being renewed. Our bodies can become sluggish. Perhaps we've put on weight over the holidays. Our attitudes can also get into a rut. We become set in our ways, and let the day to day activities of life bog us down.

Even our heart's sometimes need a refresher. If we've let our feelings and interactions with others become complacent. We may be holding onto anger, depression, or frustration. Allowing such negative feelings to fester inside us can lead to depression and even illness. It may be time for a clean up. I call it getting your heart on track.

The new year is a great opportunity for considering some form of renewal. It's a time to open up the mind and begin thinking of ways that our heart can move towards deeper healing.

Healing happens at many levels. If you're someone who has difficulty with actual heart disease, it may be time to really work on the dietary changes that you need to make. The Mediterranean Diet is a great place to start. The combination of less saturated fat, abundant fruits, and vegetables, more fish, and switching completely to olive oil- found in the Mediterranean Diet, can be a great way to head you down the path towards healing. On my website www.drlaman.com I have a new pamphlet about the Mediterranean Diet that is simple to read and easy to follow. You may want to consider getting it.

If your thoughts are holding back your heart's health, then consider setting the intention to change your way of thinking. Scientific studies have shown that before any real change can happen we've got to set the intention or decide to change.

During this new year decide to read one new book that challenges you to improve your life. Next, work at making it happen. Once we make the decision in our mind and begun to take action- often our circumstances with begin to transform.

Also work on your body. Evidence from neuro-linguistic programming suggests that if we change our physical state, by altering how we move, it will influence our mind, our feelings, and ultimately our whole being. Taking up a new activity like dancing can be a way to lead us down a different track. Yoga is another form of physical exercise that can be particularly helpful for achieving greater relaxation and improving your health.

Search you local community for these opportunities.

Still another way to get our hearts on track is to begin working directly on our emotions. Our emotions are extremely powerful. Negative emotions have been shown to create actual illnes. If we allow negative emotions to rule out lives it will be impossible to become completely well.

If you've never attended a workshop for healing your heart make a commitment to try it this year. In the upcoming months, I will be offering a workshop titled: Simple Way's to a Stress Free Life. In this one day seminar you'll learn practical skills for for opening your heart to peace, love, and contentment. You'll also learn ways to cope with the stress of day to day living.

Everyday is a chance to create a new beginning. In this new year, make the effort to renew your life and get your heart on track. You'll be glad you did.

Kirk Laman, D.O., F.A.C.C.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Laman is a board certified, cardiologist interested in heart disease prevention.   He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University.  He offers a free monthly newsletter on his website called “Mending Hearts. ” His book, “How to Heal Your Broken Heart, ” is designed to help people struggling with issues of the heart.  To purchase his book go to: www.healingyourbrokenheart.com   For further information: www.drlaman.com