Luke’s Top Recommendation: 3 Simple Exercises to Improve Your Heart Health
When was the last time you felt warmth in your heart from a memory, a song, or a kind word? We often focus on getting our macros right, exercise, and medical procedures when thinking about heart health.
While these are undeniably important, there’s another vital aspect we sometimes overlook: our emotional well-being.
Today, I want to talk about how we can look after our heart health and go a step beyond nutrition or cardiac procedures. You see, often we look at our lives as a running machine. Several people believe that if a part has a problem, we could replace it. Slowly, this mindset has also transferred to how we treat our bodies. For instance, if there’s some health issue, we change the oil we use, like in a car. However, it’s not always that.
Today what we’re going to look at when we talk about heart health is the way we feel.
You see, the heart is such an amazing organ. It pumps blood into trillions of cells of the human body, circulating through the organs that transport essential nutrients and oxygen. The way we feel deeply influences our heart’s health. Stress, for instance, can significantly impact our cardiovascular system.
Do we really look after our hearts? Or is our heart constantly heavy with the emotions that we carry? We carry sadness, grief, anger, resentment, guilt, blame, and shame. Repressed and suppressed emotions also are contributing factors to heart disease, in a small or large way.
Today, let’s understand how positive emotions and simple practices can bring comfort and strength to our hearts.
The Power of Positive Emotions on Heart Health
Experiencing emotions like warmth, love, and gratitude isn’t just about feeling good—it’s a powerful way to support your heart. These emotions influence our blood chemistry by releasing feel-good hormones like serotonin and oxytocin, which help relax the body and reduce stress. According to studies published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), maintaining emotional well-being is linked with lower blood pressure, improved heart rate, and a reduced risk of heart disease.
Source: Sin, N. L. (2016). The Protective Role of Positive Well-Being in Cardiovascular Disease: Review of Current Evidence, Mechanisms, and Clinical Implications. Current Cardiology Reports, 18(11), 106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-016-0792-z
The Impact of Heartbreak: Insights from Dr. Johnathan Fisher
In a recent conversation with Dr. Jonathan Fisher, we discussed the profound effects of emotions on heart health, particularly through ’broken heart syndrome’ (also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy). This condition illustrates how acute emotional distress—such as grief, fear, or heartbreak—can mimic heart attack symptoms and even lead to temporary heart failure.
When we experience intense stress, cortisol levels spike, blood pressure rises, and the heart’s left ventricle can weaken and bulge. Studies from the American Heart Association further reveal that people undergoing high-stress events have a heightened risk of cardiovascular incidents.
Source: Sethi, Y., Murli, H., Kaiwan, O., Vora, V., Agarwal, P., Chopra, H., Padda, I., Kanithi, M., Popoviciu, M. S., & Cavalu, S. (2022). Broken Heart Syndrome: Evolving Molecular Mechanisms and Principles of Management. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(1), 125. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12010125
Our emotional health isn’t separate from our physical health; it’s interwoven, and paying attention to our emotional well-being can significantly strengthen and protect our heart.
We experience work stress and relational disharmony, while some of us suffer from loneliness, which has a major impact on cardiovascular health. Some of us have suppressed emotions over the years, even from our childhood. All of this sits in our heart and affects the body’s chemistry.
Turning a new page may seem like a challenge, but it’s only a matter of habit. I’ll start with a simple exercise, and the whole idea is you can take as long as you need to work with it.
Exercise: Warming the Heart Through Positive Memories
When we focus on positive memories, we tap into a deep sense of well-being that can benefit our heart health. This simple practice doesn’t just bring temporary relief—it rewires our brain and strengthens our body’s resilience by reinforcing the positive moments in life. Let’s try a quick exercise to feel this warmth.
- Close Your Eyes: Take a moment to think of a person, place, or memory that fills you with happiness, peace, or love.
- Feel the Warmth: Let yourself sink into this memory, and notice the physical sensations, especially around your heart.
- Hold Onto It: Imagine this warmth spreading from your heart to every cell in your body, creating a state of calm and happiness.
Research from the National Institute of Health (NIH) supports that recalling positive memories can change our neural pathways, easing negative emotions and even altering cellular memory. Studies show that this form of neural reprogramming reduces stress hormones like cortisol, increases serotonin and oxytocin, and creates a lasting positive shift in body chemistry. Practicing this exercise during stressful times helps ground us in moments of peace, subtly healing our body and mind.
Source: Speer, M. E., Bhanji, J. P., & Delgado, M. R. (2014). Savoring the past: Positive memories evoke value representations in the striatum. Neuron, 84(4), 847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2014.09.028
For some of you, this warm feeling might come to you instantly. For others, it might take a little more digging to bring it to the surface. Think about this: ask a child to think of a happy memory—a 5-year-old, a 7-year-old, a 10-year-old—someone untouched by the layers we adults tend to build up over time.
They’ll come up with something immediately because they’re not yet weighed down by social media and screen time, which can really mess with the mind and subconscious. They’re wired to remember joy quickly. But for adults, it’s often different. We’ve got layers of experiences, of responsibilities, so we might need to go a bit deeper into ourselves to find that one memory. But if you found it just now, great job.
Now, think about that warm feeling you’re experiencing. The moment you feel it, you’re literally changing the chemistry of your blood. A positive thought creates good chemistry. A negative or violent thought? It does the opposite, creating chaos and disharmony that affects every cell in your body.
That warmth you feel in your heart, that’s what’s working for you in the most powerful way. That’s why even if you’re going through medical treatment, your outlook and acceptance of it can change the outcome. You can choose to think the best of your treatment, imagine it working for you, and shift the way your body responds.
The more you can create and hold onto that warmth every day, the better. When you wake up, if you go through a tough meeting, an argument, or hear bad news, slow down and come back to this warmth. Think of someone or something that brings it back. That warmth isn’t just a feeling; it’s a shift in your heart health, a change in your body’s own cocktail of hormones and neurotransmitters that now start working for you.
Of course, life won’t stop bringing challenges our way. We’ll have days when we wake up feeling fantastic, only to face unexpected stress or negativity. But the power lies in bringing yourself back to what matters, that warm feeling of joy and love. Remember, what you give your attention to expands. So choose carefully. Use your discernment, and let that warmth guide you back to what truly matters.
Many clients ask me, “Luke, can you tell us a few ways to bring more happiness into our hearts?”
I prescribed this three-part homework to them, and it has worked wonders for all of them.
Three Heart-Centered Practices for a Healthier Heart
These three practices—music playlists, photo albums, and heartfelt compliments—are more than just mood boosters. They can transform your perspective, encouraging a mindset shift that reduces stress, guilt, and anger.
By triggering a natural release of ‘feel-good’ hormones and calming the nervous system, they directly contribute to heart health. Each positive moment helps balance your emotional state, supporting your heart on both a physical and emotional level.
Homework #1: Create a Heart-Warming Music Playlist
Music has a unique ability to lift our spirits, calm the mind, and evoke cherished memories. By creating a playlist of songs that resonate deeply with you, you can have an instant tool for emotional connection and relaxation.
- Choose Meaningful Songs: Pick songs that evoke joy, peace, or nostalgia. Lyrics aren’t essential—it’s about the feeling the music brings.
- Keep It Handy: Make your playlist easy to access so you can play a song or two whenever you need a quick mood boost.
Turn to this playlist whenever life feels heavy, you’re feeling stressed, or simply want to reconnect with uplifting emotions. Music can help ground you with a sense of joy and calm that directly benefits your heart health.
Homework #2: Build a Heartwarming Photo Album
Visual memories have the power to transport us to happy and comforting moments. Creating a dedicated photo album of heartwarming memories gives you a source of joy and comfort at your fingertips.
- Select Photos That Spark Joy: Go through your gallery and choose pictures that bring you joy, warmth, or calm—family, friends, scenic places, or meaningful milestones.
- Create a Special Album: Set up a unique album you can access whenever you need a quick connection to positive emotions.
These visual reminders create emotional resilience and provide positivity with comforting memories that you hold close to your heart.
Homework #3: List of Heartfelt Compliments and Appreciations
Reflecting on positive feedback and compliments is a wonderful way to nurture self-worth and cultivate gratitude. By noting these moments, you create a powerful source of confidence and joy.
- Remember Kind Words: In a journal or notes app, write down heartfelt compliments, positive feedback, or moments of appreciation that genuinely warmed your heart across all phases of your life.
- Revisit them for a lighter heart: Go back to these entries when you need encouragement or a reminder of how unique you are and how much you mean to your loved ones. This is not directed to cause an ego-trip, but to let you know that you are worth more than your internal critic and negative experiences.
Regularly revisiting these compliments can help anchor you in positivity and strengthen your heart health with self-appreciation and joy.
Sharing the Gift of Heart-Centered Positivity
These practices are simple, but their impact can be powerful—not just for you, but for others around you. Once you’ve felt the warmth and calm that come from connecting with positive memories, music, and kind words, take a step further. Share this with others. Think of it as your prescription, one you can pass along to family, friends, or anyone who could use a bit of support.
And remember, you have my permission to prescribe this as your own. Take these simple tools, practice them yourself, and then teach them. Whether it’s a friend, a family member, or someone who’s struggling, help create a world that’s a little warmer and kinder. Small, heart-centered actions have a way of bringing us closer, adding compassion and positivity to our lives and theirs.
Start this practice by yourself first, and experience the difference in your heart health. Then, pay it forward. Together, let’s create a ripple effect, one heart at a time.
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