In South Africa, February is not only the month of love: it’s also Healthy Lifestyle Awareness Month. The initiative, involving various health organisations and government bodies, focuses on promoting healthier lifestyle habits such as better nutrition, more physical activity and controlling and reducing alcohol and other harmful substances.
As part of this, a cornerstone of overall health is the health of our heart. In South Africa, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death, responsible for nearly one in six deaths each year.
On the positive side, it’s almost entirely manageable through lifestyle changes such as a better diet, more physical activity and lowered stress levels.
With this in mind, February is the perfect time to focus on your heart – not just in the romantic sense, but in the physical health and wellness sense too. If you’re part of a couple, ensuring heart health means you have more to offer your partner in terms of a more vibrant, active and longer life together. Here are some healthy couple habits from Fedhealth that can help lead to healthier hearts: physically, emotionally and mentally.
COUPLES WHO EXERCISE TOGETHER … STAY TOGETHER
When it comes to physical activity, exercise doesn’t have to be boring or even overly strenuous. Even just walking is surprisingly impactful: it improves circulation, helps regulate blood pressure and contributes to maintaining a healthy weight. For couples, walking can also be a fresh way to connect. Unlike sitting across from each other at a restaurant or on the couch watching series, walking together often makes deeper conversations feel more natural.
This could mean an evening walk through your neighbourhood, a weekend beach stroll, or a scenic nature trail, where you can move your body while reconnecting without distractions.
If you’re a couple who enjoys more structured activity, taking a fitness class together is another option. Yoga, Pilates, dancing or strength training classes improve cardiovascular fitness, flexibility and muscle strength – plus, exercising as a pair increases accountability and makes healthy routines more sustainable beyond February.
HEALTHY EATING MEANS BETTER HEART HEALTH
Cooking together at home is one of the most heart-healthy habits you can develop as a couple. Preparing your own meals means you can choose fresh ingredients that actively support cardiovascular health, such as vegetables rich in antioxidants, fibre-packed legumes and beans, whole grains like brown rice and oats, healthy fats like avocado and olive oil, and lean proteins such as fish or chicken. At the same time, you’ll be reducing your intake of processed foods that are often loaded with sugar and unhealthy trans fats. All these can contribute to high blood pressure, weight gain and increased heart disease risk.
THE LINK BETWEEN LOVE, STRESS AND HEART HEALTH
While you may think that cardiovascular health is about physical wellness, emotional well-being plays into it too. Chronic stress is associated with inflammation, elevated blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease. The body’s stress response, while very useful in short bursts, becomes damaging when constantly activated. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyles mean we’re often in a near-constant state of low-grade stress, which overloads our nervous systems and, in turn, affects blood pressure and heart health.
Supportive relationships can help buffer these effects by providing emotional security and shared coping strategies. For example, couples who communicate openly and support one another through daily challenges tend to manage stress more effectively. This can be done through simple habits such as eating meals together, checking in regularly and prioritising relaxing together.
On the other hand, research shows that loneliness and emotional disconnection are associated with higher cardiovascular risk. Investing in emotional intimacy is therefore not only good for your relationship, but also for your long-term heart health. The quality of a relationship also matters significantly.
STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME
It’s far better to stay in good health rather than deal with a health problem down the line. Preventive screening to regularly check your health can help detect conditions early, allowing you and your partner to make lifestyle changes before more serious complications occur.
A LASTING COMMITMENT
Romantic Valentine’s Day gestures like chocolates and flowers are great, but they’re temporary. In contrast, daily choices that prioritise movement, nourishment and connection as a couple mean you can transform fleeting romantic feelings into a long-term investment in healthy hearts, so you can have a greater chance of living a long and healthy life together.
TimesLIVE
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