There is so much talk all the time about being “heart healthy”. As mom shoves another chocolate chip cookie in her mouth and then yells at me for taking Sophie’s dinner, I hear it all the time. I know…I’m on a diet…I’m ALWAYS on a diet. But I hear things like “good for the heart” and “he’ll feel better if…” I don’t understand this medical heart healthy thing. In my world Heart Health means something far different and, more importantly, better. But before I go on, could someone put another scoop of creamy mashed ‘taters in my bowl please? Oh sorry… I digress.
What do they mean by Heart Health? Is it dry kibble only or a raw diet? Is it exercising every day? Is it eating less or eating differently? Is it the miracles of modern medicine (that sadly isn’t a miracle if you think of who they really tested it on…I could have been one of those dogs in a cage, you know. But again I digress). No, I submit to you that Heart Health has nothing to do with any of that. Heart Health is all about happiness. My heart might beat better or longer if I took a pill or lost 5 pounds. But will it be happier? Is a healthy heart a happy heart? Maybe. Maybe not. But I maintain that a HAPPY heart is always a healthy heart.
What makes my heart happy? Well, eating does, but you know that by now. My friends make my heart healthy. The people I have met and their dogs I get to play with. The toys I get to chew on and the smiles my mom gives me. The love that surrounds me and the love I get to give back. I never knew being “popular” could be so much fun (mom says she was never in the “popular” crowd, so she’s living ‘vicariously’ through me…whatever that means!).
What else makes a heart happy? Simple pleasures. Curling up with mom and dad and watching a movie while she pets my furs. Snoozing in front of the fireplace on a blustery day after a long walk in the snowy woods. Chasing a wave and trying to catch it. Taking a nap in the sun on the grass on a warm spring day. That’s what makes a heart happy.
How about laughter? A psychologist said, "We don't laugh because we're happy -we're happy because we laugh." And so are our hearts. Us dogs can laugh you know. We do it in different ways. Most of us wag our tails but in my family we don’t have tails. We smile wide. We howl. We bark happy barks. We can laugh and do so often when we’re excited or having fun. Isn’t laughter one of nature’s best medicines? Well then how can that not be heart healthy?
A happy heart is a heart having fun. If it’s not fun why do it? It’s fun to chase rabbits. It’s fun to catch a Frisbee. It’s fun wrestling with each other. It is fun going for rides and meeting new people. It can even be fun to see the doctor? Think about it in the right way. We’re locked in a room with someone who will pay attention to ONLY us. How can that NOT be fun?
These are all the “medicines” that make my heart healthy. Of course each and every one qualifies for a blog topic in and of itself: friends, family, fun, simple pleasures, food. Especially food! (*HOWL*). My heart is big and it’s happy. I will always have heart health. And your dog will too. You should join him or her someday.
How’s your heart? What makes your heart happy and healthy? Please tell me. Maybe it’s something I haven’t thought of! And, thanks for reading everybody. Hope you were ‘Bearmused’ today!
