Last month I celebrated my wedding anniversary. During each June and February (since the latter hosts Valentine’s Day), I commonly consider articles about the heart and heart health.

This tendency, coupled with the fact that a couple months back I attended a talk by a local Internal Medicine doc with a specialty in cardiology, spurred my further contemplation on heart issues. He did a multifaceted virtual ‘tour’ of what I would describe as a medical school overview. Can’t say the entire audience enjoyed the up-close look at anatomy, but for me it was a motivating review. The specialist organized a helpful lay-person’s primer of the bodily systems. However, that’s not what prompted my thoughts for this post.

Take-Away(s) for Heart-Health

What I want to emphasize here is a statement elemental for us all to remember. This may be a paraphrase, but I have meant to depict what the cardiologist said accurately. His point was “Drugs are marvelous, but often when they help one area, they hurt another. Prevention is the best key.”

For readers of AgingWithPizzazz, you know all too well that this theme is embraced. I often refer to it as the low-hanging fruit, and prevention is fundamental to self-care and longevity. Not to mention that it’s cheaper in terms of cost and suffering.

Moreover, I want to capture the vital elements of protecting cardiac health in a few words. I have not shared the doc’s name because while he too used a summary, I actually didn’t like his selection of 50 words. I appreciated his attempt to encapsulate the chief habits in a few phrases, but not his actual choices. Using too many descriptors, forgotten were numerous concepts about things which offer us comfort, or conversely at least avoid causing stress. Thus, I borrowed the 50-word notion, as well as a few ideas, but I developed my own list.

I trust this quick guide of reminders is of benefit to us all; not necessarily new, but lifelong prompts. Perhaps, tack the graphic to your bathroom mirror or put it on your nightstand.

“Humans are born, they live, then they die,
this is the order that the gods have decreed.
But until the end comes, enjoy your life, spend it in happiness, not despair.
Savor your food, make each of your days a delight, bathe and anoint yourself,
wear bright clothes that are sparkling clean,
let music and dancing fill your house,
love the child who holds you by the hand,
and give your [partner] pleasure in your embrace.
That is the best way for a [person] to live.”

–From the ancient Mesopotamian poem – the Epic of Gilgamesh
(Gilgamesh is semi-mythical but believed to be an actual figure of the 2500 BCE historical era and mentioned as a Sumerian King.)

Note – mea copa with Pizzazz 

Sorry, but I had to alter the Gilgamesh quotation to find my personal tolerance to both include it and be inclusive. The original statement says ‘wife’ and ‘man.’ I beg forgiveness from classicists. It may be blasphemous to classical lovers, yet I’m still honoring the ideas of a healthy way to live and to Age with (guess what) Pizzazz.

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Title Photo Women in Yellow dress in field by Amie Roussel on Unsplash