The Holidays are an Ideal Time to Boost Your Level of Vitamin "L"

The holiday season can be a more challenging time to improve your health with nutritious foods.  The good news is, it is a perfect and opportune time to increase your weekly dosage of "vitamin L."  "Vitamin L" is a nickname for the love, joy, compassion, and other positive emotions essential for well-being.  Though not technically a vitamin, vitamin L is essential for your health!

The HeartMath Institute in Boulder Creek, California, the leading non-profit research center for studying the science of the heart and how it affects health and well-being, discovered what it named, "heart rhythm coherence."  The researchers found that when the heart has a steady, balanced, and smooth rhythm, blood pressure is lowered and all bodily systems work efficiently. Heart rhythm coherence is triggered  directly by Vitamin L - love and positive emotions!

When the heart rhythm is incoherent (erratic and stressed), the nervous, cardiovascular, hormonal and immune systems can all be affected negatively.

According to the the HeartMath Institute:

"Scientific research now tells us plainly that anger, anxiety and worry significantly increase the risk of heart disease, including sudden cardiac death. Landmark long-term studies conducted by Dr. Hans Eysenck and colleagues at the University of London have shown that chronic unmanaged emotional stress is as much as six times more predictive of cancer and heart disease than cigarette smoking, cholesterol level or blood pressure, and much more responsive to intervention."




My recommendations for Boosting your Vitamin L levels:

1.  Meditation:  Any kind works well (and continues working after you finish your meditation and go about your day).  One type of meditation specifically well-known for its ability to boost loving feelings is called the Loving-Kindness meditation.

2.  Spend time with a pet... or get a pet!

3.  Volunteer.

4.  Spend time doing things you enjoy with people you enjoy.

5.  Engage in your regular work or activities with an attitude of kindness and compassion toward others. 

6.  Hug often.


Reference:
 Wright, Carolanne, "A loving, joyful heart shown to encourage vibrant health." Thursday, February 10, 2011: http://www.naturalnews.com.