Heart Month - From Lovers' Hearts to Real Heart Health
February has become commonly known as the month of love. Everywhere we look, we see red hearts — in cards, chocolates, flowers, and of course emojis ❤️ a universal image of love, affection, and care.
Ever wonder why the heart became the symbol of love, and how did it become the Heart Month?
Historically, the heart has long been associated with emotion, connection, and the essence of who we are. Ancient cultures believed the heart was not only a physical organ, but also the seat of the soul, consciousness, and feelings.
Around 496 A.D. February 14 was established as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and today (Saint) Valentine's Day is a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance.
More recently, in 1964, Heart Month was proclaimed by President L.B. Johnson to raise awareness on cardiovascular disease (he was a heart attack survivor).
Interestingly …
- The heart is red
- Our blood is red
- And life itself flows through that redness
Red represents circulation, vitality, warmth, and movement — all things that quite literally keep us alive. When we think about it this way, the red heart is not just a romantic symbol.
It is a powerful reminder of life force — of blood moving, oxygen traveling, nutrients being delivered, and the body working quietly in the background to sustain us, every single moment.
And yet, the heart is not only about blood and physiology, it is also where we feel:
- love
- grief
- connection
- heartbreak
- joy
- compassion
The heart responds not only to what we eat and how we move, but also to how we live, how we feel, and how we relate to ourselves and others. This is where February becomes more than Valentine’s Day e.g. it becomes a moment to reflect on self-love.
There is a simple image I often come back to when I think about self-love and self-care, the instructions given on an airplane:
“If the oxygen mask drops, put your own mask on first before helping others.”
At first, that can feel counterintuitive! Most of us are internally wired to help, to give, to care for everyone else first. But the truth is simple: if we are depleted, exhausted, overwhelmed, or running on empty, we don’t actually have much to give.
What I once thought was selfish, I now understand as self-preservation — and I see that as a true form of self-love. And self-preservation is not about indulgence - it’s about sustainability.
From a heart health perspective, we don’t need fear to motivate us — we need awareness and connection.
Heart health is something many people only think about when something goes wrong. But in reality, the heart is influenced every single day by:
- how we nourish ourselves
- how much stress we carry
- how well we sleep
- how often we move
- how supported our nervous system feels
- our emotional load
Heart health is not built nor maintained in a single day.
It is shaped slowly, through daily rhythms, repeated choices, and the way we relate to our body over time. For example, sometimes heart support looks like:
- taking a walk and letting blood circulate
- eating foods that feel alive and nourishing, especially deeply coloured foods
- supporting the body with gentle herbs
- breathing more deeply
- slowing down when life feels rushed
- listening when the body asks for rest
And sometimes… it simply looks like being kinder to ourselves. This is meant to feel like a warm hand on the chest — not a warning label. 💗
So this February, when you see a red heart ❤️, let it be more than a symbol for romance, let it be a reminder to:
- nourish your blood
- support your circulation
- honour your emotions
- protect your energy
- and care for the one heart that will be with you for your entire life — your own.
In herbal traditions, the connection to “red and the heart” shows up beautifully.
One of the most well-known heart herbs is Hawthorn, a plant with vibrant red berries that has been used for centuries to support circulation and cardiovascular function. Hawthorn has traditionally been used as a gentle tonic for the heart — in a nourishing, strengthening, and supportive way over time.
Another beautiful example is NSP’s Power Beets. They are grown at high altitude, where plants naturally produce more protective compounds. It’s a wonderful example of how nature concentrates nutrients when plants grow under more demanding conditions — and how that can translate into better support for circulation and vitality.
Their deep red colour, grounding nature, and traditional association with blood flow remind us once again that nature often leaves us clues.