Give a little love to your heart

 (written for the Los Altos Town Crier)

I firmly believe the most enduring love stories have one thing in common: they involve partners who practice self-love. Though not the subject of blockbuster rom-coms, self-love is a worthy, life-long courtship we should all be wooing. When we care for ourselves, mind, body and spirit, we are better able to put love in the world. Loved people love people, as it were. 

My self-love story started in my 20s, when I decided to take seriously my hereditary risk for heart disease. I began making small choices to better love my heart. My now decades-long romance with the steady, faithful organ beating away in my chest has benefited every aspect of my life. Eating well, moving frequently, and practicing mindfulness are the ingredients for a truly epic long-term relationship. 

Heart, I love thee

In my 20s, I read about oatmeal’s ability to improve cardiovascular health. Early-start workdays inspired an on-the-go oatmeal breakfast. To this day, I enjoy my version of a fruit and oats smoothie, which is a bright blend of berries, oatmeal and almond milk. The habit isn’t only delivering antioxidants and fiber; it’s saying, I care about me.

A runner for most of my adult life, a 2024 report detailing the benefits of resistance training changed my fitness routine. The study, which involved hundreds of thousands of women, found that strength training two to three times a week reduced the risk of heart-disease by 30% in women over 35. That’s a statistic worth sitting up and paying attention to. 

For women living in and around Los Altos, there is a particularly wonderful fitness studio for incorporating resistance training in their lives: barre3 Los Altos. A fixture in the Los Altos community for over a decade, the studio’s newish location on First Street is adding to the vibrancy of downtown.

“Heart health extends beyond physical movement,” said studio owner Alene Baronian. Adding, “At barre3 Los Altos, we place equal emphasis on movement, well-being and stress management.”

With signature, cardio, strength-training and mindfulness classes, barre3’s weekly schedule offers variety in a community-building, empowering environment. While the strength training courses emphasize slow, intentional movement with weights, every barre3 class offers some aspect of their unique approach to resistance training.

“It’s one of the few workouts where I feel both physically challenged and mentally relaxed afterward. I leave feeling better than when I arrived,” reports member Priya. 

She’s not alone. Client Suzanne says, “It’s a workout that supports how I want to feel for the rest of my day.” 

Instructor and lead mentor Emily Robison shares, “We focus on practical, real-life benefits – improving posture, stamina, sleep and overall well-being as part of working toward a long, healthy life.” 

To learn more, swing by barre3’s bright, welcoming studio at 249 First Street or visit barre3.com. 

Some trends never go out of style for good reasons. It was love at first bite for me when I met avocado toast years ago. An ode to healthy fats, my version uses whole-grain sourdough bread as the canvas for avocado, a drizzle of olive oil, hardboiled egg, some greens, a sprinkling of Everything Bagel Seasoning and Aleppo pepper. Simple, satiating and downright delicious, avocado toast is my eternal healthy choice heartthrob.

The latest edition to the great romance with my heart is carrot soup. Rich in potassium, fiber and beta-carotene, carrots help manage blood pressure. I lace my soup with heart-health heroes ginger and garlic to amp up the cardiovascular goodness. 

I recently learned that Millennial soup-lovers outnumber those in the Gen-X or Baby Boomer generations. Meaning, a bowl of my nourishing, flavorful carrot soup might just be a chapter in the next generation’s self-love story.

Heartfelt oatmeal fruit smoothie

• 1/2 cup rolled oats 
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries 
• 1 banana 
• 1/2 cup of your favorite milk (I used unsweetened, vanilla almond milk)
• 1-2 teaspoon maple syrup

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more milk as needed to achieve preferred consistency. 

Hearty avocado toast 

• 1 slice whole-grain sourdough bread, toasted 
• 1/4 avocado, mashed 
• Drizzle of olive oil, 
• Hardboiled egg, sliced 
• Everything Bagel Seasoning 
• Baby arugula
• Aleppo pepper

Mash avocado and olive oil together. Spread evenly on toasted sourdough. Top with egg slices, seasoning, arugula and pepper. 

Heart & soul carrot soup

• 1 lb. carrots, cleaned, peeled chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 medium fennel bulb, cleaned and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
• Half teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Heat soup pot over medium high heat. Add grapeseed oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add onions and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add carrots, fennel and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 3 minutes. Add ginger, cumin and cook for one minute more. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Using an immersion blender, or working carefully in batches in a stand blender, puree soup until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.