How to have a healthier heart ...

I've been doing a lot of research lately on illnesses and diseases, guess that's what happens to you when you're facing an onslaught of procedures, and the other day I ran across this amazing research done by UNC (not my favorite school but they are for this research). They did a study on how to make your heart healthier and the result was HUGS!!! Many of you know, I'm a huggable person (maybe sometimes too much) and I've tried stressing the importance of hugs for me (now more so than ever when you're facing the unknown) and THANKFULLY to those Tarheels, I now have proof to illstruate why I was right!!!

Below are some bits & pieces that I found interesting in their report. Hope you find it interesting as well and put these to practice!!

> Hugs can help to lower blood pressure & reduce stress which are big causes of heart disease.
> Here's a favorite quote by relationship coach, Mihalko Baczynski, "A good hug speaks directly to your body and soul, making you feel loved and special."

How many hugs do we need? Here's what the research says:

Everyone needs at least FOUR hugs a day for healthy survival, EIGHT hugs a day for emotional strength, and TWELVE hugs a day to truly grow & be empowered.

The study concludes by telling us to ask ourselves a very important question "how often do you give or receive a hug?"

So even if you don't like it, the research now proves if you want to live a happier and healthier life, give hugs ... trust me, they really do make you feel better, happier, loved and special.