You’ve heard the expression “A happy wife equals a happy life”, right? Well what about “A happy wife equals a happy heart”? Believe it or not, but they ARE related.
In October of last year, I got married 
For the first and ONLY time! When we made the decision to tie the knot, we couldn’t be happier! Planning the wedding was so exciting. However, it was interesting to listen to people around us and their reactions to the announcement, particularly my soon-to-be husband’s friends…”why would you do that”…”the old ball and chain”…”are you crazy? I’d love to get rid of my wife”, and on and on. Not sure why some people have a negative outlook on marriage, but we’ve definitely been happy so far 😉
Believe it or not, but marriage is GOOD for your health. Yes, I said it. According to Scott Haltzman, MD, clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University in Providence, R.I., and author of The Secrets of Happy Families: Eight Keys to Building a Li
fetime of Connection and Contentment. Dr. Haltzman found that 90% of women who were married at the age of 45, would live to 65, while slightly more than 80% of the divorced or un-married women would live to that age. The results were even more staggering in men! Men who were alive at 48 years old also had a 90 percent chance of reaching age 65 if they were married, but only a 60 to 70 percent chance if they were single. See? Who says marriage is bad for your health???
According to health.com, marriage is thought to have a number of health benefits, including greater longevity, less stress, and a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Now, a new study suggests you can add a better survival rate after heart surgery to the list of health perks. Men seem to benefit by having a greater survival rate, as long as they are married, unhappily or happily. However, women tend to benefit more when they are happily married, as opposed to unhappily married. What does that mean? If the husband wants to stay married, he’d better be good to his wife so she’ll be alive longer after heart surgery 😉
Marriage is fantastic for so many reasons – you have a confidant, a best friend, someone to talk to, someone to share your successes, fears and struggles. Someone to workout with! 😉 Someone to support you when you change your job, your exercise routine and diet. Someone to root you on for your New Years resolution of better health. How about a resolution to realize how many benefits there are to marriage, including a healthy heart!
February is American Heart Month. Your heart is red. February is also Valentine’s Day…a month associated with love, relationships and also the color red. So everytime you see something red, remember to be good to your heart, and good to your spouse.
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