Matters of the Heart: How February Can Inspire Heart Health and Self-Ca

It may be the shortest month of the year, but we shouldn’t let February simply pass us by. Whether you love or loathe it, this month famously celebrates Saint Valentine! As we continue to battle through a gruelling winter, focusing on widely celebrated dates can boost positivity in the workplace and provide employees with valuable support for their health and wellbeing.

Valentine’s Day is all about love, celebrating relationships with partners, family, and friends; a day that’s dear to many people’s hearts. Why not use this special holiday to educate your team on the importance of maintaining a healthy heart and highlight how your health and wellbeing package can support them in doing so? According to the British Heart Foundation, 7.6 million people in the UK were living with heart disease in 2024, so ensuring your employees have access to the resources they need to manage heart related illnesses is vital. In many cases, heart disease can be prevented through a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Use February as an opportunity to encourage your workforce to adopt new habits that reduce the risk of heart disease. Alongside Valentine’s-themed decorations, you could display informative posters with ‘10 Tips for a Healthy Heart.’ This could include affordable meal plans and suggestions for healthy alternatives to high-fat meals to help keep your team's hearts ticking along.

Consider introducing initiatives to encourage physical activity, such as ‘Walking Wednesdays,’ where your team is given a 20-minute break each Wednesday to participate in a group walk near your workplace. You could also promote ‘deskercise’ activities, enabling employees to work towards better heart health right at their desks. By embedding these positive life changes into your workplace culture, your employees will benefit not only through improved heart health but also greater job satisfaction.

Of course, poor diet and exercise aren’t the only contributors to heart disease, stress can also play a significant role. Valentine’s Day presents a wonderful opportunity to encourage your team to practice self-love by creating opportunities for stress-free self-care during the workday. This could involve dedicating an hour to a yoga or meditation session or providing herbal teas that specialise in calming remedies. Managing mental wellbeing is crucial in reducing stress, so if your health package includes resources for mental health support, take this time to advocate for their use.

Another date to mark in February is Random Acts of Kindness Day (17th February). This often overlooked occasion aligns perfectly with your Valentine’s heart health theme by fostering a caring atmosphere and boosting morale.

Spur on employees to leave notes of encouragement for one another, donate to a heart health-related charity, or participate in small acts of kindness. A temporary workplace kindness board could be set up to share and celebrate these moments. By leveraging these key dates and creating wellbeing-focused occasions in the workplace, you’re not only protecting your employees’ physical health but also supporting their mental wellbeing. Investing time in sharing resources, educating your team, and encouraging positive change sends a clear message that you value your workforce.

It also provides an incentive for employees to feel part of a team that genuinely cares about them, increasing job satisfaction for them and improving employee retention for you. By prioritising your employees’ health and wellbeing, you’re fostering a workforce that loves coming to work. What better Valentine could you ask for?

Ready to show your team some love this February?

Let Pegasus Health help you create a workplace where health and wellbeing thrive. Contact us today to explore tailored health packages designed to support your employees’ hearts and minds. Visit www.pegasushealth.uk or call us on 01704 443331 to start your journey toward a healthier, happier workplace.