Wilt Chamberlin - who claimed to have had 20,000 liaisons - succumbed to congestive heart failure, proving more (gallivanting) is less (healthy) when it comes to keeping your ticker in tip-top shape.
Apparently, he didn't know that being married to, or living with, one Valentine slashes your risk of cardiac events (heart attack, stroke, etc.) by more than 60 percent for men and women! (Orgasms are good for your health; the more the merrier - but only in a mutually monogamous relationship.)
And if you have a heart attack and true love, you're up to 170 percent less likely to die from it than the unattached. What's so healthy about enduring love? Everything from stress reduction and pleasant reminders ("take your vitamins, dear") to having someone there to help if you get into trouble.
So, what can you take from this, whether you're married or not, to benefit YOU?
- Make reducing stress a priority. If you get daily physical activity (walking 10,000 steps is a great goal), have someone to cuddle with (touching and orgasm dispel heart-harming stress hormones), meditate for 10 minutes daily (that's bliss) and work on being a more generous person (it lowers levels of stress hormones), you make your heart years younger.
- Get a buddy to work out with; call each other daily to keep your nutrition on track ("I gotta confess I almost had a brownie today! How'd you do?"); and offer support through times good and bad.
© King Features Syndicate