Five Ways to Show Yourself Extra Love

Today is Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air! At this time of year, that love is generally the romantic kind, but this year Pfizer wants to inspire you to show yourself a little extra love -- on Valentine’s Day and all year long.

Self-care is an important part of staying healthy, in both body and soul, and while it’s not always easy to prioritize yourself, the good news is that self-care itself can be simple. It can be as low-key as taking a walk in the park with a neighbor or making a home-cooked meal with a friend. 

Finding fun ways to insert activity, connection, and nutrition into your daily life can boost your physical and mental health. To us, it sounds like the ultimate Valentine – to yourself.

Go for a Walk

Walking is a basic exercise that can offer big payoffs to your health. It helps lower blood pressure, boosts energy, and it strengthens your muscles and bones.¹ A simple walk is enough; you don’t need to run a marathon to achieve these benefits. A study followed runners and walkers for six years, and the moderate-intensity walkers achieved the same health benefits — risk reductions for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes — as the high-intensity runners did.²

Catch up with a Friend (Or Make a New One!)

Time with others is essential for well-being. People who have interactions with a range of social connections — from close friends to passing acquaintances to the neighborhood mail carrier — are more likely to have improved physical and mental health and to live longer, compared to people who do not.³ Next time you head out for a walk, consider inviting someone, whether it’s your best friend or a new neighbor, to join you.

Create an Indulgent Sleep Ritual

Sleep is essential to health and well-being. Without proper sleep, people are more likely to suffer from problems such as heart disease, cancer, dementia, and stroke. Yet a third of adults have a hard time getting enough sleep.⁴ To help you get needed rest, create a bedtime ritual that teaches your body that it’s time to sleep. While sleep hygiene usually focuses on what to avoid before bedtime — such as screen time, caffeine, and alcohol. Here are some enjoyable ways you can spend that time instead:

• Practice gentle yoga or stretching: These can relieve stress and relax your body before bedtime.⁵
• Take a bath: Taking a soak an hour or two before bedtime can help you fall asleep more quickly and help you stay asleep longer.⁶
• Listen to music: Relaxing music can also help you fall asleep faster. Listening to music before bedtime relaxes your heart rate and blood pressure, while promoting relaxation.⁷

Plant a Garden

Gardens nurture more than plants, but positive health, too. Gardening has a positive impact on patients with chronic diseases, including patients with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety.^8,9 Even if you don’t have a yard, you can still get that gardening boost by planting in containers on a balcony or sunny window.

Then, of course, there are the foods that you grow in a garden. Adding fresh produce to your diet supports cardiovascular health, controls inflammation, and reduces the risk of cancer.^10,11  

Cultivate Your Inner Chef

People who eat home-cooked meals usually consume fewer ultra-processed foods. This is a big deal: Ultra-processed foods are linked to 32 health conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even depression.¹² When you create meals at home, you have much more control over the quality of your foods and your nutritional intake. Your meals will likely be less calorie-dense and more filling, too.

Cooking at home can also support positive mental health.¹³ This Valentine’s Day, cook up a special meal with your favorite ingredients, and raise a glass to someone who deserves celebrating: you.
 

[1] The Benefits of Walking. National Institutes of Health: News in Health. March 2016. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/03/benefits-walking

[2] Walking for Exercise. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source. April 2023. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/walking/

[3] Abrams, Zara. “The Science of Why Friendships Keep Us Healthy.” Monitor on Psychology, The American Psychological Association. June 1, 2023. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/06/cover-story-science-friendship

[4] Sleep. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/sleep

[5] Suni, E. & Rehman, A. Yoga and Sleep. Sleep Foundation. June 13, 2023, Accessed February 11, 2025.

[6] Haghayegh S, Khoshnevis S, Smolensky MH, Diller KR, Castriotta RJ. Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2019;46:124-135. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2019.04.008

[7] Howard, Lisa. “Is Listening to Music Better Than a Sleeping Pill?” UC Davis Health. July 10, 2023. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/is-listening-to-music-better-than-a-sleeping-pill/2023/07

[8] Moore H, Boisvert K, Bryan M, et al. Inspired to Garden: A Qualitative Study of Participants' Experiences in an Academic Medical Center Garden. Cureus. 2023;15(7):e41695. Published 2023 Jul 11. doi:10.7759/cureus.41695

[9] Ainamani HE, Gumisiriza N, Bamwerinde WM, Rukundo GZ. Gardening activity and its relationship to mental health: Understudied and untapped in low-and middle-income countries. Prev Med Rep. 2022;29:101946. Published 2022 Aug 8. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101946

[10] Slavin JL, Lloyd B. Health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Adv Nutr. 2012;3(4):506-516. Published 2012 Jul 1. doi:10.3945/an.112.002154
 
[11] Fruit and Vegetable Consumption. National Institutes of Health: Cancer Trends Progress Report. March 2024. Accessed February 11, 2025.

[12] Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024;384:e077310. Published 2024 Feb 28. doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-077310

[13] Farmer N, Touchton-Leonard K, Ross A. Psychosocial Benefits of Cooking Interventions: A Systematic Review. Health Education & Behavior. 2018;45(2):167-180. doi:10.1177/1090198117736352