Take Care Of Your Heart So It Takes Care Of You

If you have a family history of heart disease or what some call “The Silent Killer,” you owe it to yourself to take steps to protect your health. Cardiovascular disease is expected to claims almost a half million lives, once again making it the number one cause of death in the US, per the American Heart Association.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the best thing you can do for your heart is to live a healthy lifestyle, which means eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, getting exercise regularly and managing stress. Of all these things, diet is perhaps the most important.

A healthy diet is described as one that is nutritious and well-balanced, low in saturated fat, cholesterol and salt, and high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. But perhaps the most important nutrient of all to your heart health is the Omega 3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 is found in foods such as fatty fish (salmon, tuna, herring and sardines), walnuts, flaxseeds and soybeans and their oils. It has many beneficial effects, including decreasing triglycerides, lowering blood pressure, reducing blood clotting, enhancing immune function and reducing the risk of sudden cardiac death by decreasing the risk of abnormal heart rhythms.In recent years concerns over contaminants, like mercury and PCBs, in fatty fish have led the health conscious in search of alternatives.

That’s where fish oil supplements come in. NOW Omega 3 fish oil is made with highly purified pharmaceutical grade fish oil so you don’t have to worry about contaminants.

Two soft gels per day helps to lower triglycerides, slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries, lower blood pressure slightly, and reduce the risk of death, heart attack, dangerous abnormal heart rhythms and strokes in people with heart disease.

Get Healthy… Hop And Jump But Don’t Skip

Recently I have seen a lot of comments about skipping meals to lose weight. This comes from many low-calorie or fad diets say this is the way to lose weight fast but they wind up not working in the long term. You can lose weight on them but it’s unhealthy, and as soon as you go off the diet the weight comes pouring back on. If you are trying to benefit from a weight loss or body building program, good nutrition is an essential part along with exercise.

The latest thinking is that you want to eat smaller meals more often. If you do the math that means about every2-4 hours in order to increase your metabolism and maintain your lean muscle tissue. It is more important to eat properly than to skip meals.

You will slow your metabolism down and put body fat on by skipping the last meal of the day. As an example, if you eat dinner about 6:00 pm, go to bed at 11:00 pm, wake up at 7:00 am and eat breakfast at about 7:30 am. That’s thirteen and a half hours since your last meal. Your cells are craving nutrition and are going to want to store the next meal as fat instead of burning the calories as fuel.

On the other hand when you eat frequent meals throughout the day including before bed you continue to burn calories and fat even while you sleep, but it’s not from skipping the last meal of the day.

Your meal before bedtime is not as important as breakfast or post-workout, but still very important. Many people eat junk before bedtime and that's why many programs fail. Go for healthier choices instead of the junk.

It’s important to stay out of a catabolic state where muscle and tissue breakdown. You want to keep your metabolism rate high so you continue to burn calories and fat even while you sleep. That doesn’t happen when you skip meals. What will happen is your body goes into a catabolic state, and the next time you eat something your body will have a greater chance of storing it as fat. And that is the vicious cycle when you skip meals. Metabolism drops, lean muscle tissue drops, body fat increases.

Stay away from the foods with high sugar or fructose content, not just at bedtime either. Foods high in saturated and trans fats out also. The foods you want before bed should be healthy and slow to digest. Some protein foods would be casein protein, cottage cheese, low-fat cheeses, whey protein, and natural peanut butter. Healthy fats would be natural peanut butter, nuts, other natural nut butters, and seeds.

The best carbs are dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, or kale. The lighter veggies like potatoes have too much starch. You can also try some complex carbohydrates like oats, or whole-wheat products, but calories can add up quickly so watch the portion size.

The key to eating before bed is moderation. You should never feel stuffed, and you should drink plenty of water with it. The water will actually help fill you up some and ensure you don’t go to bed dehydrated. The quantity depends on what you are trying to accomplish, and how well you have managed your calories throughout the day. For sure it should be one of the smallest in terms of calories.

When to eat before going to bed varies from person to person, but from 15 minutes to 90 minutes is a good rule of thumb. It will be a matter of preference really. Experiment with what works best. Everybody is different.

Weight Loss Is More About Less Calories And Exercise

I just ran across some interesting information from a new study sponsored by the NIH. The conclusion was that any heart healthy diet that cuts calories can help overweight and obese adults achieve and maintain weight loss. This is no matter how you count the proportions of fat, protein or carbohydrates.

Researchers funded by NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) used 811 overweight and obese adults, aged 30 to 70, and assigned them to 1 of 4 diets. The participants didn’t have diabetes or severe heart disease but may have had other risk factors like high blood pressure or cholesterol.

The 4 diets all had the same calorie reduction goals and were heart-healthy, (low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber). They varied the levels of fat, protein and carbohydrates. The 4 diets were: 1) low-fat (20% of calories), average protein (15% of calories); 2) low-fat, high-protein (25% of calories); 3) high-fat (40% of calories), average protein; and 4) high-fat, high-protein. Carbohydrates ranged from 35% to 65% of calories.

The participants recorded their food intake for 2 years, had diet counseling sessions, and were also asked to do moderate-intensity physical activity like brisk walking, for at least 90 minutes per week.

The report was published by the researchers on February 26, 2009, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

They saw about the same weight loss in all 4 diet groups after 6 months and also after 2 years. On average, participants lost 13 pounds at 6 months and maintained a 9 pound loss at 2 years. The participants also reduced their waistlines by 1 to 3 inches by the end of the study. Craving, fullness, hunger and diet satisfaction were similar across the 4 diets.

Other studies showed that a loss of 5-10% of body weight will help reduce risk factors for heart disease and other medical conditions. In this study, 15% of patients achieved a 10% weight loss after 2 years. Consistent with previous studies, the diets all improved several known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

"This new information should focus weight loss approaches on reducing calorie intake rather than any particular proportions of fat, protein or carbohydrate," says principal investigator Dr. Frank M. Sacks of the Harvard School of Public Health.

10 Not So Secret Diet Tips

I see a lot of articles on the internet that start with phrases like 10 Secret Tips You Should Know” etc etc So I tried to think of 10 things about losing weight that I have learned over the years, and here is what I came up with.

1 An idea for home is to get yourself some smaller plates. We all like to fill our plates at dinner and the larger the plate, the more we will tend to eat. By having a smaller plate you may be able to train yourself to eat smaller portions of your favorite foods and still feel satisfied.

2 don’t skip breakfast. This can slow down your metabolism and your body will want to store more food as fat. Also you will be starving by lunchtime and will tend to lose any benefit from eating less earlier. Get a variety of high fiber cereals or breakfast bars with low sugar content. This is going to give you more energy, help your digestion and help you feel full until lunch time.

3 Drink lots of water instead of soda or juice. There are no calories in it, it makes you feel full and you won’t be thirsty. In addition water will help you flush toxins from your system and help with weight loss.

4 Get out and exercise even if you are stuck behind a desk. You may not always have time to go to a gym to burn calories but you can take a stretch break every so often and walk around a bit. Try parking farther away from the office and walking to work. This might save on parking fees also. You can do isometric stretches at your desk or a push up or 10 if you have your own space. When you have to move between floors try walking the stairs instead of riding the elevator. I use 3 up and 3 down as a general rule.

5 Because you are on a diet doesn’t have to stop going out. As you look and feel better you will want to go out more anyway. Just make different choices. Try club soda or tonic water instead of a beer. They look like mixed drinks and as the night wears on you will still be more in control of your actions. That’s why it’s called a beer belly isn’t it?

6 Take your own lunch to work. You are then in control of how many calories you have and it will save you from running out and getting a greasy burger and fries when you get hungry.

7 Find a diet and/or exercise partner. It is much easier to stay on target with some support. Like the theory behind AA or OA have their phone number handy and be willing to talk to each other when you feel like breaking your commitment to change the bad eating habits you got into.

8 Many people keep a diary of what they eat and the number of calories. As soon as you finish eating write it all down, keep it for two weeks then divide by 14. When you have a baseline try to reduce it by 10% over the next two weeks. It gives you another way to check your progress. Try it. It might be fun.

9 Make an effort to stay away from canned goods or processed foods. Just because they write healthy on the package, doesn’t always make it nutritious for you. They are usually loaded with salt, fat and calories. If the contents sound appetizing, you can make the same thing at home pretty easily, and from natural ingredients. Homemade almost always tastes better anyway.

10 Try to eat dinner earlier than later. You should not have anything after 8:00 PM because you won’t have time to digest your food properly before bed time. Your metabolism is low when you sleep, and if you are digesting your meal as you sleep your body produces more insulin which causes your body to store food as fat.

And don’t just flop on the couch after dinner. Get in at least a little activity to help digestion along.

Insulin What Is It Anyway?

If you are a diabetic you probably already know what insulin is, but if you don’t have it chances are that all it means to you is that it has something to do with a diabetics blood sugar or it causes you to gain weight. Have you ever wondered what it is and how it works, and why people with diabetes try to control it. I’ll make this a condensed version.

First off insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas. When your blood glucose or sugar level rises, this is a signal for the pancreas to begin producing. Its whole function in the body it to regulate purpose is to regulate the metabolism of glucose and other nutrients. Metabolism is the process where the energy from the things we eat is released for use by the body or stored in body tissues, especially the liver, muscles, and body fat. This is a never ending process for all living things. If it stops, the organism dies.

When you don’t eat for a while you start to feel a sensation called hunger, which usually makes you crave carbohydrates. These carbs get converted to sugar in the blood, which then causes the release of insulin.

Then the insulin lets the sugar leave the blood and get absorbed into the cells of the body; the effect this has on the brain chemistry generates a feeling of satisfaction. Over the next few hours the insulin/blood sugar ratio changes the brain chemistry again and causes you to feel hungry again.

Armed with this knowledge we can modify our diet to help the regulation process. The pancreas secretes the most insulin faster overnight around 0600, so if a diabetic takes a morning shot of insulin, it will reduce glucose 40 percent more than an afternoon one.

Since insulin carries nutrients to the cells, if you are diabetic and exercise then eat, and you don’t have enough insulin your blood sugar would remain high (called hyperglycemia), and the nutrients could not pass through the fatty cell membrane. Eventually the blood glucose would be passed through the urine and the benefits of the exercise and the meal would be wasted.

A high fat diet is not necessarily bad, provided it contains a sufficient proportion of essential Fatty acids (EFAs). Also a low fat diet is not always good if it doesn’t have enough essential fatty acids.

The key is a balanced proportion (two parts of omega-6 to one part of omega-3). Therefore we need to reduce the omega-6 oils, except GLA, and increase omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA (DHA is plentiful in cold water fish, such as salmon, mackerel, herring and tuna that feed on DHA-rich micro-algae).

Exercise is the other element that affects insulin levels. It has been shown by a number of papers that resistance training for insulin resistance is better than aerobic training. There are a variety of other reasons too. Resistance training is referring to muscular exercises. If you just do a biceps curl, you immediately increase the insulin sensitivity of your biceps.

Just by exercising you are increasing the blood flow to that muscle. That is one of the factors that determine insulin sensitivity. It has been shown conclusively that resistance training will increase insulin sensitivity.

It has been found that several months of resistance training leads to a much greater increase in insulin sensitivity than seen in patients who engage in aerobic training. This is attributed to an increase in glycogen storage.

It has been shown that bodybuilders, who traditionally employ a high volume style of training, favorably alter glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.

So to make a longer story shorter this is why we need to pay attention to insulin levels while keeping the Big Picture in focus. It can be done but like a tripod all three legs need to be leveled in order to succeed. Lower Insulin levels with diet and exercise.

Do You Keep Tight Control Of Your Diabetes?

If you can keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible it can be a lifesaver. Tight control can prevent or slow the progress of many complications of diabetes, giving you extra years of healthy, active life.
But tight control is not for everyone and it involves hard work.

Your physician will tell you that means you need to get between 70 and 130 mg/dl before meals, and less than 180 two hours after starting a meal.

In real life, maintaining a normal level all the time is not practical. And it's not needed to get results, but everything you can do to lower your blood glucose level helps to prevent complications.

It is unknown why high sugar levels cause complications in people with diabetes but research has proved that if people keep a tight rein on their glucose levels they lower their chances of diabetic eye disease, kidney disease, and nerve disease, and also far fewer people who already had early forms of these three complications got worse.

If your goal is to live a healthier life with this disease you must pay more attention to your diet and exercise, measure your blood glucose levels, and if you take insulin, change how much you use and your injection schedule.

In intensive therapy, you provide yourself with a low level of insulin at all times and take extra insulin when you eat. This pattern mimics the release of insulin from the normal pancreas.

What many people choose is multiple daily injections of insulin while others choose an insulin pump (both work fine).

With multiple daily injection therapy, you take three or more insulin shots per day. Usually, you take a shot of short-acting or Regular insulin before each meal and a shot of intermediate- or long-acting insulin at bedtime.

With an insulin pump, you wear a tiny pump that releases insulin into your body through a plastic tube. Usually, it gives you a constant small dose of Regular insulin. You also have the pump release extra insulin when you need it, such as before a meal. Your health care team will set this up with you.

When you first begin to get things under control it’s kind of exciting. but overwhelming also. The trick is to be like the Energizer Bunny and keep going and going. Start out with your goals in mind and take things a step at a time.

Start slowly. Start by looking at yourself honestly. If you are still angry and depressed that you have diabetes, you’ll have to adjust to the changes you will have to make in your life.

Keep your goals realistic. No matter how hard you try, your blood glucose readings will not be perfect every time. If they are often too high or too low, talk to your doctor, but if "wrong" levels happen only sometimes, that's falls under the category of things happen, you’ll get better over time.

Doctors believe that tight control can also prevent complications in people with type 2 diabetes.

One way is to lose weight. Shedding excess pounds may bring your glucose levels down to normal. The key to losing weight and keeping it off is changing your behavior so that you eat less and exercise more.

Even if you don't need to lose weight, exercise is helpful in controlling your blood glucose levels. It makes your cells take glucose out of the blood.

If exercise and good eating habits are not enough to keep your glucose under control, you doctor may prescribe pills. And if these don't work, you may need to take insulin.

Coronary Health Is Managable

Whenever you see words like coronary artery and disease, everyone gets all serious and defensive, but actually being diagnosed with CAD does not mean that you can’t live life to the fullest. It is a “wake up“ call though to take charge of your health.

The first thing to do is to learn all you can about the condition. Coronary Artery Disease is a blockage or a narrowing in one or more of the blood vessels that transport oxygen to the heart.

If you are at risk for CAD, take some time to learn which medicines and supplements are used to treat the condition and what options there are to save money purchasing them.

A low dose of aspirin helps keep platelets from sticking together and forming clots. Statins like Lipitor lower the LDL or bad cholesterol which clog the arteries. They also increase the good or HDL cholesterol which keeps the arteries clean by carrying away the excess.

Beta Blockers help lower blood pressure so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard. ACE inhibitors are another form of medication used to lower blood pressure and lessen the chances of heart failure.

If you have medical insurance for your medicine, each plan is different but choosing a generic form of the medication is cheaper than the brand name drug. Ask your Pharmacy if they have a generic medication program. Another way to save may be to order your medicine by mail for 3 months at a time instead of every 30 days.

Even if you don’t have insurance be sure to take good care of yourself. As much as possible, eat a nutritious balanced diet, keep your weight within the BMI normal parameters and get plenty of exercise. There are natural healthy supplements that can assist in weight loss, cholesterol support and essential vitamins.

Find yourself a good doctor and maybe even a cardiologist who knows how to treat CAD. Know what questions to ask them.

Keep your cholesterol under control and know why it is important to do so. Your total cholesterol should be less than 200. The HDL or good cholesterol should be greater than 60 and the LDL or bad cholesterol needs to be less than 100. Triglycerides need to be less than 150. These are made when you consume more calories than you need, and your body stores them as fat.

Understand what tests you need and which ones you don’t. If you are not at risk you don’t need an ECG, or stress test. In fact if you over test you can get false positive results and put more stress on yourself than you need. Get your blood pressure tested regularly. It should be 140/90 or lower. If you have diabetes or kidney problems your blood pressure should be 130/80 or lower.

So to summarize how to keep your heart healthy with or without CAD remember to:
Visit your Doctor
Take your medications and/or supplements
Don’t smoke
Eat good food (fruits & veggies)
Keep moving (exercise)
Manage anger and stress
Watch for signs of depression
If you’re diabetic control your blood sugars

Spring Is Shape Up Time Even With Asthma

Spring is right around the corner, and it’s just about time to get outdoors for some exercise even if you have asthma. Some of our best known Olympians and athletes like Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Greg Louganis both competed with asthma. In the 1996 Olympic Games it was reported that up to 17% of the athletes had a history of asthma.

Experts agree that all but those with the most severe asthma should be able to participate in sports and exercise. The key is to manage your asthma instead of letting it manage you

Allergies and pollution can worsen the symptoms during the springtime season but they don’t have to keep you inside on nice days either. The important thing to remember when you want to get some outdoor exercise is to know what brings on an attack and what to do to control the symptoms.

If you have a regular doctor, talk to them about your new exercise program. They can tell you more about how to deal with an attack and prescribe a quick relief medicine, like an inhaler, that you can keep with you all the time. There are even some products that can be obtained over the counter without a prescription.

Keep an eye on the air quality index also. Listen to the radio, watch the television or read the newspaper to find out the latest pollution and allergy levels. There is even an online site that the Environmental Protection Agency runs at www.epa.gov/airnow that will let you know what the air quality outlook is for your area. When the levels are high stay indoors to exercise or shorten the length and intensity of your workout.

If you have pollen allergy wait until the late afternoon or after a rainstorm when the pollen levels are usually lower. Another caution would be to avoid exercising by busy roads during rush hour or in industrial areas. The worst time for pollen is normally between 5-10 A.M.

Besides avoiding what triggers an attack, select activities that are less likely to cause problems. Swimming is a great low impact aerobic exercise. You are in warm humid air in a horizontal position and can be done all year. Golf, walking, biking or hiking are also safe and good for the cardiovascular system.

If you are into working on endurance types of training, they are likelier to cause an attack, so pay closer attention. Sports that require continuous activity and strain like marathon running, basketball and soccer are probably not the best way to go.

However, regular physical activity coupled with proper nutrition and diet, are still the best things you can do for yourself and your overall well being.

So get outdoors and enjoy everything it has to offer.

A Few Guy Things

On my journey through life, I seem to have obtained a companion that that I would like to lose, but just won’t go away. I can’t remember just where the extra weight came from, it kind of just snuck up on me. For about a year now I have been carrying what amounts to an extra 25lb. bag of dog food in excess weight. I have succeeded in losing about 12 to 15 pounds throughout the spring and summer, but I always seem to gain it back over the winter.

There has to be a better way to keep the pounds off. Since I couldn’t figure it out I got some help from a dietitian and even talked to my doctor about weight loss. Here is a summary of what the experts said.

Don’t think of losing weight as a quick loss diet. Diets usually mean changing eating habits for a short time. If you think about it, boring meals, going hungry and skipping your favorite foods is really hard to stick to. Maybe that’s part of why I don’t get lasting results.
A better way lose weight is slow and steady unless you are so overweight that you have a serious health risk. For most of us 2 pounds a week is about max. If you go faster it’s easier to quit. You'll feel hungrier, and your body may try to save calories rather than burn them.

Don't be satisfied with the quick fix approach. Diets can help jump start a weight loss program for a while. But, like in my case the pounds come back. The way to approach the problem more effectively is with Lifestyle changes. The end result is to create a trimmer, healthier you for the rest of your life. Sounds like a plan to me!

Here are three things to keep in mind as you go for lasting weight loss:

1. Where are you currently weight wise, and set a goal.

Understanding your body mass index (BMI) which is a measure of body fat based on height and weight, is the current tool to set a weight-loss goal. You can calculate your BMI, using the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute online calculator at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi, or ... for you math majors you can use this formula to do it yourself. This example is of someone who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds:

1. Start with your weight in pounds (200).
2. Multiply that number by 703 (200x703=140,600).
3. Multiply your height in inches by itself (70x70=4,900)
4. Divide the answer to # 2 by the answer to # 3(140,600 ÷ 4,900=28.69)

Overweight is defined as having a BMI between 25 and 29.9. Obesity is 30 or higher.

Just losing 5 - 15 percent of your weight can improve your quality of life. It also can help with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other health problems. If you need to lose more than 15 pounds, talk with your doctor.

2. Modify your eating and exercise habits.

Average, Americans consume 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day. To lose 1 or 2 pounds a week, you'll need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you eat each day. It typically involves lowering your calorie intake and increasing your physical activity. The goal is to make lifestyle changes that can work for you the rest of your life.

As you look at the food you eat, make a healthy eating plan based on what you like and don’t like and:

Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy items
Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts
Make sure it is low in saturated fat, trans-fat, cholesterol, salt and extra sugar

Be aware that most healthy adults should try to get at least 2.5 hours of aerobic activity, like as swimming, bicycling and power walking, per week. The amount of exercise needed to lose weight or maintain weight loss is different for each individual.

Start slowly and work up to at least 30 minutes a day at a pace that's comfortable for you. If you can't fit your aerobic exercise into one session, you can spread it out over the day in 10- 15 minute sessions.

Another recommendation from the experts is strength training a couple of times per week. Make sure you are up to it first though.

3. Get a support Team.

Ask your doctor, nutritionist, certified trainer or someone else who wants to lose weight also. If you find a support group during and after weight loss it helps to keep it off.

It’s not easy to change eating and exercise habits. One rule of thumb is: To change a habit takes thirty consecutive times. If you fall off the wagon one time you have to start over at Zero. But, keep trying. You can do it. The rewards of success will be with you for years to come.

Latest Tips & Tricks To Protect Your Heart

Did you see the article in the New York Times Health Section on how to protect your heart? I was familiar with no smoking, low cholesterol and blood pressure, regular exercise and weight loss control. There were some new suggestions that caught my eye though.

As we learn more through research and why heart attacks happen, some of the ways to avoid them is different than it used to be. As an example diet and exercise controls are not as strict. The food tastes better, is cheaper and you don’t have to drown in a pool of sweat to get the benefits of exercise.

The risk factors have not changed though. Heredity, genetics, high cholesterol and blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, belly fat, and our sedentary lifestyles all play a part. There is a newer factor that is becoming recognized as even more important as a cause of heart attacks and that is C-reactive protein, or CRP.

It is a marker in the blood that is concerned with inflammation that, along with coagulation factors, is now increasingly recognized as the driving force behind clots that block blood flow to the heart.

Even if your cholesterol is normal, your risk of heart attack goes up if the CRP is elevated. Some doctors are starting to believe that when people have their cholesterol checked, they should also be tested for high-sensitivity CRP.

The new advice on what to eat actually was known before we were told to eat a low-fat diet. Doctors knew as far back as 1958 that heart disease was rare in the Mediterranean and Asian regions where vegetables, grains, fruits, beans and fish were the dietary the usual foods. The US diet on the other hand is filled with red meat, cheese and other foods rich in saturated fats, heart disease and cardiac deaths were epidemic.

What was missed at the time and has now become increasingly apparent is that the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is not really low in fat, but its main sources of fat olive oil and oily fish as well as nuts, seeds and certain vegetables help to prevent heart disease by improving cholesterol ratios and reducing inflammation.

One study in 1999 on the value of a traditional Mediterranean diet found that within four years, the Mediterranean approach reduced the rates of heart disease recurrence and cardiac death by 50 to 70 percent when compared with the heart association diet. Several subsequent studies have confirmed the same approach to diet.

More than 90% of the people who try the Mediterranean diet stick to it. The food tastes great and you can buy it in any grocery store.

Some of the foods that help to reduce the inflammatory marker CRP are cold-water fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel; flax seed; walnuts; and canola oil and margarine based on canola oil. Fish oil capsules are also an effective supplement. Another good tip is to try cooking with canola oil and using more expensive and aromatic olive oil for salads.

Vegetables, fruits and red wine (or purple grape juice) are helpful also because the antioxidants help prevent LDL cholesterol from forming in the arteries.

Something else to consider is a link between periodontal disease and increased risk of heart disease, most likely because gum disease causes low-grade chronic inflammation. So good dental hygiene, and regular periodontal cleanings, can help protect your heart as well as your teeth.

Reducing chronic stress is another important factor. A study of the effects of stress in more than 27,000 people, found that stress more than doubled the risk of heart attacks.

So remember not to sweat the small stuff, and it’s ALL small stuff. And getting enough sleep improves the ability to manage stress. Take a deep breath and relax or try meditation, prayer, yoga, self-hypnosis, laughter, taking a midday nap, getting a dog or cat, taking up a hobby and exercising regularly.

A final note on exercising. Did you know that a 1996 study found that just 15 minutes of exercise five days a week decreased the risk of cardiac death by 46 percent. A current British study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that building up short brisk three minute walks for a total of 30 minutes a day did as much cardiac good as one continuous 30-minute session.

Balance Your Diet For Life

The Christmas holidays have passed and as usual one of the biggest New Year resolutions is to get in better shape. When you succeed not only do you look your best but you feel better also.

Whether the goals are weight loss, tone and strengthen muscles, or increase stamina and energy, there are many valuable resources on line to help you get in shape for your wedding. One of the healthiest recommendations would be to balance a nutritious diet with supplements and exercise regimen that results in a gradual weight loss.

The basics are simple: The calories you burn have to be more than what you take in. So begin your new year with a new diet lifestyle. Determine where you are at the start, where you are going, how you are going to get there, and how you will know when you made it.

In order to get healthy for life the best advice is to change the unhealthy habits. Avoid the sweets, eat more fruits and vegetables, choose lean meats and protein, stay away from fried and fatty foods, and be sure to drink plenty of water.

Start now if you want to be ready for summer. Keep your energy up with a safe, healthy eating plan that calls for a loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week, which, for the majority of us is about 1200 calories per day. Prepare yourself for a lifestyle change, have a schedule, throw out, or give away the things that could undermine your weight loss efforts, then replenish with healthy choices.

Exercise is essential to a good weight loss program. Just dieting loses mostly lean muscle tissue instead of fat. Add exercise to your daily routine and your body will use the fat stores for fuel instead of the muscle. If you’re really serious about getting in shape for your wedding day, you need to balance healthy eating and exercise.

Some people keep a journal that includes what, how much, and when they eat, as well as what they feel.
It can help you see your eating patterns and change them as needed. Awareness is the first step in making changes.

Before and after each exercise session, it’s important to stretch. This keeps you safe from serious muscular injury, increases your flexibility and improves your overall fitness level. Start by holding stretches 20 seconds at a time.

Aerobics are another way to burn fat and complement a healthy diet. Some cardiovascular choices include walking, running, hiking, swimming, cycling, or dancing. You might try starting with 20 minute sessions, three times a week. As your endurance improves, increase your exertion level and your length of exercise time. You don’t have to do it all at once either. Twenty minutes in the morning, at lunchtime and after work is as good as a solid hour at the gym.

If you are looking to tone up there’s nothing better than resistance or weight training. Some women believe that lifting weights will leave them looking like linebackers, but that is a myth.

Actually, resistance training is the perfect complement to aerobic exercises, and is great for improving bone strength and sculpting the body. Start with relatively low weights so that you feel muscle fatigue after one set of 12 to 15 repetitions. Like the aerobics, as you build endurance, add more weight and increase the number of times you do each exercise.

After sweating and straining it’s easy to tell ourselves that we deserve a break today and crave a fast food meal with the works, large order of fries and large soda. NOT! Remember, the key to weight loss is to use more calories than you consume, so if you’ve upped exercise only to up calorie intake, you won’t get the results you’re looking for.

As you get into your program, you need to pay even more attention to what you eat. Your body becomes more efficient and relies on the vitamins and minerals in healthy foods to fuel itself and develop muscle and lean tissue. In addition to lean meats and dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains, add a multivitamin to your daily diet to make certain you get the nutrients you need.

You know you have reached your goal when you fit perfectly into the clothes you wore last summer. Now the next goal is to be fit for the rest of your life. Long-term weight loss is all about making healthy eating and fitness choices part of your lifestyle forever.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t ever enjoy food or indulge yourself once in a while. Just avoid getting back into unhealthy eating habits and regaining the weight you worked so hard to lose.

Procrastination Will Not Help Prevent A Second Heart Attack

None of us ever set out to have a heart attack, but thinking I’ll Get ARoundToIt, catches up at some point. How many of ua said things like, "Someday I'll stop smoking, start exercising and lose weight," for months or maybe years. Then, one fateful day, a heart attack issues a wake-up call.

There's a silver lining in that dark cloud though. For many of us who have survived one, we get a second chance to live a long and productive life afterwards. The facts are that most people can have a full recovery, and if you change your habits and actively work to control on your risk factors, you can help prevent a second heart attack.

After I got out of the hospital, I was centered on my heart, and it had my complete and undivided attention. My cardiologist talked with me about a cardiac rehabilitation program and how to reduce my risks going forward:

I wasn’t a smoker to begin with so I didn’t have to be told to quit smoking, but he did caution me about second hand smoke. If I did smoke I know that there are many programs and ways to stop smoking, including nicotine-replacement products and other medicines.

One of my biggest challenges was to manage my weight. My body mass index (BMI) was 30 and waist circumference was 36. My goal was a BMI of less than 25 and a waist circumference of less than 40 inches, a woman aims for a 35. At 5”10 and 212 lbs I still had a way to go. I had to lose weight, exercise, cut back on salt, increase fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. I now have more greens, 1% milk, and low fat cottage cheese, in my diet.

Another goal of rehab is regular exercise. I exercised six days a week for an hour for the first two months. Most people should get 30 to 60 minutes of moderate activity, such as brisk walking, five to seven days a week. Include resistance training twice a week. Examples include working out with weights or doing sit-ups or push-ups. While in rehab I had a team of nurses to monitor my progress before I would increase my routine.

Another area of concern for me was managing my diabetes. I still have to work constantly to keep it under control. My goal was and is to keep A1C levels, which is basically a 3 month average of blood sugar levels, to less than 7 percent. Right now I am at 8.6

My blood pressure also needed to stay low. This goal was to stay under 130/80 mm Hg. If I didn’t have type II diabetes it would be 140/90.

My cholesterol had to be controlled also. My LDL, or what I refer to as "lousy" cholesterol, needed to be less than 100 mg/dl. If your doctor looks at your overall risks, they may recommend an even lower goal. To do this I had to watch how many saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol I ate, and increased my fiber. I started taking Lipitor along with a weight loss program and exercising 6 times a week.

Finally, my doctor recommend taking a daily 85mg aspirin, and a flu shot every year to lower your risk of pneumonia and other flu-related complications.

The point of all this is that old proverb “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you could do today”

Exercise Tips For Diabetics

One of the things that I learned in diabetes education sessions was to exercise more. It was, and still is sound advice, not just for diabetics but for everyone. As I begin my routine there are some extra things that I have to be conscious of.

I have an old workbook from The American Diabetes Association and I underlined a few of the points to remember when starting to exercise:

When I first began I had to know how my sugar levels ran, so I was told to check before and after I exercise. Because I am hypoglycemic, mine are usually on the higher side when I start, and afterwards, are generally lower than when I start.

Each person needs to check this for themselves of course, because I have heard of cases where after exercising levels go up.

The next thing I am cautious of is pushing for too long, or doing too much. I have to keep moderation in mind. The end result of too much of a good thing leads to low blood sugar and this is no fun either. If you start to feel really weak or light headed, let up and get a quick snack.

That brings me to something else to remember while exercising. When at home I have water, and a snack close by just in case. Carbohydrates are best. If I am away from home I take my water, and glucose tablets. As an extra safeguard I have my cell phone along also.

If you have low blood glucose when you are ready to exercise, try having a snack before you begin, or ask your doctor about adjusting your medication.

One more good idea is to exercise with someone else if your levels vary a lot. It’s more fun that way and if you have trouble, someone is there to help.

Together Trumps Alone

I was looking through some old photo’s and just remembering when I was a newlywed. It was really neat to have home-cooked meals like mom used to make, being together, going out to restaurants for special occasions. Then I looked at another set of pictures, taken a few years later, after our first child.

Whoa. What happened? Where did the ‘wide body’ come from? I was feeling pretty down on myself, until I looked around at my other married friends. I have since learned that this is a pretty typical situation. I found out there was a study that concluded that if one spouse becomes obese, the likelihood that the other spouse will follow increases by 37 percent.

I read in an article by Dr. Michael Rosen, that many of us gain 15 or more pounds in our early adult years, but people who live with a partner often gain more. Within five years, newly married women gain an average of 24 pounds, and men gain an average of 30 pounds, according to a study presented at the Obesity Society annual scientific meeting.

What happens after you are in a committed relationship is that your schedules, habits and patterns change. More meals, larger helpings, missed gym sessions, snacking together, juggling families and jobs, complacency all add up.

A University of Connecticut researcher Amy Gorin, Ph.D., who focuses on strategies for long-term weight loss, offered some good ideas on battling those bulges:

1. Commit early to a healthful home. Subscribe to healthful-cooking magazines and try the recipes together. Support each other's workout schedules, too.

2. Weigh in regularly. When you step on a scale every day, the instant feedback gives you a chance to assess trends and make changes before habits become deeply ingrained.

3. Downsize dinnerware. Control portion sizes with smaller plates and bowls.

4. Scour the cabinets. "Once a month, go through the pantry and make sure high-fat, high-sugar items aren't sneaking back into your home," advises Dr. Gorin.

5. Team up for positive results. Choose activity over being sedentary. Bike, walk, take a yoga class, go dancing. Anything active works. As a couple, you have an advantage: an automatic exercise partner. Check with your doctor before a major increasing in physical activity.

6. Don't stop your favorite solo exercises. If an aerobics class and early morning run were important before the relationship, keep it up.

7. Beware of the garbage-can effect. Nibbling your way through food prep and cleanup tastes good but can add unwanted pounds.

8. Stay positive and supportive. "Nagging, controlling comments and unwanted policing usually backfire," Dr. Gorin says. "They really undermine someone's motivation." So, compliment and encourage each other's efforts.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation to the one I was in, just remember that it’s never too late to change those bad habits. If you need to lose weight, or help with better nutrition, there is plenty of diet help available online.

ED And Diabetics Not A Recreational Issue

There have been a number of articles recently concerning Erectile Dysfunction being connected to Diabetes and Heart Health and the information is worth summarizing and passing along.

Findings from two studies of men with diabetes add to the evidence that erectile dysfunction can be a powerful early warning sign for serious heart disease. There's a physical connection between male sexual failure and heart disease, involving the effect of diabetes on the nervous system and the blood vessels, said Dr. E. Scott Monrad, director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

Another article advised telling your Doctor about it, but make sure that they don’t ignore the importance of recognizing this connection with your heart. According to Dr. Geoffrey Hackett from Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham (UK), patients show up at a doctor and bravely share their suffering with erectile dysfunction, hoping for a cure, and the doctor misses the fact that ED can be a serious warning sign for heart disease.

Many times there may be a couple of years before there are recognizable heart disease symptoms. This could lead to being more aggressive about lifestyle change, in diet and exercise, plus looking at risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol, to lower the risk of a heart attack, or stroke, but unfortunately it is often missed.

Some experts feels that ED is still mainly considered a "recreational or lifestyle issue" rather than a true medical event with serious health connections and implications. Dr. Hackett in the UK finds it amazing that the government has pledged to lower the death rate associated with heart disease and stroke, but has not implemented an ED screening process, especially in diabetic patients, whose ED plus diabetes can signal an imminent heart event.

So maybe we as patients need to bring it up. Something like, "hey doc, I’m having some trouble in the erection department and while we are checking on that, can you see how the old pump is working?" That should start things off.

Learn more about ED from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

If You Lift ... Here's A Bulge You Can Do Without

Hernias are something you wish would just go away, like an unwanted house guest. If you are wondering what they are, you probably have never had one … and that’s a good thing!

The most common hernia among men happens when part of the intestine pushes through a naturally weakened spot in the groin called the inguinal canal. This canal is where the testicles descend into the scrotum before birth. It usually closes tightly afterward, but sometimes an open space remains.

The strain from continued coughing, lifting heavy objects, being obese or even straining during bowel movements can push the intestine against the inguinal area and result in a hernia.

If you notice a bulge in your groin, this is usually the first sign of trouble. It may appear suddenly or gradually and can extend into the scrotum. You may also have pain or pressure in the groin.

If you can push the bulge back inside your abdomen, it's called a reducible hernia. These hernias aren't immediately dangerous and can be treated temporarily by wearing a support belt, or truss and avoiding strenuous activity. But, you still should see your doctor. Trusses don't cure hernias, and hernias can increase in size.

A bulge you can't push back inside is called an irreducible, or incarcerated, hernia. A hernia like this can become strangulated, lose its blood supply, and require emergency surgery.

Inguinal hernias won't go away on their own, but most of the time a simple outpatient surgical procedure can fix them. A surgeon pushes the bulging intestine back into place and stitches the muscle back together. A synthetic mesh may be used to reinforce the muscular wall in the weak area.

Although you can't prevent the congenital defect that may lead to an inguinal hernia, taking these steps may reduce your risk of having a hernia or a recurrence.

Here are some area’s to concentrate on:

Keep your abdominal muscles strong with moderate exercise.

Try to avoid straining when lifting heavy objects. If you are a lifter, get a spotter, and always use proper lifting
Techniques. If you are working, let your leg muscles do the work and keep the load close to your body.

Maintain a healthy weight, or lose it, if you need to.

Eat high-fiber foods to avoid constipation.

Stop smoking, if you smoke. It can cause coughing. If you cough it increases the risk of having a hernia.

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What About When Your Mind is Numb And Your Gluts Are Sagging?

I have often said that for me a mental tired is worse than a physical tired, and since I spend most of the day in front of my computer now, I can back that statement up. Even though I try to take regular stretch breaks during the day, by the end of work my back and neck are sore, my body is stiff, and I really don’t feel like doing any training. I definitely don’t want to exercise for another hour when I’m already stiff, tired and sore from work.

The mental sluggishness and physical aches from eight hours behind a desk comes mainly from sitting, and doing the same tasks, stress and boredom. You get to work a few muscle groups, like wrists, shoulders and neck muscles, but the major muscle groups, like hamstrings and gluts, are pretty much unused. Constant contraction leads to tension, and disuse leads to stiffness, both of which create soreness. The psychological drain from both over-demand (stress) and under-demand (boredom) is often made worse if you are in a location with poor air circulation and poor lighting. In addition, the lack of physical activity at work means that the body is not getting expanded blood circulation, so the cells of the body may be undernourished.

Because all of this makes me feel so fatigued, it seems like what I need to do is to fall on the couch for a night of vegging out with beer and pizza, while channel surfing the tube. Sounds good but … What is really the better choice, physically and mentally, is to make up for the lack of movement and slow metabolism of the work day with a good exercise session. Activity is the antidote to the sedentary lifestyle. Even just a moderate 20-minute walk will ease the tension in lower back muscles and improve metabolism and circulation. A more strenuous cardio session will really help get oxygen to the blood, nourish the cells, and clear my head. Strength and flexibility exercises should get the large muscles going, loosen tight muscle groups, and promote better balance for the entire body.

I already know how good exercise is after I do it, but the problem is getting started. The key is to make the choice automatic, and limit the last minute, after work decision process. Here are some tips and mental tricks to help me to Just Do It!

Reminder: Exercise is an important part of counteracting work stress and fatigue.

Reminder: Regular exercise is necessary for health, not a part time option if I feel like it.

Reminder: I really do enjoy my exercise time. It’s time I take just for me and I feel better because of it.

Schedule training times like any business or personal appointment.

Make it easy to exercise by using convenient facilities, carrying exercise gear with you, scheduling a time right before or right after another commitment, etc. I have a treadmill in the Family Room.

When I am really whipped, I can skip the high demand exercise session and choose something light, easy and enjoyable, rather than forcing the hard work or canceling altogether.

Learn simple workouts, like a walking trail or a home treadmill, for times when it is difficult to do more elaborate training. Resistance Bands or the always popular push ups and sit ups.

Make a commitment to classes, a trainer, a friend or a training group to help you meet the obligation to yourself. It is always better for me to workout with someone so I don’t get bored or lazy.

Alternate activities to keep them fresh and provide variety. Isometrics, Weights, Treadmill, Bike, Elipticals, Rowing, Stairs, alternate different muscle groups, etc.

If you miss a session, or even a few days, just get yourself right back into exercise. It is counterproductive to beat yourself up psychologically.

A realistic exercise routine after dinner, works for me, and almost always makes me feel a lot better, physically and mentally.

Choice Weight Loss Tips 4U

Are you looking for a quick way to lose weight?

If the answer is yes, here are some quick weight loss tips that I think might work, and without a lot of sacrifice.
Go out to a Fast Food Place and what do you see. People ordering the same double burgers, extra large fries and soda’s. Then for dessert they continue to help themselves to a whole bag of candy and finish it off with another large soda refill.

I see this scenario play out every day, and the results are a lot of people who are carrying around 20 or more pounds of excess fat all over their body. I am no exception, but there is hope for us. I have learned that small modifications on what we eat and drink can have a big impact and may achieve some quick weight loss.

During the day, we all get thirsty. In the past, I would go to the soda machine and have a cold one. Even after exercise or a ball game, I wanted something sweet. Just being out in the sun was another good excuse. Don’t you like a sweet drink after a jog in the sun?

Well, there are at least two reasons why we subconsciously reach for a soda. One is extra energy. Unfortunately carbonated drinks are wasted calories. You don't get anything back from the soda. You might get some pep from the caffeine and sugar, but that is about it. The second reason for craving a sweet drink is because we are slightly hungry. We aren't hungry enough to go get something to eat, but a drink will satisfy us enough to our next meal.

Here is an alternative. Instead of drinking sodas all day long, drink juice. More specifically, juice with the pulp in it. The reason for having juice with the pulp in it is because it will fill you up. Unlike sodas, there is something actually there to curb your hunger. You will drink less because you will get full. Try it, you will be surprised.

Stick with wheat bread. I know that cutting out all bread is best, but it’s not a sandwich without the bread! So if there is a choice to be made, stay away from the white stuff. Whole wheat products are better at stabilizing blood sugar levels. This mean you won't get hungry as fast. It's an easy way to curb your hunger.

Speaking of sandwiches, Here are some tips you can use when making sandwiches.

Avoid cheese. We put way to much cheese on everything these days. I won't be surprised if some day they make a cheese covered soda can. This is a heart attack waiting to happen. There is no reason to eat this much cheese. One of the ways you can cut down on the amount of cheese you eat is by shredding the cheese. Use the shredded cheese instead of cheese slices. You can cover the same amount of area, with less cheese. You can also do this on salads as well.

Cut down on the mayo. Here is another dressing that I wish I could cut out completely. When I was younger, I used to put so much mayo on my sandwich that it would ooze out the side. Now I can't see how I ever ate them. All I could taste was the mayo. Here's a thought. Sprinkle a little of Italian dressing on the sandwich. Just enough so you can taste it. This will really cut down on the fat. Also, if you make your own, you can control how much oil is in the dressing.

Cut down on bread and rolls. I know this borders on heresy, but if you are going out to eat and the waiter drops a bread basket on the table, push it away. The more carbohydrates you can get away from the better.

Cut out the mindless snacking. Don't fill up on potato chips between meals. Instead grab an apple or some veggie sticks. You will be amazed at how good they are once you give them a chance. I love carrot sticks sprinkled with a little salt. I will take these any day over potato chips. Stay away from fatty cuts of meat.

Don't go to the store and buy the most fatty cuts of pork you can get. Take it home and trim the fat off of it if you have to. There are tons of ways you can cook lean meat so that it isn't dry. That is why most people like the fat in the meat, it adds juice. Also with spices, you can fix the problem of not having the flavor that fat adds.

Lighten Up on dairy products. There is no need to fill up on ice cream that is full of fat. Instead if you must consume it, go for the low fat versions. Try to get flavors with a lot of fruit in them or add your own fruit. Even the sugar free tastes good these days, except the aspertaine gives you gas. You won't notice the missing fat if you add some flavor to it. Avoid frying stuff. Learn how to bake, broil and steam your foods. You will be surprised at how much fat frying adds to the dish. Sure it tastes better, but it won't help your waist any.

If you are really struggling to take control of your weight and remove extra fat naturally, then check these out: Fat Burners to help you Tighten Up.

There you have it. Those quick weight loss tips don't sound too hard to follow, do they? I'm sure after you repeat them, they will get easy to do.

Hoodia Is Not A Blowfish…It’s A Diet Supplement

We hear the terms Hoodia, or Hoodia Gordonii more and more these days, when talking about losing weight. Hoodia Gordonii has taken the weight-loss world by storm. It has been raved about as the best weight-loss wonder pill. I see more products containing the name all the time. My question is What is it about Hoodia and the ingredient P57 that makes it so great for losing weight?

How does it work?

The Hoodia Diet Supplement has been shown to have some interesting effects in the area of weight-loss. Still before running out to buy the latest Gordonii pill from your online store, here are some things to know about.

There are over 13 types of hoodia. The only active ingredient identified so far is a steroidal glycoside that has been called "p57". Currently, only hoodia gordonii is thought to contain p57.

Here is a quick summary of three important ways Hoodia Gordonii helps you to lose weight.

1) Gordonii makes a person physically less hungry. Pure Hoodia contains a molecule called ‘P57’ which, scientists believe, is responsible for making you feel full. Normally, when you eat food, this food turns to glucose. When the glucose level in your body increases, Hoodia sends signals to your brain that you are full.

2) Hoodia, dramatically lessens the desire to overeat. Reports show that Hoodia not only makes you feel full, but it also slows down the desire to eat. You know that, people can feel physically fulfilled but still eat for a variety of reasons like timing, emotions and social influence. In fact emotional eating is actually responsible for more overeating than physical hunger. Hoodia weight loss pills can help you lose weight by curbing this desire to eat and breaking the emotional attachment to food.

3) By turning off your appetite, the hoodia diet supplement allows you to make rational, healthy food choices. It relieves the cravings, while you retrain your brain to use new healthier eating habits. Since you probably don't want to be taking Hoodia pills forever, this is a great way to lose weight and transition yourself to a healthier, lighter lifestyle, with less pain and deprivation.

These are three components of losing weight, combined with a good exercise program, can really help you and attain your goal.

It's National Cholesterol Education Month

I just ran across a notice about September being National Cholesterol Education Month. I didn’t know that.

What I do know is that cholesterol is a waxy kind of fat like substance that is present in many of the foods that I eat and can wind up sticking to the walls of my arteries and builds up if I get too much of it. The end result can be a heart attack or a stroke. Your family history also plays a role in determining whether you are more at risk to heart problems. I can personally vouch for that statement, because I have the scars to prove it.

There are two types of the stuff. One is HDL which is usually called “Good”, and the other is LDL which is the “Bad” one. To remember which is which I have memorized a little memory jogger, using the first letter of each type. H is for Healthy, and L is for Lousy.

My point here is that if you keep your cholesterol number low (Usually under 200) it can help lower Your risk of having a stroke or heart attack. Check with your doctor about what your individual cholesterol level should be, and then work to keep it at that healthy level.

How do we do that? To summarize what The American Heart Association, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and American Diabetes Association have to say:

Make sure your diet is low in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol.
Get regular physical activity. I try to exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
Lose Weight, if you are carrying any extra.
Quit Smoking, If you smoke.