Want a walking group? Join WoW…Women out Walking!

Heart Check along with the RMH Women’s Center is starting a women’s walking group this Thursday, December 2nd at 4:30pm.  Meet at the Healing Gardens on RMH Health campus outside the cafeteria behind the hospital.

See you there!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612

Within 20 Minutes of Your Final Cigarette, the Body Begins a Series of Positive Changes that Continue for Years…

The Health Benefits of Quitting:

• Within 20 minutes: Your blood pressure and pulse rate drop to normal.  Body temperature of hands and feet increase to normal.
• Within 8 hours:  Carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal and oxygen levels in blood rise to normal.  Smoker’s breath disappears.
• Within 25 hours:  Chance of heart attack decreases.
• Within 48 hours:  Ability to taste and smell enhances.
• Within three days: You will breath easier.
• Within two weeks to three months:  Circulation improves.  Walking becomes easier.  Lung function increases up to 30%.
• Within one to nine months:  You will cough less.  Sinus congestion and shortness of breath decrease.  The cilia that sweep debris from your lungs will grow back.  You will feel more energetic.
• Within one year:  Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.
• Within 10 years: Lung cancer death rate is similar to that of a nonsmoker’s.  Precancerous cells are replaced.  Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.
• Within 15 years:  Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s. 

 What great outcomes!  These positive changes demonstrate the body’s ability to self heal.  Pledge to yourself today to quit smoking or pledge to help someone else!

Sources:  American Cancer Society; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nervous About Weight Gain Over the Holidays? Try the 80/20 rule.

Preparing a holiday dinner has it’s challenges.  Weight gain doesn’t have to be one of them.  When I eat healthy and exercise most of the time, I can afford to splurge occasionally.  This is where you can apply the 80/20 rule. Focus 80 percent of your time on the important stuff, your heart healthy eating plan and maintaining activity.  Then relax your eating plan and activity for 20 percent of the time.  This ratio will keep you healthier over the holidays without all the weight gain.  

This holiday season I will include favorite foods in moderation. Eighty percent of the time, I will plan to eat foods that I know are heart healthy. The other twenty percent I will add foods of my choice.  Navigating Thanksgiving and Christmas eating, using the 80/20 rule lets me feel good about all the things I eat, 100% of the time.

Enjoy!

Thoughts about Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Observations of Heart Check Participants.

The journey towards Cardiovascular disease prevention seems complex and simple at the same time.  Living to stay well depends on several factors, genetics, environment, individual choice and lifestyle habits.  Personal stories of how folks learn to overcome barriers are amazing.

One thing seems true; adopting an uncomplicated tried and true plan offers tremendous benefit and reversal of risk factors.  Getting there can be varied.  Sometimes the path is hidden, foreign, complicated or even overwhelming.  Despite this, Heart Check participants are demonstrating skills to unravel the load of risk factors and own the process of personal growth, goal setting, repeating healthy habits and celebrating the outcomes.

Heart Check participants encourage me to believe that cardiovascular disease is mostly preventable.  Their measurable improvement and benefit seems immediate.

Goals we live for:

• Avoid tobacco
• Be moderately fit, participating in regular activity most days.
• Eat vegetables (4 servings/daily) and fruit (2-3 servings daily)
• Maintain a normal blood pressure
• Maintain a normal or near normal weight

Lessons learned:

If we satisfy the above, chances are high we can prevent heart disease and stroke.  The challenge eases with practice and commitment.

Read more »

Need Encouragement for Weight Loss?

I learn from each Heart Check participant.  The most valuable lessons come from stories of triumph, problem solving and overcoming barriers.  Losing weight and maintaining it, seems to be one of the most common challenges of persons I meet in the program.  Most would agree that following a lean and fit lifestyle is a hardship within our culture.   

Maintaining a normal weight along with moderate fitness are crucial components to heart disease and diabetes prevention.   Discover how these folks were able to find their way from the National Weight Control Registry website. http://www.nwcr.ws/stories.htm