Monday, February 28, 2011

Heart Health Risk Factors--High cholesterol levels

A woman said to me, my doctor said my triglyceride is too high.  What’s triglyceride?
She had a blood test drawn (a cholesterol panel) which includes a triglyceride level, LDL (low density or ‘bad’ lipoprotein) cholesterol level, HDL (high density or ‘good’ lipoprotein) cholesterol level, and a total cholesterol (which reflects all those components). 

A triglyceride is a measurement of the amount of food a person eats and doesn’t use; the body stores it as triglyceride until the body needs it.  A normal level of triglycerides is less than 150.   LDL (low density lipoproteins) are known as ‘bad’ cholesterol.  High levels of LDL are considered a bad report.  A normal level of LDL is less than 130.    HDL (high density lipoproteins) are considered the ‘good cholesterol’.  A normal level of HDL is above 45.  A normal total cholesterol level is below 200.  (Different laboratories may vary on the lab value numbers.) 
Americans have begun to frown on fats and say fats cause heart disease.   It’s excessive fats (and the wrong types of fats) that are the problem.  Fats are essential for proper functioning of our bodies.  We need fats to provide fuel and act as building blocks for cells.  We need cholesterol to make hormones, bile and vitamin D.
               Our cholesterol levels are partially determined by our genes.  However, a person can improve his cholesterol levels by eating healthy fats, watching the amount of food he eats (portion control) and exercising.  What are considered healthy fats?  Liquid oils (olive, canola and corn oils) are considered better than solids (such as margarine, butter and lard).  Healthy oils found in foods include nuts, olives, avocados and fish such as salmon.  Portion control is a problem for many of us—we’ve ‘supersized’ our portions to the point we don’t know what a portion should be.  Exercising helps us use the extra food we may eat; it’s good for our bodies.  More information can be obtained at the U.S. Department of Agriculture My Pyramid site at http://www.mypyramid.gov/downloads/resource/MyPyramidBrochurebyIFIC.pdf  Every day we make choices which affect our cholesterol levels and our risk of heart disease. 

Friday, February 25, 2011

Heart Health--are you all stressed out?

Stress –we all have experienced stress with its physical tension and mental pressure.  It’s a part of modern day life.   What causes stress for one person may not be a stress for someone else.  A person who hates to fly might find an eight hour flight to Hawaii miserable.  Another person might not find flying to Hawaii stressful at all.  Our physical bodies respond to stress with the ‘fight or flight’ response.  In prehistoric man, this was useful because it enabled him to run away from the tiger chasing him.  Modern day man often may find no physical outlet for the ‘fight or flight’ chemicals that flood his body. 
A mother driving to work gets a frantic phone call from her daughter, “Mom, I forgot her gym clothes.” That mom will find herself checking her clock.  Can she get to work on time if she drives back home and takes gym clothes to her daughter? This mom may find herself physically tense and feeling stressed before her work day has begun.
How can you decrease your stress?  It’s your choice to deal with it or ignore.  Here are 5 things you can do to decrease your stress level:  Physical exercise can work off stress.  Breathe in a deep breath and hold it for several seconds; as you breathe out, feel the tension decrease in your body.  Meditate (find a quiet time to meditate or pray), Journal (write about the stress and how you feel)Vent (talk, cry, laugh, and complain) to someone who will listen and keep your confidence.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Heart Health--What are Risk factors?


Doctors talk of risk factors.  What are risk factors?  They are a combination of behaviors (like smoking), diseases (like diabetes) and lab results (like a high cholesterol profile) which increase a person’s likelihood of having something bad happen to his health.  Since we are talking about heart health, the ‘something bad’ could mean a heart attack (doctors call them myocardial infarction) or a stroke (a cerebral vascular accident). 

Some risk factors you cannot change such as your age, gender, and your inherited genes.
Some risk factors you can improve with the expected result of better health.  Risk factors for cardiovascular (heart, stroke and peripheral vascular) disease include high stress levels, blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, smoking, physical inactivity, being overweight or obese, being diabetic, or taking birth control pills.  

Check back on this blog to learn more about these risk factors and the choices we can make to improve our health. 

Monday, February 21, 2011

February is Heart Health Month

It’s February—that’s Heart Health Month
Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans—both men and women?
Many people fear cancer but statistics show that heart disease ranks highest in deaths of Americans. 

What can a person do to decrease his risk of heart attack and stroke?  The American Heart Association provides a quick, easy on-line assessment that a person can use to identify his risk of a heart attack or stroke.  This can be found at My Life Check Assessment at http://mylifecheck.heart.org/  My Life Check assessment looks at a person’s risk factors and gives suggestions that a person can use to improve his health.  

Begin with this assessment, print off the results and consult with your doctor before making changes.  But making a choice to improve one’s health is a wise thing to do.   

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Can we turn back time?

How can a woman make herself younger?  At a certain age, we all want to know how we can turn back the clock and erase a few years.  Not possible you say.  Think again.
My wellness profile (a program offered at work to encourage employees to be healthy) says I am almost 4 years younger.  Now you understand.  This past year as I already mentioned, I lost 30 lbs (on the Weight Watchers plan), started eating healthier and exercising more.  My cholesterol profile improved a great deal and my overall health improved.  I actually got younger physiologically (my body) from the healthy lifestyle I am living.  I bet you didn’t know you could do that??

What can you do to make your body healthier and younger?  It’s a choice every day—today I was good and stopped at the gym.  Tomorrow I may be tired, hungry and cranky and drive on by.  But I’m making more of the positive choices and my health reflects the changes.  Yours can too.  I encourage you to consult with your doctor and work on making healthy choices. 

P.S.  This works for men also. 



Tuesday, February 15, 2011

What Feeds Your Soul?

‘What feeds your soul?’  What activities in life do you find adds a smile to your face and enthusiasm to your step?

One person would say volunteering as a Grandparent at the local elementary school adds joy to her life.  Another woman dreams of the day (when she is retired) and will be able to read as many books as she can get her hands on.

I find being creative adds inner satisfaction to life.  I’ve done many creative things in my life (some not so well).  I’ve done counted cross stitch and needlepoint.  I’ve played the piano. (I sold my piano when it became a piece of furniture instead of a source of joy.  I still love music—just not music I play.)  Now I’m writing.   I find putting words on paper to be a constant challenge  and a source of inner satisfaction. 

What adds joy to your life?  Make a choice and seek that which brings you joy.   It will be worth the effort.   

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Valentine's Day (Introducing Cricket's Corner

My parents were a hardworking, American farm family.  Dad was the strong, silent type who only talked when he had something important to say.  Mom (Cricket to her family) was a spunky, smart, and loving woman.  They met and married July 27, 1935 and stayed married until Mom passed away in 2005. 
70 years of togetherness.  They survived the Great Depression and lived through times of prosperity.  They had their share of sickness as well as good health.  Their first daughter was born weighing 3 ½ lbs and almost died in February of 1937.   The doctor said, “Walker, don’t put much hope in that one; she’s too little and probably won’t survive.”  They wrapped her in blankets and laid her into a Clabber Girl (baking soda) wooden box.  They used quart canning jars filled with hot water and wrapped with cloth as ‘hot water bottles’ to keep the wooden box a warm environment.  They kept the fire going day and night for weeks to keep the house warm (no small task keeping a wood fire going in February.) This daughter says “I would not have survived without Mom & Daddy’s loving care and attention.”  She’s an active retiree living in Arizona today. 

Valentine’s Day means love and hearts.  I cannot imagine a human love bigger than for a man and woman to love each other, live together, and choose to support their children and each other for 70 years.  They made choices:  to marry, to care for their children, and to stay married through good times and bad time.
Cricket’s Corner will share folk wisdom from this couple and inspiring quotes that they would have approved –if they were here.  But I like to believe they are looking down and watching over us. 
Happy Valentine’s Day Mom & Pop.  I salute you. 

Thursday, February 10, 2011

A Weight Watcher Lifetime Achiever--for the third time

What does that mean?  Not my third lifetime but rather I’ve fallen off the Weight Watcher
‘wagon’ and gone back to my old ways of eating and not exercising, with the resulting weight gain —twice before.

No, I don’t work for Weight Watchers.  Rather I’ve paid them to be a part of the program
more than once—my fault, not theirs.  If I had kept my weight down, I would have been a free member for all these years.  I do think it’s one of the healthiest lifestyles and it works well for my husband, David & I—when we work it. 

I would never say keeping my weight within a normal level is easy—I know better, I’m living
proof that you can slide backwards down that slippery slope of being lazy and eating what we
Americans like to eat—sugar, salt and my personal favorite, ‘carbs’.

My most recent Weight Watcher adventure began last January 2010 when David & I joined together.  We both lost 30 lbs (each) and now we’re working to maintain.  We’ve made our success by being accountable to each other and being supportive.  (Do you know how hard it was last January to tell my husband how much I weighed?)  But I did it and he supported me.  We still attend our weekly Weight Watcher meeting every Saturday to be inspired and keep our focus. 

So do I think choosing a healthy lifestyle is easy?  Not.  Do I like exercising (that’s a topic for another blog post)?  I do believe for many of us—choosing a healthy lifestyle is a choice we can make.  Not the easiest choice, but a valuable choice. 

Monday, February 7, 2011

Living the Healthy Life: We have choices

Well, I’ve done it.  I’ve been dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.  I’ve designed and set up this blog.  Now I’m writing my first post.  I’m told every writer needs an 'internet presence' so here it is. 
What’s a baby boomer to do??
I’m a registered nurse of 30+ years and writer for 9 years. I’ve had 11 articles published in professional nursing magazines and I’m finishing my second book for McFarland & Co., Inc.  The first book was about arthritis; the second book is for caregivers. 
My intention for this blog is to provide positive information a person can use to improve his health and life.  I will include information about caregiving, writing, and traveling. I’ve had a bit of experience with all those topics. 
Thanks to Margo, the WOW (Women on Writing) Blogging 101 class and my classmates for getting me going. 
As always, thanks David for being the best husband and my willing proofreader.