Symptoms and Prevention of Heart Attacks

Hello everyone! Forgive me for not checking in with you in a while. I have been involved in a new "old home" project that has finally been completed. When the news hit the airwaves this morning that comedian Rosie O'Donnell recently suffered a major heart attack it got me to thinking about how important it is at our age to be totally aware of the signs and symptoms that we should be on the lookout for. I don't know about you but there have been many times that I have overworked myself to the point of exhaustion and have secretly wondered if I might be pushing myself too hard and in doing so risking a health crisis.  Rosie stated that when she started feeling ill she immediately took an aspirin because she heard in a commercial that it was a good idea to do so at the onset of symptoms. While this is good advice, we need to remember that it is important to listen to our bodies all the time. Waiting until we feel chest pains might be a little too late to take action. Very often, as women we do not want to be perceived as being hysterical , so we  minimize seeking medical attention when we start feeling ill. When women finally do seek medical attention, often times the doctor will dismiss the patient by attributing the symptoms to anxiety, stress or indigestion.

Warning signs women should never ignore:

If you are experiencing any of the following listed symptoms it is important for you to seek emergency care immediately. Also, go ahead and take an aspirin to help keep a blood clot from getting bigger.
When a heart attack strikes, getting medical help within the first hour reduces the risk of dying by 50 percent. If you have any of these warning signs, call 911.

• Shortness of breath. During a heart attack, or in some cases, days or even weeks preceding the attack, many women report gasping as if they’d just run a marathon or having trouble talking, one study reported.
• Non-chest pain. Instead of an explosive pain in the chest, women may develop less severe pain in the upper back, shoulders, neck, jaw, or arm. Get immediate medical help if you have any unusual symptom above the waist, even if it’s not in your chest.
• Unusual fatigue. In one study of female heart attack survivors, 71 percent experienced unusual fatigue in the days and weeks before the attack—often so extreme that the women were too fatigued to make their bed, lift a laptop, or walk to the mailbox.
• Heavy sweating. Women may be suddenly drenched with sweat for no apparent reason. Frequently, women feel both hot and chilled, with clammy skin, during a heart attack, as happened to O’Donnell.
• Nausea or dizziness. During an attack, women frequently vomit or feel like they’re going to faint. The nausea can also feel like heartburn.
• Anxiety. Many women experience a feeling of impending doom or intense fear before or during a heart attack. Heeding that inner warning can be lifesaving.

Tips to prevent a heart attack include the following:

• Don't smoke!
• Keep your weight in check. If you are overweight, losing as little as 10-20 pounds can help lower your risk for heart disease.
• Exercise regularly. In addition to helping control your weight, exercise can help lower your blood pressure, relieve stress and tone the heart and blood vessels.
• Learn how to manage your stress and anxiety levels.
• Follow a heart-healthy diet. Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Avoid salty foods and foods high in cholesterol and fat.
• Have a yearly physical to get your numbers checked, especially your cholesterol and blood pressure readings.

Remember everyone, healthy living over 50 is in our best interest. Life is just beginning for us!

The Benefits of Walking

Happy Monday everyone!
When I started this blog I decided I was going to get more focused than ever on exercise and healthy living. I decided that a step towards accomplishing this was that I would start walking routinely either on the treadmill at the gym or outdoors before the sun gets too hot. Regardless, walking is fun, easy and requires no money to do which is why it is a great way to get exercise and get fit. First of all walking is easy to do as long as you do not have health obstacles such as arthritis. There is no great trick to doing it. It does not require that you learn any special skills or advanced conditioning. You do not need any special equipment or clothing. All you really need is a pair of good walking shoes and comfortable clothes.

Walking is the ultimate healthy exercise because it:

• burns almost as many calories as jogging
• eases back pains
• slims your waist
• lowers blood pressure
• reduces levels of bad cholesterol
• reduces heart attack risks and enhances stamina and energy
• lessens anxiety and tension
• improves muscle tone
• it's easy on your heart and joints than running
• reduces appetite
• increases aerobic lung capacity
• can be done in short bouts
• slows down osteoporosis and bone loss
• can be done while you are traveling away from home
• you are less likely to be injured walking instead of running 

It is important for you to be evaluated by a doctor before you begin any exercise program and that you get a complete physical. Also, please remember to stay hydrated. It is important for you to drink plenty of water while you walk and even before and after. Eating well is also just as important. You must eat nourishing food so avoid junk food which is high in fat and cholesterol.  Remember to walk on a smooth surface so that you avoid injuries. I love walking all over my small community but I try to stick to the sidewalks to avoid traffic. You might do well by setting a goal for yourself and to walk at the same time every day, but it is not necessary if your schedule does not allow it. I notice that if I have a routine I tend to stick with it more. Do your best to find time for walking, you will be so glad you did!
Have a happy, healthy week everyone!

The Hazards of Smoking

When I was young I used to watch both of my parents smoke. They would sit on the porch at the end of a long day and puff away. Our home smelled of cigarettes and no one thought anything of it. I grew up in the '60's and back then it was probably considered really cool to smoke. I can even recall being in junior high and having an area by the lunchroom designated for teen smokers.  It's almost like the school district was encouraging kids to smoke. Very strange now, but back then it was considered the norm. Of course only the cool boys would stand out there smoking and no respectable girls ever approached that area. Later in the '70's when I joined the workforce I would sit in an office where everyone smoked at their desk. Hard to imagine this now, but back then if you were a smoker you were allowed to sit and puff while you worked. It did not matter if you as a non-smoker were bothered by it. No one had rights back then to complain. I would have to just sit and accept it and go home reeking of smoke. Now when I see someone smoking publicly it almost looks unusual. The habit has come under great fire in recent years to the point that you hardly see anyone smoking out in public any longer. This is a good thing, because the health hazards are very numerous. Here is information I found posted on the Centers for Disease Control website that is very beneficial for all of us to know so I thought it would be a good idea to share with you:

Overview

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body. Smoking causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general.

Smoking and Death

Smoking causes death.

• The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States.
• More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
• Smoking causes an estimated 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of all lung cancer deaths in women.
• An estimated 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease are caused by smoking.

Smoking and Increased Health Risks

Compared with nonsmokers, smoking is estimated to increase the risk of—

• coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times,
• stroke by 2 to 4 times,
• men developing lung cancer by 23 times,
• women developing lung cancer by 13 times, and
• dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema) by 12 to 13 times.

Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

• Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
• Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries) and puts smokers at risk of developing peripheral vascular disease (i.e., obstruction of the large arteries in the arms and legs that can cause a range of problems from pain to tissue loss or gangrene).
• Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm (i.e., a swelling or weakening of the main artery of the body—the aorta—where it runs through the abdomen).

Smoking and Respiratory Disease

• Smoking causes lung cancer.
• Smoking causes lung diseases (e.g., emphysema, bronchitis, chronic airway obstruction) by damaging the airways and alveoli (i.e., small air sacs) of the lungs.

Smoking and Cancer

Smoking causes the following cancers:

• Acute myeloid leukemia
• Bladder cancer
• Cancer of the cervix
• Cancer of the esophagus
• Kidney cancer
• Cancer of the larynx (voice box)
• Lung cancer
• Cancer of the oral cavity (mouth)
• Pancreatic cancer
• Cancer of the pharynx (throat)
• Stomach cancer

Smoking and Other Health Effects

Smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including increased risk for—

• infertility,
• preterm delivery,
• stillbirth,
• low birth weight, and
• sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Smoking is associated with the following adverse health effects:

• Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked.
• Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than women who never smoked.

Obviously, the bottom line is if you have never smoked don't start! If you are a smoker, do all within your power to stop immediately. I realize this is easier said than done, but at our age you cannot afford the health risks involved. There are many resources to assist you in stopping this ugly habit. I encourage you to seek help. Besides all the health hazards smoking also affects our looks too. It affects the elasticity of the skin causing unnecessary wrinkles and we sure do not need any extra wrinkles on our face. Let's all stay healthy, we have a great life, so let's make the most of it! Have a great week everyone!

The Importance of a Cardio / Aerobic Workout

With all the recent gardening I have been doing I have been getting an excellent cardio workout even though I have not hit the gym in a week. This is so important because our hearts are just like any other muscle, you have to push yourself in order to stay heart-healthy! With this in mind, I wanted to share another tidbit of information that Stephanie, my trainer at the gym, shared with me!

What occurs during an aerobic workout?

• Your breath deepens and becomes quicker, increasing the amount of oxygen in your blood.
• Your heart beats faster increasing blood flow to your muscles and lungs.
• Your capillaries open, delivering more oxygen to your muscles and taking away more waste products.
• Endorphins, your natural pain killers, are released giving you an increased sense of well-being.

Cardio on a regular basis - your body adapts!

• Your heart becomes stronger and more efficient.
• Your heart rate decreases ( a stronger heart is able to pump more blood with each beat).
• Your muscles become more efficient at consuming oxygen.
• Your mitochondria (the fuel your body uses to move) increase in number. They use oxygen to burn fat and carbs.

Working a regular cardio/aerobic workout 20-60 minutes per session, 3-5 days a week leaves you with a strong, fit heart and body! (If you are not in condition, split it up into 10 minute segments, increase the duration by 5 minutes until you reach your desired goal)

The Result:

• your clothes fit better
• you have more energy and endurance
• you have a better outlook on life
• your chance of heart disease, cancer and several other diseases and conditions decreases

Stay strong and healthy over 50! Happy Friday everyone!

Over 50 Is the Happiest Age To Be!

Recently there was an article all over the web and the morning talk shows that stated that age 33 was voted the "best" year of life. That is the age that researchers found most people to be the happiest. When I think back to age 33 all I can recall is the harried person I used to be, the one trying to juggle all of the duties required of me. I was a full time employee in a management position for a large corporation that did not care much about the health of its' employees. I was also the mother of two rambunctious, precious boys (our twins would follow 2 years later) who also were very busy at school. During this time my husband also spent many months away from the family on assignment which meant I had the entire burden of running the household squarely on my shoulders. So for me 33 was not the ideal time of my life. When I reflect on this I come to the realization that now is the best time of my life! I truly feel very blessed to be at the stage of life I'm in now. At almost 55 years of age I have been through quite a bit and this is really the best time of my life! All of our children have turned out wonderfully. They all are very well established in their jobs or college life. Every one of us is healthy and happy. My husband and I no longer have to rush home to anything in particular. After 35 years of marriage we still enjoy each other's company and look forward to growing old together. I live in a small town where the mad rush of the city no longer intrudes in my daily routine. I work out of my house and play in the garden all I want. I have friends and family who keep in touch daily. I feel excited when I bound out of bed each day just to get started and to see what the day will bring. Life at this age is truly the most amazing it can be. Life can be very rewarding at any age, but ultimately the happiness you feel is determined by your attitude. You can choose to stay in bed and dwell on all the negatives that occur at this age. You might suffer from aches and pains you didn't used to have. You might feel depression or feel indifference about things you used to care about. That is why it is important for us to focus on all the wonderful, positive things that happen after 50! There is so much to be grateful for. Dwell on the here and now and not in the past and make the most of the age you are today! Hope all of you have a great Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend....I know I will!

The Definition of Fitness

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Wednesday today! I wanted to share with you something that my trainer at the gym shared with me recently. She said that there are FIVE components of fitness so I thought I would give you the exact information she shared with me. The five components are as follows:

Cardiovascular/Cardio Respiratory Endurance (Aerobics)

• The capacity of the heart-lung systems to deliver an adequate oxygen supply for sustained energy production.
• Example: walking, elliptical trainer, bike or treadmill. Cross training works well, it confuses the body and keeps things more interesting. **if biking or walking, make sure your heart rate is in the appropriate training zone! Talk to your trainer to find out what your zone should be!

Muscular Strength

• The amount of force that a muscle can produce in a single maximum effort
• Example: performing one dumbbell shoulder press using the heaviest weight you can possibly lift

Muscular Endurance

• The amount of force that a muscle can produce repeatedly against resistance
• Example: performing a set of 12 reps of a dumbbell shoulder press

Flexibility

• The range of motion possible about a joint

Body Composition

• The ratio of body fat to lean mass in an individual
• Example: the amount of fat compared to bones, muscle and organs, etc.

Remember! It's the trainer's job to encourage, teach and implement these components of fitness into a safe and effective fitness plan designed for you personally!

 

Let's all stay healthy! Remember, we are at an age (over 50 or pretty close to it) where maintenance of our health is vitally important! Take care of yourself and remember that if you do not set foot in a gym on a regular basis do something --- anything! Just move, keep your body active ---not sedentary! Like the saying goes, if you don't use it you lose it! Healthy Living Over 50 is very do-able!

Why Aren't Digital Scales Ever Accurate?

Hello everyone! I have been extremely busy lately and have gotten just a bit lax about hitting the gym daily. I recently started a new business in my town and have been doing lots of running around kicking it off. This shift of my attention means I take away focus on my exercise routine, so today I made a commitment to myself to get back on track. I started out by getting on the scale to do my weigh-in. At first I almost had a heart attack when the scale said 150! I thought, 'oh no! all my hard work to get the pounds off and they're creeping back on!'. (Remember, I started this journey to get fit in January and weighed in at about 157) I immediately jumped off and got back on. This time it said 146! My gosh, I lost 4 lbs in 5 seconds, amazing! I went for a third try and this time it said 147. I finally gave up, put my running shoes on and drove straight to the gym for a heavy calorie-burning workout. When I was done, I got on the scale they have there, you know, the old-fashion kind. It told me that I am 148.5. I'm still not satisfied, because at one point I had gotten down to 144. All this tells me is that I need to re-focus, get back on my daily work-out routine and continue to eat healthy, nourishing foods.... and that I need to toss out my old, digital scale!
Have a happy, healthy day and!

The importance of a good night's sleep!

Everyone who knows me knows that I just can't sleep! This problem started for me after I retired from my full-time job. Back when I was working 10 hour days, running a household and chasing after 4 kids I had no problem sleeping. As a matter of fact, I could hardly wake up in the morning because I was just dead tired! Slowly though, after leaving my hectic job for good, I developed very bad patterns. I would stay up long after everyone else was in bed fast asleep. The tv and pc became my nighttime partners and soon enough, I was having major difficulty winding down and falling asleep! Not only was I staying up all hours into the night, but I was creating a secondary problem, constantly snacking on bad food choices!  We all know what snacking on chips does to the waistline. NO MORE! Now when I reach for a snack, I conciously make it a healthy choice such as plain popcorn, cucumber slices with a crumble of low fat feta on top, or apple slices with a dab of peanut butter! I have discovered that sleep deprivation is a very common problem, especially for post-menopausal women! The funny thing is that ever since I started a very concerted effort to focus on my health (not just on losing weight) I am sleeping so much better! I guess all the work I am doing at the gym is paying off in more ways than one. I am not 100% where I want to be, but I can tell my sleeping patterns have improved tremendously. Before, I would sleep fitfully, and now I am getting much more restful sleep and sleeping at least 6-7 hours a night.

According to the Harvard Women's Health Watch these are 6 vital reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer

These reasons alone should be enough to motivate you to do whatever you can to ensure you get a good night's sleep. Just remember, if you want to feel your best, stay healthy, and perform up to your potential, sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. Learn what's keeping you awake and how to avoid it,  and also learn  to determine your personal sleep needs. Do what you must to bounce back from chronic sleep loss and get on a healthy sleep schedule...I know I did!