Posted by Deanna Kidd on Thu, Mar 25, 2010
Here are a few things that women in their 40’s need to consider when trying to stay healthy:
- Peri-menopause
- Hypothyroidism
- Muscle mass loss
I know, you’re thinking, “Oh, joy.” But here’s what Women’s Day magazine suggested to overcome it all.
Make Sleep a Priority
If you’re not getting a good night's sleep, you may have peri-menopause to thank. Fluctuating hormone levels can interfere with your sleep, which in turn can lead to increased blood pressure, low-grade inflammation and higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, all of which are harmful for your blood vessels and heart. Lack of sleep has also been linked to weight gain, which is bad for your heart and your mood!
Reassess Your Risk Factors
Your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels may have changed in this decade, even if you aren't doing anything differently. 50 percent of 40-something women have high cholesterol--a jump from 38 percent of women in their 30’s, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Also, be sure to get your thyroid checked around 45. Hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland) becomes more common as women get older, and can negatively affect your cholesterol levels as well as your heart.
Step Up Strength Training
You start to lose muscle mass more rapidly in your 40’s, which causes your metabolism to slow down since muscle burns more calories than fat. Unfortunately, this makes it harder to stave off those extra pounds. To help maintain muscle and keep your metabolism going, aim for two 15-minute sessions weekly of lifting weights, using a resistance band or doing other toning exercises.
Carve out Personal Time
Find at least 10 minutes a day for yourself, not only to help ease stress but also to guard against depression, which commonly crops up in this decade and can raise your risk of heart disease.
Posted by Deanna Kidd on Wed, Feb 17, 2010
I’ve been giving some simple steps for heart health as outlined by The American Heart Association in their “Life’s Simple 7 – Seven simple steps to live better.” campaign. The first two were “Get Active” and “Eat Better,” and number three is “Lose Weight,” or my more positive interpretation, “Feel Light and Healthy Eating”.
Being more active and healthy eating are the only real ways I know of to start feeling light. If the sound of “working out” feels too plodding and drudgery-like, try dancing or playing a game like basketball. And if “lose weight” feels like a command and an insult at once, then focus on feeling light by thinking of foods that have been nourished by the sun and may give you some of the light they’ve trapped in their cells. That’s right, I’m talking somewhat poetically about fruits and vegetables.
It’s a good rule to help you choose between various food choices, which one has been most recently nourished by the sun and is still close to that state? Then the difference between a highly refined and processed snack and a healthy one becomes clearer.
Unfortunately using "light” can be confusing to people, including myself. The word “light” has been used to make many food and beverage products seem healthy when they’re really not. Artificial sweeteners have been shown to have many unwanted side effects that may cause more harm than good in the long run. Natural sugars with less refinement like brown sugars and honey, in small doses, is the healthier choice.
Another food that I know supposed to help but may cause more problems is margarine and other foods that include hydrogenated oils and trans fatty acids. Great for shelf life, not so great for our bodies. Natural, heart-healthy fats like nuts, avocado, peanut butter, and olive oil, used in moderation, is the way to go. They’ve been in the sun, so they can help you look and feel lighter!
Now go trip the light fantastic!
Posted by Deanna Kidd on Mon, Feb 15, 2010
You can improve your overall health with a change in eating habits. I know it may seem like a daunting challenge, but like changing any habit, it is a process. Living a healthy life has a myriad of benefits—including feeling better and looking great!
Step One: Be as natural as possible
Much of our health challenges in recent decades comes from the use of processed ingredients in our foods. What’s great for speed and convenience is generally going to exact its toll later for the shortcut you took, unless it’s all natural. Once we learn to combine natural flavors the right way, we can enjoy delicious meals that are completely heart healthy.
Step Two: Planning your Journey
Just like you would for any journey, you’ll want to make a plan and figure out how to get where you’re going from where you are. There will be a bunch of small steps to be taken. Don’t make yourself crazy trying to do them all at once. Start with one meal. If you currently eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast, see if you can choose a healthier option. Try reduced fat milk or soymilk instead of what you’re using. Add some fruit. Eat oats instead of anything refined. It can take some time at the beginning—making a new shopping list, searching for alternatives--but you’re totally worth it.
Step Three: Getting Creative
Okay, so it might not seem that creative to follow a new recipe, but it’s just the first step to creating your own twists on dishes. You can’t paint a masterpiece until you learn how to hold a brush. Look at cookbooks or on the internet to find healthy meal ideas that appeal to you. You can download our healthy cookbooks for heart-healthier recipes for some great ideas! Once you’ve tried a few, you are likely to find yourself mixing flavors and techniques. It’s amazing what can be done with herbs and spices, onions and garlic, natural juices and olive oil to make a simple meal taste like a gourmet night out!
Posted by Deanna Kidd on Fri, Feb 12, 2010
One simple step anyone can take to improve their heart health is to get active. I know what comes to mind for most of us is repetitive movements at the gym, but there is so much more to it!
I like going to the gym because the machines tell me exactly how many seconds I have to go, and often, like on the cross-trainer, what distance I’ve traveled. Some machines also tell me how many calories I’ve burned, which is pretty encouraging. I also make it a time to listen to some good music, or catch up on some TV, both of which I can do from my iPod, or just by enjoying what’s offered at the gym, and then the time just flies!
For times when I really want to enjoy being outdoors, I might take a walk around my neighborhood or a local park. Some people walk around shopping malls, which combines the fun of getting out of the house with the comfort of the being indoors, where the wind and rain or sunburns can’t get you. You can make it a family event by taking a bike ride, too. Kids love to join in on that one. You can make outdoor family time a regular event by rotating what you play. Chasing your kids around while laughing can really get your heart racing!
Another way to make being active fun is to set goals that you can enjoy achieving—like taking a dance class, a yoga class, or training for a marathon or some other event. These tend to also be social, and when you have others encouraging you or even competing with you, it tends to add an emotional boost to what would otherwise seem like a chore.
See? While you’re getting healthy, you can also spend time with friends and loved ones, learn new skills, reach goals and have fun just being alive.
Posted by Deanna Kidd on Wed, Feb 10, 2010
I believe we are so fortunate to live at a time in history when we can take advantage of the best in medical science and all that has been gathered throughout time about natural health. There is so much that we can do for ourselves to keep ourselves healthy and work with our doctors for optimum physical health and longevity, which of course goes a long way toward boosting happiness too.
The American Heart Association has just launched My Life Check and a campaign to help us do this. It’s called “Life’s Simple 7 – Seven simple steps to live better.” Here’s how they explain it:
My Life Check was designed by the American Heart Association with the goal of improved health by educating the public on how best to live. These measures have one unique thing in common: any person can make these changes, the steps are not expensive to take and even modest improvements to your health will make a big difference. Start with one or two. This simple, seven step list has been developed to deliver on the hope we all have--to live a long, productive healthy life.
The seven simple steps are:
- Get Active
- Eat Better
- Lose Weight
- Stop Smoking
- Control Cholesterol
- Manage Blood Pressure
- Reduce Blood Sugar
It may look like a list of hurdles, but it can actually be fun! The first two can be translated to “Play More” and “Enjoy Gourmet Goodness”. And your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar can all improve just by starting with the first two steps. We’ll look at different ways to make these simple steps more fun and make heart health part of a recipe for a fuller, more enjoyable life!
Posted by Deanna Kidd on Mon, Feb 08, 2010
I’ve been thinking about some ways to keep myself and my family healthy—ways that don’t sound like so much work, or like a chore. Between my family history and my husband’s, I think it’s really important not only to make sure we make being healthy our habit, but also that we teach our kids the habits of a healthy lifestyle.
If it’s automatic, then I know I won’t have to worry about my college kid putting on Freshman weight in the dorms. I can rest assured that my teenager is more likely to grab a fruit or vegetable as a snack then something fast and fatty, and that my pre-teen’s mood swings might be reduced because she’s not likely to be riding the highs and lows of refined and processed sugars.
It occurred to me that all boils down to simple, familiar phrases, like “keep the blood moving!” In that one little phrase, it tells my husband to get off the couch and get active, or to skip the high-cholesterol fast foods on the way home and eat healthy home-cooked food. That reminds me—I found this cookbook of healthy appetizers that makes my family feel less deprived. You can download it for free!
Knowing the loss of a beloved family member, knowing the sadness that a heart has stopped beating just because of a series of small but poor choices, makes me passionate about sharing simple steps for heart health. And now the American Heart Association has put together some great information in their campaign “Life’s Simple 7 – Seven simple steps to live better.”
Eating healthy food (especially) with loved ones, or playing and dancing and being active (with friends and family) are some of the choices that make us feel alive. Living life to the fullest, by keeping our blood moving and our hearts beating, is the best way to enjoy our health!