When I was a young U.S. Marine at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia, I would often jump in my car as soon as I would get off on a Thursday or Friday afternoon and head up home to Upstate NY. With a good flow of traffic I could make it there in about 8 hours. A good flow of traffic was never the case unless I left at the wee hours of the morning. If you ever travel on I95 or around the 495 Beltway around Washington D.C. then you know what I mean.

My first two cars didn’t have air conditioning and I would often get stuck in the heat in stop-n-go traffic along the beltway. My temper and patience back then was terrible. I had a very short fuse and would often get worked up when I was stuck in that traffic, submitting myself to stress. These days I’ve learned that no matter how much you complain and scream about it, it’s not going to make the cars in front of you move.

A recent study in Germany showed that people that are at risk of heart attack or have had heart problems are more likely to suffer from a heart attack after being stuck in congested traffic. They are not 100% sure what is the main contributing factor, whether it be the stress, heat or carbon monoxide. However, a combination of those three elements can surely raise anyone’s blood pressure. Read more

We as women have to take better care of ourselves! I know there is so much to do and take care of, besides you, but it is so important. Just look at what the numbers are saying… I am just as guilty as the next women, I take care of everyone first and then forget about me but as I grow older I am realizing how important this is.

The trend among women was more alarming, with hypertension rates in the 1990s reversing and beginning to increase, researchers said. Between the early 1990s and early 2000s, the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in adult women increased from 17 percent to more than 22 percent. At the same time, the rate of hypertension in men decreased from 19 percent to 17 percent.

Here is something that does my heart good. Michael Phelps- he won his 8th medal- all gold these games-and that puts him in a league of his own. Go USA! Or as my youngest says “Go Americans”.  This has been an incredible Olympics thus far- I loved watching the Romanian win the marathon last night and the Jamaican sprinter. But Phelps!

He is from Baltimore just as I am and I am loving it.  He is doing the sport good and making us here very proud.

I just keep smiling- and we are all talking about it and it is just so cool to have so many different people relating to each other because of one swimmer. Seriously- the old, young, men, women, kids, policemen, nurses and doctors- all feeling good today because a fellow Baltimore boy won some gold. Thanks Michael Phelps!

I am off on vacation this evening. I am looking forward to the rest and relaxation. You know that they say it is good for your heart!

Using information from the Framingham Heart Study, which started in 1948, researchers looked at questionnaires women in the study had filled out over 20 years about how often they took vacations. Those women who took a vacation once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack than those who took at least two vacations a year, said Elaine Eaker, a co-author of the study and president of Eaker Epidemiology Enterprises, a private research company.

It is true what they say… My neurologist last week said that he thinks this will help my physical symptoms better then the medications that I am currently taking. He firmly believe that becoming relaxed and taking as he says ‘time to smell the roses’ does wonders for the body. We shall see but I am looking forward to it for sure!

via Herald Tribune 

Thought I would share this funny little joke that I ran across today… since cardiology is so darn specialized…

What’s the difference between a general practitioner and a specialist?
One treats what you have, the other thinks you have what he treats.

I actually chuckled out loud!

via Professional Jokes 

Here is some good news, especially for me who looovvvees any type of nut. Macadamia nuts are now being given the thumbs up and should be included among other nuts that have qualified health claims.

Included in a heart healthy diet, macadamia nuts did reduce total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels.

Up to this point, macadamia nuts as well as Brazil nuts and cashews were not included in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s list of nuts with qualified health claims due to their saturated fat level of 6g per 50 grams of nuts and the cut off being 4 g per 50 grams of nuts.

Now go eat some nuts!

H is for how wonderful

E is for energetic

A is for amazing

R is for rarely less than perfect

T is for terrific and truly mind blowing

And Y is for you,

So here’s to A Hearty Life from here to age 102…

Wow, I really stink at this poetry stuff, but you get the idea! Have a wonderful weekend y’all.

Here is what fitness extraordinare Mark Sissa has to offer…

I Don’t Have Time to Exercise!

Yep, the old standby. You’re gonna have to do better than that!

Hi, I’m Mark Sisson. Being an official “fitness guy” (more on that in a bit), Kendra thought it would be a good idea for me to stop by and share my heart-healthy exercise tips. We agreed that simply sharing how-to tips would not be sufficient – because everyone knows they need to work out. The problem is that everything gets in the way: the three kids, the dog, the errands, the job, the cable guy (who’ll be there sometime between 8AM and 6PM). I’ll be popping in periodically to address the notorious issue many face: how to exercise if you are…[insert any possible excuse here].
This week I want to address the “I’m too busy to work out!” excuse. I’m not going to try to tell you that you really aren’t too busy. No doubt you’ve heard the standard line of reasoning in response to this: you must find the time, because you can’t afford not to exercise. While that’s true, what smart adult doesn’t already know this? Reminding us that exercise is vital is like telling a smoker that cigarettes are unhealthy. And we’ve seen how well that works.

Here are my two unavoidably effective tips for even the busiest folks:

- Realize that a workout does not have to be done in a lump.

Read more