Quick Tips 4 U - Good Things to Do

Health:

Reading more and more studies about Inflammation and disease.  Next time you have a blood test, ask your Dr. to include a C-Reactive Protein test. CRP. Also ask him why you should have your inflammation level checked. Recent research indicates that inflammation is connected to chronic diseases including heart disease.

Wealth:
Leave the ATM card at home. It is much too easy to pull out that card for even a small item that you see in a Convenience store or when eating out. Carry a small amount of cash, as much as you budgeted for the day. You do budget, don't you?

Book Details Here

Nutrition:

Believe it or not, frozen veggies might be more nutritious than fresh. They are frozen fresh from the garden patch, really. Produce being shipped 'fresh' is usually harvested before becoming ripe.

Exercise:

Sign up for a dance class. Purchase a good exercise video and invite a few friends in for a couple routines and some good friendly chatter.

Move it, move it, move it, lose it, lose it, lose it

You can do it. Click link above for details.

Style:

Sales, sales, sales. Retail, brick and mortar stores, as well as Internet sites are making room for Spring styles arriving even as I write this. Hurry to the site or store of your choice and snag up some of those great bargains on winter clothes. You still have time to wear them and they will be like new next winter.

Inspiration:

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."

- Maya Angelou

Natural Heart Healthy Foods.

Many of you know, I have been researching healthy foods to combat some of the things causing my heart problems and had recently learned I have a high inflammatory situation in my body. I learned this by having a c reactive protein blood test done.  CRP

One of the best articles I've come across that incorporates what I've learned after extensive researching is below from Josef Klein's heart healthy natural newsletter.

Ways that can protect your heart from unnecessary stress:

• Improve your fatty acids profile for preventing blood clotting. "Good" fats also contribute to reducing cholesterol, lower blood pressure, enhance brain functions and heart health.
  
• Consume more extra virgin olive oil, walnuts and almonds, seeds, omega-3 fatty acids from salmon, sardines, herrings and wheat germ have shown to improve fatty acid profiles naturally.

• Eat more celery, oats, nuts, whole grains, beans and lentils to provide fiber known to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.

• If possible include lots of onions and garlic in your diet. They have antiviral and antibacterial properties to reduce the risk for heart disease.

• Eat a lot more plant-based foods like green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, and teas because they contain antioxidants. They prevent destructive free radicals from damaging every cell in your body.

• Make regular use of ginger and turmeric. These are powerful anti-inflammatory agents to protect your arteries and blood vessels.

•  Include cinnamon, watermelon, red grapes skins, cumin, garlic and onion are natural healing ingredients preventing red blood cells from sticking together. These foods can decrease the risk of strokes and heart disease.

Always be sure to consult with your health care practitioner to see if these ideas are right for you. Consider working with a Naturopathic (a doctor who goes to medical school with a stronger focus in preventative health) or doctors using an integrative more Holistic approach.

Health:
Incorporate celery and green peppers, proven memory boosters into your daily food plan. They contain high levels of luteolin that studies show can block inflammation linked to memory loss.
Wealth:
Not close to your bank's ATM and wants to omit ATM fees? There's always something you can use or might need at a nearby grocery or drug store where you can get cash back without fees.
Diet:
Cut 100 calories by mixing your juice with seltzer, low sodium club soda. I've mixed my juice half and half with no calorie iced tea.
Exercise:
I've found it much easier to do three 10 minute walking sessions a day, sometimes I do two 15 minutes-I found once I start, I get inspired to go longer. It's the getting started that's hard.
Style:
Slip a ring around a long, stylish scarf, draped down the front. Tie a knot below the ring to secure.
Spiritual:
Allow yourself the opportunity to live the life you desire. Do not set limitations on yourself that are based on someone else's negativity.
Author Unknown

C Reactive Protein and Inflammation Information

As many of you know, I have had heart problems since 1985, when I had my first angio plasti at age 48. Now, at 71, I've had numerous angio plastis, heart catheterizations and have 6 stents in my heart. Until recently, I thought most of my problems were genetic and cholesterol related. About a year ago I found out about a
'C Reactive Protein' test that shows the degree of inflammation in the body. I asked my cardiologist to include the test and found mine was exceptionally high. He wasn't quite sure what to do about the problem or how to lower the inflammation.


I researched and learned as much as I could about it.

From WebMed

A special type of CRP test, the high-sensitivity CRP test (hs-CRP), may be done to find out if you have an increased chance of having a sudden heart problem, such as a heart attack.

Inflammation can damage the inner lining of the arteries and make having a heart attack more likely. However, the connection between high CRP levels and heart attack risk is not very well-understood.

From Cleveland Clinic

In the Harvard Women's Health Study, results of the CRP test were more accurate than cholesterol levels in predicting coronary problems. Twelve different markers of inflammation were studied in healthy, postmenopausal women. After three years, CRP was the strongest predictor of risk.

Women in the group with the highest CRP levels were more than four times as likely to have died from coronary disease, or suffered a nonfatal heart attack or stroke. This group was also more likely to have required a cardiac procedure such as angioplasty or bypass surgery than women in the group with the lowest levels.From --

Metabolism Advice.com

Another major cause of inflammation in our bodies is the food we eat. Inflammation can be aggravated by diets high in refined or hydrogenated vegetable oils such as those found in margarines, potato chips and baked goods and by diets high in sugars.

But food can also be part of the solution to the problem of inflammation. Anti-inflammatory foods, if eaten regularly, can reduce inflammation in the body and bring the problem under control.

More research led me to making major changes in my daily diet and in June, six months after the previous test, I had reduced the level by half.

I cut way down on refined foods, white flour products, sugar and sugar substitutes, and went on a relatively low carbohydrate diet.

I believe if I had eliminated, instead of cutting back, my test would have been even lower. To make it easier on myself, besides reading everything I could about food helping my situation, I bought "The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book" by Jessica K. Black. See side bar for more information.

Along the way I also lost 14 pounds and because I increased MUFA's, (monounsaturated fats), a good deal of the loss was in the abdominal area, which we know can also lead to heart problems.

Fat that accumulates around the abdomen increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Doctors recommend that people who are heavier in the midsection, reduce this area with diet and exercise. I posted an article about reducing belly fat menus at:

Blast Belly Fat


It's important that we all take our health in our own hands and learn as much as we can about symptoms, conditions, and what to do about them.

Disclaimer
Please remember, I am not a medical authority, just a writer, researcher, and you should never make changes in your health routine or life style without talking to your medical adviser. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. Taking supplements or practicing alternative medicine without consulting with your physician can be dangerous.

If this blog article doesn't do anything more than get one person to have the 'C Reactive Protein' test done, (you don't even have to fast for it), and prevent one heart attack or stroke, I will be more than happy I posted it.