February - Heart health month

Just a reminder today, ladies, to take care of yourself. We are periodically reminded of how precious life is and for awhile we all pay a little more attention.  Well let's see if we can be a little more vigilant about our health.  You know.....consistently paying attention.

While grocery shopping the other day I felt like my foot was numb.....I was like wait a minute....what's going on here and I literally stopped on the soup aisle, took off my shoe, wiggled my toes and got the feeling back.....so it turns out I had my converse tied too tight.  Good news, that was an easy fix!  But here is the thing.  We have to pay attention to our bodies.  We have to address any issues that come up immediately.  We have to insist on satisfactory answers to our medical questions.  No one, absolutely, no one knows your body like you do.  If you feel something is off, out of whack, get yourself somewhere and get it addressed.

So this month is heart health month and of course eating right and moving more is a great help to your heart.  Food Network has a whole section on heart healthy recipes.  Click here to see them.  This month maybe just try one or two a week.

One of the main ways to help your heart is to reduce your salt intake.  This would be a great month to experiment with other seasonings and leave that salt shaker behind.  Click here for a list of sodium free seasonings you might want to check out. I've not ordered from this company but they sure sound good.

This set is available on Amazon and has pretty good reviews

Set of Six Salt free Seasonings

But also check your local grocery store spice aisle......there are some good ones there too.

Also, remember The Heart Center will do a Vascular Screening for only $99.  This screening will check for aorta enlargement, blockages that could lead to a stroke, arterial blood flow to the legs and check your Blood Pressure. 

Now about this whole moving more.......what can I tell you.....give it a try.  I am new to the Apple Watch world and it periodically tells me to stand and to move which I appreciate.  I'll take the encouragement from wherever I can get it.  There are also all kinds of apps you can look into that will help  you get moving.

Small adjustments in our lifestyle can really make a difference.  Take care of yourself!

Meet me back here on Friday for some Valentine ideas.  See you then.

Orange you glad you worked out?

Ok, I don't think I have mentioned this yet, but I joined Orangetheory Gym.  I haven't talked about it for a couple of reasons:

1) I have been too tired
2) I wasn't sure how long I was going to last
3) I was just too tired

The premise of the whole thing is that it is heart rate based workouts.  I wear this little heart rate monitor

and on the big screen in the gym I can see my heart rate throughout the whole hour.  I start out in grey, move to blue which means I am good and warmed up, then to  green which means I am really engaged, then to ORANGE which means I am in my optimal heart rate and red is the final category which means you are above and beyond....I have only seen red once or twice.

You get this little report sent to your phone after each workout.

The goal is to get at least 12 minutes in the ORANGE zone or above each workout.  Apparently this particular day I got 9 orange points and 3 red points.....rockin' it out....yes ma'am!


Now I hear people talk all the time about how energized they are and how much better they feel when they exercise and I just have two words to say about that " Not me".  I don't look forward to gym day.  I don't feel like I could move mountains when I finish a workout.  I feel like I want to drive through Krispy Kreme and have them give me a cup of glaze and a straw.

But here is what is working for me by going there
1) I am a value minded person.  So if I am spending money, I want to get my dollars worth.  It is pricey but that has made me go at least 4 times per week.....yes, I know this is psychological but it works for me.

2) It is an organized class with a coach in every session.  Someone is there telling me exactly how long I have to row,

Photo from Orange Theory site

exactly what exercises I am to do in the weight room

Photo from Orange Theory site

and how much to incline my treadmill as I power walk.......

Photo from Orange Theory site

literally, they sometimes say "put your treadmill at an incline of 10 or greater" with a straight face....I know....who are these people? But I need this because otherwise I just think ......meh that's enough and get back in the car and drive home

3) The class is different EVERY TIME......yes, this I need too because I just get bored with the whole gym thing.  I show up now, someone has a structured workout all set up for me and all I have to do is spend an hour doing it.

4) It is a really good workout.  I mean the reason I pulled pictures from online and they are not of me is because I must maintain a shred of dignity and it is nothing pretty to see.

My other motivator is these two lovelies joined with me

So we have made it a fun thing.....dress alike....go to class together....take ibuprofen together.....good times!!!

They will be headed back to school soon so I will be solo.....unless one of you wants to join me.

Make it a great Monday and a wonderful week.....I am off to get in my orange zone.

Bless your heart......

February is American Heart Month

Did you know? The first American Heart Month took place in February 1964. At that time, more than half the deaths in the U.S. were caused by cardiovascular disease. —American Heart Association

I know we spend a lot of time and energy taking care of everyone else.  Why not take some time to do something for yourself?  Call and make an appointment for a heart scan.

You can get a heart screening at Huntsville Hospital Heart Center for $99.

Your scan will give you:

•  A Heart Score to detect the amount of calcified plaque in the arteries
• A Detailed assessment of the risk factors for Coronary Heart Disease
• Blood Pressure
• You can call 256-519-8490 to schedule your appointment.
• If  you are out of the area, you are not off the hook.  Check with your local hospital for a similar offering.