Health Education - Be Proactive About Your Heart Health
By Kevin Agarwal, Apr. 22, 2009
 

Your heart works hard to continuously pump blood, non-stop, to other parts of the body. Incredibly, it pumps 2000 gallons a day and beats about 100,000 beats a day! This rhythmic pumping ensures the circulation of a fresh supply of oxygen-rich blood to all organs, tissues and cells of the body.

Your heart is your lifeline, and heart health should be a priority. Certain lifestyle choices we make can have consequences for our hearts, which can also affect the functions of other important organs and tissues. For optimal health it is important that we adjust our lifestyle, and make choices to promote heart health.

Taking steps in the right direction have had positive and proven benefits for heart health. Here are some tips to help keep your heart healthy.

• Watch your diet. Maintain a low fat diet and include lots of fruits and vegetables. The Recommended Daily Allowance for fruits and vegetables is at least 2 to 3 cups a day. Eating green leafy vegetables is also highly recommended. Include fatty fish at least twice a week in your diet.
• Maintain a healthy weight. It is a known fact that blood pressure increases as your weight increases. Eating a healthy balanced diet is the first step towards achieving your normal weight limit for your height and age.
  In addition to maintaining a healthy weight, doctors recommend that we watch the waistline! An expanding midriff can also put extra pressure on your heart. As a general guideline, men should keep their waistline within 40 inches; women, within 35 inches.
• Physical activity. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Aerobic exercises or even a brisk walk will help strengthen the heart and support blood circulation. A stronger heart means the heart can pump more blood with less effort. It is important to establish a regular exercise pattern and remain consistent. Consistency will give you the maximum benefits from your exercise regimen. You should always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise regimen, especially if you are over 40, a smoker, or suffer from any medical condition.
• Monitor the intake of sodium in your diet. Many processed foods (including vegetable juices) contain high amounts of sodium. Read labels carefully. You may want to avoid adding more table salt to your food. Instead, try adding ground herbs and spices for more taste. You can also try eating more fresh foods since cooked and processed foods are likely to contain more sodium.
• Moderate your consumption of alcohol. Moderate consumption of alcohol is considered acceptable by most medical experts. Excessive drinking can have multiple adverse effects on cardiovascular health.
• Quit smoking. Smoking can be harmful to the heart. Medical experts agree that total abstinence from smoking is a positive way to maintain heart health -- this includes second-hand smoke too.
• Reduce stress. Try to get eight hours of sleep a night. If you are under unavoidable stress, find ways to help de-stress. It can be as simple as including time for your favorite hobby during the week, watching your favorite TV program, getting together with friends or even a relaxing massage.
• Have a good laugh. There is something to the old adage, “A merry heart works like medicine.” Dr. Michael Miller, who led studies at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, suggests a 15-minute daily dose of heartfelt laughter to support heart health.

Taking nutritional supplements is another positive approach to maintaining heart health. If you are unsure about which nutritional supplement to use, ask your doctor for advice. Some well researched ingredients are:

• Natto-kinase, a Japanese herb that has traditionally been used as nutritional support for proper blood circulation and heart health.
• Hawthorn leaves also support healthy blood circulation.
• Vitamin D supports healthy functioning of the heart.
• Taurine is an antioxidant.
• Folic acid and phytosteroscial for both heart and blood health, according to the American Medical Association.

Making positive changes to your lifestyle and adding a quality nutritional supplement, like CardioMatrix, can help promote a happy, healthy heart


Author's Bio

New Vitality is a health supplements company. It develops supplement products which are carefully formulated under the guidance of an elite panel comprised of renowned doctors, nutritionists, chemists and researchers. Whether you want a nutritional supplement, pet health supplement, a personal care product or a health care product, New Vitality is a one-stop shop for all needs.


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     From the Head Flagtwirler of 1965, Janice McCain Rose of VA - 04/24/09:

Carol....please tell   Jerry ('65) and    Judy Phillips ('66 - Allen of VA) that we are most appreciative of their kind words.  Also...I think Judy MUST be either superwoman or a bionic woman of all times.....how she was able to take care of her family.....sometimes two at a time....I don't know how she did it!

We are still praying for Judy's brother....   Monty (Phillips - '62 - of VA) whom I remember as "one of the good guys")......our NNHS family is one of a kind...of that I am sure!!!!!....Janice

   Thank you, Janice! I think the rest of us mere mortals are in awe of both of you!

    From Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 04/25/09 - "   Monty Phillips ('62 - of VA)":

Hi, Carol:

Thank you for keeping us up to date regarding the condition of Monty Phillips. He is certainly in the prayers of many of the TYPHOON Nation.

Recommend Monty for the Famous Marine page on your website. Surely he can come up with a photo image in the United States Marine Corps uniform. He was a "Squared Away" Marine, always looked sharp in his uniform.

He was one of the few Marines who were not sweating at the end of a Forced March, and his uniform was still starched. Not sure how he managed to keep such a military bearing under those conditions. He is a fighter!!!

TYPHOON Regards
Joe Madagan ('57) of FL

   Dear Adonis, I was all set to patiently inform you that Monty was already listed with our Famous Marines, that he had been included there from the very beginning of the page six or seven years ago, long before it had grown into what it is today.  When I brought up the page, I did not see him.  I thought surely I had confused the alphabetical order as I so often do. I was aghast - no, positively mortified - to see that Monty was not there at all!

   Thank you so much for bringing this inexcusable oversight to my attention, Joe!

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/SITE-MAP.html 

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/famous-marines.html

   While I was updating Marines, I sadly marked the passing today of Bea Arthur:

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/golden-girls-star-bea-arthur-dies-at-86/21766?nc

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/SITE-MAP.html 

          http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/famous-marines-A-F.html

FINALLY:

 From Sarah Puckett Kressaty ('65) of VA - 04/25/09 - "Play Dead Dog - too funny":

Really funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3QeYLWpHkE - Play Dead, Bailey

      Thanks, Sarah Sugah!

DATES TO REMEMBER:

1. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 24, 25, and 26, 2009 - The Class of 1954 is holding its 55-Year Reunion.  For details, contact Dr. Harry Simpson at 804-694-0346 or email him at hdsdds@aol.com - CLASS OF 1954

2. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 15, 16, and 17, 2009 - The Hampton High School Class of 1964 will hold its 45-Year Reunion at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. For details, see: www.hamptonhigh1964.com - HAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL - CLASS OF 1964

3. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 4, 5 and 6 (Labor Day Weekend), 2009 - The Class of 1969 will hold its 40-Year Reunion at the Point Plaza Hotel, Newport News, VA. For details, see: http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion2009-69.html and contact Jean Baker Howell at hokie13mom@cox.net - OPEN TO ALL NNHS ALUMNI

4. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 18, 19, and 20, 2009 - The Warwick High School Class of 1959 will hold its 50-Year Reunion at the Marriott Newport News at City Center, Newport News, VA. For details, contact WHSREUNION1959@aol.com.

5. Friday and Saturday, October 9 and 10, 2009 - The Class of 1964 will hold its 45-Year Reunion at the Newport News Marriott at City Center, 740 Town Center Drive, Newport News, VA 23606: For details, see: http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion2009-64.html - CLASS OF 1964

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PRAYER ROLL: http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/requests-prayers.html - updated 04/23/09

BLOG: http://nnhs.wordpress.com/ - updated 01/09/09

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   Y'all take care of each other!  TYPHOONS FOREVER!  We'll Always Have Buckroe!

                          Love to all, Carol

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NNHS CLASS OF '65 WEB SITE: http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com

PERSONAL WEB SITE: http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/cluckmeat

==============================================

Carol Buckley Harty 746 Hillsboro Avenue Edwardsville, IL 62025-1821   618-530-9092

To donate, click on the gold seal on the left,               or just mail it to my home. Thanks!

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The House of the Rising Sun

(The Animals, 1964)
 

There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new blue jeans
My father was a gamblin' man
Down in New Orleans

Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk

------ organ solo ------

Oh mother tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun

Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain

Well, there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

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"House of the Rising Sun" midi courtesy of http://www.eadcentral.com/go/1/1/0/http://users.bigpond.net.au/jellery/index.htm - 04/25/09