February is heart disease awareness month. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer for both men and women in the U.S., striking more than 1 and 4 Americans each year. And if that didn’t get your attention, cardiovascular disease is responsible for nearly twice as many deaths in women as compared to all forms of cancer. That being said, it is never too early to start paying attention to your health and taking steps to protect your heart. Heart disease and strokes are very preventable, but only if you know your risks and how to lower them.
Get regular medical checkups. Talk to your doctor about your heart-health and what factors in your life can increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease. Dr. Peter Alagona, the program director of general cardiology at the Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute, says “Everyday changes to your lifestyle can make a big heart-healthy difference.”
Maintain a healthy weight. A study of nearly 30,000 mean found that overweight men (BMI 25 to 28.9) have a 72% increased risk of developing coronary heart disease over a three year period, compared with men of a normal weight. Obese men have a 244% increased risk. According to the American Heart Association, excess body fat, particularly around the waist area, is a higher risk of heart disease. You are also at a higher risk for developing other health problem which can contribute to heart disease, including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, high triglycerides, and diabetes.
Reduce your stress. It seems everyone is busy all day long, working, talking, texting, driving the kids from here to there and the list goes on. Chronic stress is damaging to your health and can drive you to overeat, lose sleep, drink and smoke more, and neglect taking care of yourself. Find ways to lower your daily stress levels – eat a balanced diet, use exercise as a stress reliever, connect with friends and family who provide emotional support, and work on changing things in your life that are creating stress. Try and sit down in a quiet place for 10 minutes a day, take some deep breaths, or practice some modest relaxation exercises.
Stop smoking. Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in the United States. Smoking increases your risk of illness and death from heart attack, stroke and other diseases. According to the American Heart Association, when you stop smoking, your risk of heart disease and stroke is substantially reduced.
Eat healthy. A healthy diet contains not only the proper foods but an appropriate caloric intake. Cutting calories from simple carbohydrates and substitute good fats (polyunsaturated) for bad fats (saturated), increasing natural fiber and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables is a good start. Track your food portions, and instead of eating large volume meals, eat smaller but more frequent meals and healthy snacks.
Get moving. A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. Fortunately, you can do something about it. Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, jumping rope, bicycling (stationary or outdoor), cross-country skiing, skating, rowing, low-impact aerobics, and water aerobics, have many benefits. You can also mix up your cardio by doing 3 minutes of cardio, and then 1 strength training exercise or a high-intensity burst of cardio for 1 minute. Another option is to choose 5-10 strength training exercises and perform 1 set of each. Move quickly from one exercise to the next to keep your heart rate up. You should work your way up to vigorous exercise (that means huffing and puffing!) 20 to 30 minutes, at least three to four times a week.
You may be thinking, “this is a lot of info and too much to do all at once”. You are right! So set small goals and focus on making small lifestyle changes that will last a lifetime. And if you want any help, I would love to help you become a better you.
What can you add to your diet that is 100% natural, low in sodium; calorie, fat, and cholesterol free? Water! And did you know that without water we will only survive about 3 days? It makes up 70% of our body weight, 75% of our muscle, 83% of our blood, 85% of our brain, and 22% of our bones. Water is essential for our body to function properly. It helps to transport fats, proteins, carbohydrates, oxygen & hormones that regulate your metabolism. It lubricates joints, keeps skin healthy and glowing, reduces headaches and dizziness, regulates body temperature, and helps dissolve nutrients to make them accessible to the body. Water lessens the burden on the kidneys and the liver by helping flush out waste products, and it helps with weight loss as it assists in removing the by-products that occur with the breakdown of fat. Water is one of the most vital ingredients our body needs. So what’s stopping you from drinking more water? You need at least 64 ounces a day or more specifically take your weight, divide it in half, and that is the amount of ounces you need a day. It’s the most simple and assessable way to look better, feel better, lose weight, and be healthier!
Fall is here! That means, cooler days, less day light, less vitamin D…… You’re saying, “So what?” Well, vitamin D is a fat-soluble prohormone, which encourages the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous, which maintains healthy bones. It plays an important role in more than just our bones. It helps regulate our immune system and arm it against disorders like the common cold. It may also have a key role in helping the brain to keep working well later in life, according to a study of 3000 European men. Along the lines of men, the Today Show had a special on last week showing a study being done right now that might link vitamin D deficiency to hair loss. Vitamin D is linked to maintaining a healthy body weight and helps fight depression. According to researchers from Harvard Medical School, who found after monitoring 616 Children, vitamin D can also reduce the severity and frequency of asthma symptoms, and also the likelihood of hospitalizations due to asthma. It has also shown to reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women. Various studies carried out by Cancer Treatment Centers of America have shown that vitamin D deficiency is found to be prevalent in cancer patients regardless of what their nutritional status is.
You may be asking, “How do I know if I am deficient or not?” Well, you can go to your doctor to get a blood test done to get your exact levels, but in the meantime this may help you too. If you live in the tropics, close to the equator, and can expose your skin unprotected for 2 sessions of 15 minutes of sunlight a week, you will naturally produce enough vitamin D. The farther you live from the equator your sunlight will be less. Also, cloud cover, smog, sunscreen, elderly people as well as dark skin should consume extra vitamin D for good health. We will have a Vitamin D Intake Questionnaire at IronFitness that will also help you calculate the recommended level of vitamin D supplementation for you. For your convenience we have vitamin D at IronFitness from Shaklee for $9.50 per bottle. You can also contact Sonia for more information at 330-806-2452 or soniamaranville@yahoo.com.
We all hear how we need to cut back on salt. Ordinary table salt has been stripped of its companion elements and contains additives. In studies table salts have been linked to hypertension and other heart or blood illnesses. Table salt also gives many people the feeling of being bloated. Well there is a salt called Himalayan Pink Salt. It is a pure, hand-mined salt found naturally deep inside the Himalayan Mountains. It contains over 80 mineral elements that the body needs and has nutrients and minerals that help your body preserve the blood cells. Himalayan Pink Salt is a healthier replacement for ordinary table salt and you can find it at most grocery stores for under $4.
Do you ever have a hunkering for something sweet? Do you think about it all day until you satisfy it? After you have something sweet do you feel a rush from the sugar, almost euphoric? Research shows that a high intake of carbohydrates, including sugar, releases a feel food chemical in the brain called serotonin. Then within an hour of eating the sugar you start to crash and you feel tired, fatigued, and lethargic and grab another piece of candy or something.
Maybe you’re sitting there thinking “who cares, what harm can a little sugar really do to me?” Cravings, binge eating, weight gain, and heart disease are just a few problems that sugar can cause when eaten in excess. It also causes an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides, and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It has also been linked to depression, migraines, poor eyesight, autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis, gout, and osteoporosis.
Twenty years ago the average person consumed about 26 pounds of sugar per year. According to the USDA, today the average American consumes over 135 pounds of sugar a year. That’s about 22 teaspoons of added sugar daily, the equivalent of 350 calories which means over 8,000 teaspoons a year. That’s double the recommended amount. The American Heart Association recommends that we limit our daily sugar consumption to 7% or less of our daily calorie intake. That’s about 6 teaspoons (100 calories) for women and 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for men. One 12 ounce can of regular soda contains 8-10 teaspoons of sugar, and a glazed donut contains 6 teaspoons. At least half of the sugar we consume comes from high-fructose corn syrup found in fat-free foods like salad dressings, soft drinks, fruit drinks, and sports drinks. The rest is in our diet from foods like ketchup, teriyaki sauce, chocolate milk, cookies, cakes, ice cream, and cereals. And even when you think you’re eating “healthy”, foods like yogurt and instant oatmeal can pack as much as 20-30 grams (5-7 teaspoons). Wow looks like we have some work to do!
I don’t know about you but I like to deep clean my house in the spring and the fall. Do you get headaches after you use Windex, Clorox, or other cleaning products? I do too! Many common cleaning products that we purchase in the grocery store contain words on their packaging warning that the products are dangerous, poisonous, or flammable. Chlorine, found in bleach, is corrosive and was listed as a hazardous pollutant in the 1990 Clean Air Act. It can also cause cancer-causing chemicals to form in waste water systems. Oven cleaners are also highly corrosive and can cause severe respiratory distress, headaches, depression, and lack of concentration. Many disinfectants contain labels stating that the product “kill germs.” These products usually contain an ingredient known as triclosan, an immunotoxicant and skin toxicant. These products may kill germs but they leave behind harmful chemicals. Ammonia is another chemical commonly found in many household products. This poisonous chemical can be highly irritating to the lungs and can aggravate asthma. In a study released at the Toronto Indoor Air Conference, women who work at home had a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who worked away from home. The study concluded that the deaths were a direct result of increased exposure to toxic chemicals—many of which are found in common household cleaning products. The Consumer Products Safety Commission reports that “of chemicals commonly found in homes, 150 have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities. That is scary!
I thought to myself, “If these products are affecting me like this, what are they doing to my kids and pets?” And that’s when I switched to Shaklee’s cleaning products. I use them all but one very versatile cleaner is Basic H. You can clean your kitchen, appliances, pots and pans, furniture, woodwork, fixtures, walls, stainless steel, sealed granite, marble, bathrooms, windows and mirrors without streaks, floors, woolens, nylons, and fine fabrics to name a few you can clean with Basic H. A 16 fluid ounce bottle of this amazing cleaner will cost you $12.15 and makes 48 gallons of cleaner. If you become a member for a onetime fee of $19.99, it will cost you $10.35 a bottle. That’s 21 cents per gallon. I know I am making a difference using an environmentally –friendly, nontoxic cleaner that is safe for me, my family, pets, home, and planet. If you want to make a difference you can inquire about ordering Basic H or any other Shaklee product by contacting Sonia @ soniamaranville@yahoo.com or 330-806-2452.
Did you know that there are just 80 calories and no fats in just one cup of blueberries? They are packed full of vitamin C, getting 14mg per serving. A handful of blueberries can help you meet your daily fiber requirements. They also have manganese which plays an important role in bone development and in converting the proteins, carbohydrates and fats in food into energy. Blueberries are also near the top when it comes to antioxidants. What more could you want in a food that taste so good? Yummy!
Eighty percent of people still do not exercise consistently enough to enjoy any health benefits. And we all can come up with excuses as to why we are not sticking to the program. But No More Excuses!
If you are having trouble finding time to exercise, you are not alone. A perceived lack of time is one of the most common excuses for not starting or for quitting an exercise program. But it really isn’t a good excuse. We have clients who manage large businesses, clients with 4 plus kids, and clients who seem to have it all. How do they do it? They make health and fitness a priority in their life. When life gets rough, exercise is usually the first thing to go when, in fact, it should be the last. Exercise is the glue to mental sanity when life becomes chaotic.
Are you one of those people who when others need you, your needs end up on the back burner? Someone at work asks you to complete a project, your spouse needs your attention, your kids need some quality time, your friends are asking why you haven’t called, and you have a to-do list that extends well into next month! It’s simple to see how easy it is to convince yourself that the morning workout can wait until lunch and then until after dinner. Or maybe tomorrow and finally, “I’ll get back on track next month!” Commitments, responsibilities and the demands of work, family and social life are always going to be there. When you allow your needs to become second to everything and everyone else, you will end up the loser.
Research shows that people who exercise are more productive at whatever they are doing. And don’t think that exercise has to be a huge time commitment. 10-30 minutes a day, if done consistently, can result in health benefits.
When you don’t have an appointment with us, your trainers, make an appointment with yourself. Then when someone asks if you can meet them at 5, you can honestly say, “Sorry, I’ve got an appointment. How about 4?”
So stop putting it off! “I’ll start exercising right after New Year’s….in the spring….right after I’m finished with this huge project…..once the kids get older….once the kids leave home…..after I’ve retired….” Stop making excuses. Now is the time to start. There will always be things competing for your time. You can choose to make exercise a priority in your life now or wait until you are forced to make it a priority.
“People, who cannot find the time to exercise, will be forced to find the time for illness.”
- But that makes it harder.....
- I like the old battery better in your scale!
- Dang, I just screwed myself over. I did five extra reps......
- I only breathe when I have to.
- She's trying to kill me......
- Oh good, I get to lay down now. (Little did they know it was for core work:-) )
- Is ham good for anything?
- I'm paying you now in case I decide not to come.
- I'm actually thirsty, what's wrong with me?
- Oh, thank you God, you are not making me do pushups.
- I feel so much better when I'm done.
- Just so you know, my glutes are barking.
- I'm only paying for two sets.
- Is it supposed to burn?
- Can I just lay down here on the floor?
What do Sonia and Danielle have to say about this?
Danielle's Response: I can actually hear your eyes rolling in your voice.
Sonia's Response: No, you can't use your buckeye card here to get you out of any exercises.
