Being happy is good for your heart

Enjoying simple pleasures and having an optimistic outlook reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by around half, regardless of factors such as diet, exercise and smoking, studies showed.

Read more:

Good News Coffee Loving Ladies

A new preliminary study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association has found a correlation between drinking more than one cup of coffee a day and 22-25% reduced risk of stroke in women (compared to those who drink less)

While this study is a correlation and cant say that coffee causes the reduced risk of stroke - it is thought that this may be due to the anti-inflammatory properties or coffee improving insulin-resistance which can lead to a reduced risk.

Read the whole article HERE

Ironically (or coordinated??) this news came out on the same day of Starbucks 40th anniversary...

the same day they launched the new look and brought in petite pastries...

Cake pops!!!

Risk Factors

50-80% of heart disease is preventable.

The best way to prevent heart disease is by knowing and controlling your risk factors

The risk factors you can control are..

high blood pressure

high blood cholesterol

diabetes (type II)

being overweight

excessive alcohol consumption

physical inactivity

smoking

stress

-to find out how you can prevent these risk factors, or reverse or reduce the impact of these risk factors

Talk to you Doctor

-high blood pressure is the #1 cause of stroke - and you can't feel your blood pressure - have a check up with the doctor, ask what your blood pressure is, where it should be (tpyically around 120/80) and how to get it there

-things like reducing sodium intake, reducing stress by taking holidays, working less hours, practicing deep breathing, or listening to relaxing music can help

Talk to your doctor about options to help you quit smoking, and ways to begin being more physically active and what type of activity is right for you.

Remember- when it comes to physical activity - its okay to start slow.

Try to do 10 minutes of activity a couple times a day - like walking the stairs during commercial breaks, taking a walk on your lunch break, jumping jacks and jogging on the spot while waiting for something to cook...

risk factors that you cannot control include

age

sex

ethnicity

family history

and history of a stroke

-even though you cannot change these risk factors, you and your doctor should be aware of which ones affect you

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Joannie Rochette Heart Your Health Campaign

Joannie Rochette is a Canadian bronze medal figure skater

Last year at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, her mom died suddenly of heart disease

days before she was to compete

Joannie skated for her mom and won her country the bronze medal

her goal now is to spread awareness about heart disease

It is the number one killer of women in north America - over all the cancers combined.

tell someone you love about the risk of heart disease

and encourge your family members to go to the doctor regularly - even if they think nothing is wrong

high blood pressure is called the silent killer because it often presents no signs

until it ultimatly leads to stroke or heart attack

Hip-to-Waist Ratio

We've all heard of BMI - body mass index. It is a height to weight ratio. Click Here to calculate your BMI.  It is widely used in body composition tests, and by doctors. It is a strong predictor for risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
The problem with BMI is it does not take into consideration fat vs muscle, or where your body fat is located.
That is where the hip-to-waist ratio comes in.
To measure your hip-to-waist ration:
measure around the smallest part of your waist - usually near your belly button.
measure around the widest part of your hips and buttocks.
divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement and you've got your hip-to-waist ratio
According to Health Canada, a ratio less than 0.8 for women, and less than 1.0 for men is associated with lower heath risk.
This measurement is an even stronger predictor for increased health risks than BMI. This is because it gives an indication of where you store your body fat.
We've all heard terms apple shaped, and pear shaped.
Well bad news if you are apple shaped and carry most of your weight around your stomach, and less around your waist. This means that there is more fat surrounding all your internal organs, including your heart. This increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.

So find out your number for both these measurements, BMI and Hip-to-waist ratio. Write them down and talk to your Doctor about the implications. If either of your numbers are higher than recommended by Health Canada - talk to your doctor about an exercise regime and some nutritional advice that will help you become healthier.

vitamin D

the sunshine vitamin.
Did you know it is actually a hormone produced naturally by our bodies. When we are exposed to UVB rays,  our skin produced vitamin D3 and we only produce as much as we need. It only takes about 10 minutes of unprotected exposure to UVB rays to get all the vitamin D that we need.  That being said, I think our hands and faces should always have sunscreen on them because they are typically always exposed to the sun. But maybe consider waiting 10 minutes after going outside before putting sunscreen on your arms. (Make sure you talk with your doctor/demetologist before going out without sunscreen)
Unfortunatly... here in Canada about 6-8 months out of the year, you could go outside without sunscreen all day and your body wouldnt produce any vitamin D.
This is because the sun is at the wrong angle, and the UVB rays are not strong enough to activate the vitamin D synthesis process (this DOESNT mean they arent strong enough to do damage. a sun burn in the winter is as dangerous as a sunburn in the summer).
That is why so many doctors recommend taking a vitamin D supplement.
Currently, the recommended daily intake of vitmin D is 1000 IU but a lot of research is suggesting that the number be increase to as high as 5000 - 10 000 IU.  (check out an interesting article here)

Vitamin D plays an important role in bone density. it raises blood calcium levels by increasing the absorbtion of calcium from the gut, and reabsorption of calcium from the kidneys. When blood calcium levels rise, more is stored in the bones increasing their density and strenght.
It has also been implicated in the prevention of many types of cancer, and Multiple sclerosis.  MS is almost not exisitant in equatorial regions where sunlight and vitamin D levels are typically adequate.
Vitamin D can help improve mood by alleviating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD/Winter blues), and can also help reduce muscle fatigue and chronic pain.
Some preliminary studies also suggest that low Vitamin D may also be linked to an increased risk in heart disease and stroke (see a brief overview of Vitamin D here)

Vitamin D is found in some foods, such as salmon, and milk and breakfast cereals are typically fortified with vitamin D (fortified means it has been added to a product that did not naturally contain that vitmain/mineral, where as enriched means vitamins and minerals that have been lost during processing have been added back in). Most multivitamins contain about 400 IU (about 10% of the body's daily need)
So how do you know if you are getting enough vitamin D?
Ask your doctor, and get your blood tested for vitamind D levels. Once the results come back talk to your doctor about how much vitamin D you should be taking every day. 1000IU may be sufficient, or they may recommend more. Make sure you follow the doctors advice because, as with all vitamins, Vitamid D does have toxic effects if taken in excess (although up to 10 000IU appears to be safe)
Write down some questions or concerns that you have before you go to the doctor so you don't forget or get overwhelmed!