Tag Archive for: Health

Healthy heart vitamins

We know vitamins are crucial to good health but there are quite a few that are extremely beneficial for your heart! You may be surprised-we were!

If you want to ensure your ticker stays healthy and your cholesterol stays low, you have to exercise, know your numbers and watch your diet. However, add these non-traditional supplements into your daily regimen for extra heart health. The Omega’s are the most popular of the heart healthy vitamins. Try and look for fish oils that contain Omega 3-6-and 9! Niacin or B-3 and Green Tea Extract have been shown to treat high cholesterol. Another interesting and relatively unknown supplement for a healthy heart is Red Yeast Rice, which lowers LDL and triglycerides. Add in some Coenzyme Q10 to reduce chest pain, so exercise is easier, and you have a pretty strong heart cocktail. Ginger and Turmeric are well known when treating the heart and the body in general, not to mention they’re yummy in edible form. Last but not least is a plant, Policosanol, which is extracts of plant wax and very beneficial in lowering cholesterol.

If you are concerned about your heart health, get your numbers checked. Try some exercise, cut out the smoking and add some exercise into your daily routine.  A healthy heart is a happy heart!

by

Fallen from grace-lies,doping and LIVESTRONG

Another hero has fallen from grace. Just this morning Lance Armstrong was stripped of another title, another medal, by the IOC. I along with millions of people am extremely disappointed and saddened by his lies and overall intent to deceive. I am also very excited to watch his interview on Oprah tonight. It is difficult for me to overlook the amazing work and charity he has done with cancer and LIVESTRONG. I want to believe there are two versions of Lance Armstrong, the ‘good’ one that is a beautiful humanitarian and the ‘complicated’ one, that fell into the machine/world of doping and black listed and threatened so many people around him. How could a man who has committed so many kind acts do something so sinister and dishonest?

What is doping exactly? Doping in sports is considered the use of any performance enhancing drug or procedure (blood transfusions) that give the athlete an unfair advantage. There are numerous types of hormones and drugs that fall under the category of doping. The following are the main ones that Lance Armstrong is being accused of taking.

EPO- increases the number of red blood cells in the athletes circulatory system.  This drug can be administered through and IV in what is called “micro-dosing”, as to not be detected during routine urine screenings.

  • Blood Transfusions-this is where the athlete’s blood is drawn and then re-infused a few hours before a race. By re-infusing blood, the red blood cells are carrying more oxygen. This helps the athlete to recover more quickly during competition. There is really no way to test for this, but many teammates testified seeing Armstrong participate in this on numerous occasions.
  • HGH- Human growth hormone is used to increase lean muscle mass, aid in weight loss, increase strength and help with recovery.
  • Cortisone- can increase recovery and is said to give a burst/high of energy.

The world will sit and wait for the interview that will set the record straight tonight. But, what is the worst part of this whole thing? The fact that he took the drugs or that he lied? And maybe we should let all athletes take enhancing drugs, at least they will all be on an equal playing field.  What are your thoughts?

 

by

A Few Ways to Try and Stay Healthy….

Since it is cold and flu season, I thought I would continue on with a few tricks to keep yourself healthy. Although, I am writing this holed up in the guest room at my parent’s house. My Dad has been coughing and sneezing and I am fighting something yucky off….

The truth is you can be as careful as possible and follow all the rules on how ‘not to get sick’, but if you’re due for it-you’re going to get it. That being said there are still a few tips that may help you. Wash your hands after everything! Don’t touch your face, nose or mouth, this is the quickest way to get germs. Stay hydrated and limit your sugar intake. If it is cold outside cover your nose and mouth. If you start to feel like you’re getting sick, pop some vitamin D and C. I’ve been loading up and I think i’m winning the war.

Yesterday my Dad told me that the most common way germs are passed around a restaurant are through the water pitcher.  Apparently most pitchers are cleaned in the PM after the restaurant has closed-that means the same pitcher is used throughout the entire day and night. When waiters go around and fill your glass up they are also unknowingly giving you everyone else’s germs. Every time a pitcher touches a glass it can pick up other people’s saliva which carries germs and ends up on your glass….yuck. Your best bet in a restaurant is bottled water or skip it all together.  Another scary restaurant fact is that when you take something home in a doggy bag, you should always ask to box it yourself at the table.  Once you send your food away, it can come into contact with numerous hands (germs), not to mention anything airborne.

Stay healthy friends!

by