Heart Healthy Summer Activities

 Summer is here and you want to go out. However, you do not want to overdue it and damage your heart. So, we wanted to find some safe ways that you can exercise and get out without causing health issues. Here are some ways that you can get out and exercise this  summer:

• If you have a dog, walking is a great exercise –do it daily and count it in. It’s good for you and your pet.
• Housework is nobody’s favorite activity but believe it or not, count this as exercise especially if you vacuum briskly or mop the floors on a regular basis
• If you have a family, schedule walks after dinner or before lunch and get some quality time in, too.
• Take a few minutes of your break-time to take a walk around the block or around the campus. Or if you go out to lunch, consider walking to a park or a sandwich shop a block or two further away rather than the cafeteria or the closest lunch stop.
• Believe it or not, yard work is a great way to get some exercise in. Mowing the lawn, raking leaves, clipping bushes and pulling weeds is a great way to move those muscles and get some great exercise in.
• Elevators and escalators at the office, school and even the mall makes life convenient – but if you take just one flight of stairs instead of using this convenience, it’s definitely considered exercise – try it. Start with just one flight and soon you’ll be ready for more.
• If you ride the bus or subway, get off at one stop before or after your destination and walk the rest of the way – an easy way to fit a short jaunt into the schedule.
• Parking – we all want the front row but consider parking your car at the far end of the parking lot. A short walk here and there adds up, plus it can reduce the stress we sometimes feel when fighting for the front row spots

Now, you can get out and enjoy what summer offers us. We would like to thank heart.com for their useful insight concerning this topic. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting !

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team

Healthy Heart Recipes For Easter

Doesn't that look good. You can eat that. Yes, you can. It is possible to  have flavorful foods during the Holidays while still being health conscious. So, we wanted to provide you with some heart healthy recipes that you can use for Easter.

These are some wonderful recipes that we found from Prevention.com

Spring Salad

WORK TIME: 10 MINUTES / TOTAL TIME: 10 MINUTES / SERVINGS: 8

1/4 c olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp grainy mustard

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

10 oz spring greens (about 10 c)

1. WHISK together oil, vinegar, mustard, and black pepper in serving bowl.

2. ADD bell pepper and greens, toss gently to coat, and serve immediately.

NUTRITION (per serving) 76 cal, 1 g pro, 2 g carb, 1 g fiber, 7 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 69 mg sodium



Pomegranate-Glazed Ham


WORK TIME: 15 MINUTES / TOTAL TIME: 2 HOURS 40 MINUTES / SERVINGS: 8 + GENEROUS LEFTOVERS


7 lb bone-in sliced ham

1 1/2 c pomegranate juice


1. REMOVE ham from refrigerator about 40 minutes before cooking. Heat oven to 350°F.


2. POUR pomegranate juice into small saucepan and simmer until thickened (about 1/3 cup), 25 minutes.


3. PUT ham in baking dish and top with glaze. Bake until heated through, about 2 hours, basting occasionally with pan drippings and covering with a foil tent if outside begins to darken too much.


NUTRITION (per 3 oz serving) 153 cal, 19 g pro, 3 g carb, 0 g fiber, 7 g fat, 2.5 g sat fat, 814 mg sodium


Baked Mushroom Risotto

WORK TIME: 20 MINUTES / TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 5 MINUTES / SERVINGS: 8

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 med onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 lb sliced mushrooms

1/3 c dry white wine

1 1/2 c arborio rice

3 c chicken stock (we used Kitchen Basics), heated

3/4 c grated Parmesan

1. HEAT oven to 350°F.

2. HEAT oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and salt and cook until onion begins to turn golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid given off by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms brown, about 15 minutes.

3. ADD wine and cook until evaporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer to ovenproof serving dish if desired. Stir in rice, hot stock, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Put in oven and bake until rice is cooked and all liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

NUTRITION (per serving) 246 cal, 11 g pro, 36 g carb, 1 g fiber, 6.5 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 427 mg sodium

Asparagus and Sugar-Snap Toss

WORK TIME: 15 MINUTES / TOTAL TIME: 20 MINUTES / SERVINGS: 8

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces

1 Tbsp water

1/2 lb sugar-snap peas, ends trimmed and strings removed

3 scallions, sliced

1 1/2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp honey

1. HEAT oil in large pan with lid over medium heat. Add asparagus and water. Cover and steam 5 minutes.

2. ADD peas, scallions, soy sauce, and honey. Cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

3. SEASON to taste with salt and black pepper and serve warm or at room temperature.

NUTRITION (per serving) 34 cal, 2 g pro, 5 g carb, 2 g fiber, 1 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 36 mg sodium



Lemon Sponge Cake with Mixed Berries

WORK TIME: 20 MINUTES / TOTAL TIME: 55 MINUTES + COOLING TIME / SERVINGS: 12

7 lg egg whites (1 c)

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 c + 2 Tbsp superfine sugar

5 lg egg yolks (1/3 c)

2 Tbsp hot water

1 Tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 c cake flour

18 oz mixed fresh berries (about 3 c)

1/4 c honey

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1. HEAT oven to 350°F. With electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in 2 tablespoons of the sugar.

2. PUT egg yolks and remaining 1 cup sugar in another large bowl. Add hot water and beat until very pale yellow in color, about 4 minutes. Beat in lemon zest, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt. Gradually beat in flour, then gently fold one-third of the egg whites into yolk mixture. Gently fold in remaining whites.

3. POUR into ungreased 10" springform pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 minutes. Cool on rack 45 minutes. Run knife around edge to loosen cake. Remove cake from pan and top with berries.

4. MICROWAVE honey 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice and let cool slightly. Drizzle glaze over top of cake.

NUTRITION (per serving) 190 cal, 5 g pro, 39 g carb, 3 g fiber, 2 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 82 mg sodium


Mango-Mint Virgin Mojitos

WORK TIME: 15 MINUTES / TOTAL TIME: 15 MINUTES / SERVINGS: 8

4 limes

40 mint leaves, thinly sliced

5 c mango nectar

5 c club soda

1. CUT 1 lime into 12 thin slices and squeeze remaining limes to get 6 tablespoons juice.

2. COMBINE juice, mint, nectar, and soda.

3. POUR into 8 tall glasses filled with ice. Garnish each with lime slices.

NUTRITION (per serving) 97 cal, 0 g pro, 26 g carb, 1 g fiber, 0 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 35 mg sodium

Read more: http://www.prevention.com/food/cook/easter-menu-delicious-healthy-recipes-and-side-dishes#ixzz2LwPIlKg3


These recipes are healthy and very flavorful. Be sure to eat healthy this holiday season and feel good about your health. Thank you to Men'sHealth.com for their research. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting !

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team

Fun Ways To Strengthen The Heart

On Valentines Day, you see nothing but hearts everywhere. We always see and talk about the heart year round. In a month that celebrates the heart, lets do something different. Why not find fun ways to make it strong? Here are some ways you can do just that.

Swing By the Candy Store

        You may be able to significantly lower your blood pressure with nothing more than a daily dose of dark chocolate. In a 2008 Italian study, people who had both prediabetes and high blood pressure managed to do just that by eating 3 1/2 ounces of dark chocolate each day for 15 days. They lowered their systolic BP (the upper number) by 4.5 points and their diastolic (the lower number) by 4.2 points, thanks to the flavonoids—antioxidant compounds—found in dark chocolate. A sustained improvement of that extent could lower your risk of cardiovascular problems by 20 percent over 5 years.

But you need to eat the right type of chocolate. Darker chocolate contains more antioxidants and less of the sugar that may counteract chocolate's beneficial effects, according to research from Yale. Choose dark chocolate with a minimum of 65 percent cacao, such as Ghirardelli's Intense Dark 72% Cacao Twilight Delight Bar ($4, ghirardelli.co

Take Her To Bed

        Keep your blood flowing by hopping into the sack two or more times a week. Men who do are 65 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, compared with those who have sex less than once a month on average, according to a recent New England Research Institute study. In a 2006 study at the University of Paisley, Scotland, people who had sex at least once over a 2-week period had lower blood pressure than those who engaged in no sexual activity, and their blood vessels responded better to stress.

But going solo won't help you out. While researchers are still examining why vaginal intercourse is so much better than other kinds of stimulation, they believe it has to do with the intimacy. Oxytocin, a hormone associated with intimacy and reduced stress, is released during sex and particularly during orgasm. Intercourse may be more intimate than other kinds of fooling around, which may lead to a more effective release of oxytocin, says Stuart Brody, Ph.D., the study's author.

Sex can also be a great workout, burning up to 60 calories per half hour in bed. Raise the calorie burn with vigorous sex: Show her menshealth.com/sexpositionmaster, and add more athletic positions to your repertoire.

Crank the Tunes

        Music is a perfect tool for loosening your arteries. Listening to 30 minutes a day of "rhythmically homogeneous" music (that is, anything with a steady beat), combined with breathing exercises, can lower your systolic blood pressure by more than 4 points after 3 months, according to a 2008 Italian study. Breathing in and out with an inhale/exhale ratio of 1 to 2 while listening to slow, steady music relaxes your vessels, says Randall Zusman, M.D., director of the hypertension division at the Massachusetts General Hospital heart center.

The key is to cue up the right type of music, says Michael Miller, M.D., who coauthored a different music study in 2008. That study found that when people relaxed and breathed steadily while listening to music they found pleasurable—whether it was Mozart or Maroon 5—the linings of their blood vessels dilated by 26 percent. Those who listened to music that made them anxious experienced a 6 percent narrowing of their blood vessels. It's your emotional connection with the music that may be key to a lower BP, Dr. Miller says.

Fire Up the Game Console

        Pumping 23,000 rounds of ammo into space aliens should do wonders for your stress and, by extension, your blood pressure. But sorry, you need to stand up from the couch to make video games count. The American Heart Association officially stamped its seal of approval on

Nintendo's motion-sensor-based Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort games in May, recommending them as legitimate ways to stay active.

Timothy Church, M.D., chairman of the American Heart Association's physical activity committee, says playing certain Wii activities, such as boxing and jogging, is as good as hitting the gym—as long as you're playing with at least moderate intensity for a minimum of 150 minutes a week. This can lower your systolic blood pressure by 2 to 5 points. "Some of the activities in Wii Fit can qualify as your 30 minutes a day of physical activity," he says. "You'll be sweating buckets."

Toast Your Health

        Danish researchers who analyzed data from 75,000 men found that those who had two drinks a day were 31 percent less likely to develop coronary heart disease. That's because alcohol, in modest amounts, makes your arteries larger and more pliable, which in turn lowers your blood pressure.

But don't have more than two drinks—doing so will raise your blood pressure. Scientists still don't understand why, but Dr. Zusman thinks it could be related to alcohol's adverse effect on other blood-pressure-regulating pathways. Limit your daily intake to two 12-ounce beers, two 5-ounce glasses of wine, or two 1.5-ounce drinks of liquor.

Laugh It Up

        Whether you're ROFLing or just LOLing, you're doing your arteries good. Laughing at a funny movie causes blood vessels to dilate by 22 percent, according to a 2006 study from the University of Maryland. The physical act of laughing causes the tissue forming the inner lining of your blood vessels to expand, allowing for an increase in bloodflow and reducing blood pressure, says Dr. Miller. "The magnitude of change is similar to the benefit you might see with aerobic activity, but without the aches and pains," he says.

You should be laughing at least 15 minutes a day to benefit from this link. And tepid, forced chuckles won't do it—to maximize the blood-pressure effect, you should be doing full, real belly laughs. So if Internet humor isn't doing it for you, crack open your high school yearbook. That's usually good for a laugh

Ticker Tracker: Home Edition

        Blood-pressure readings taken at home can better predict cardiovascular risk than ones taken at a doctor's office, reports a Finnish study released in April. Blame "white-coat hypertension" and harried office staff, who tend to slap on a cuff quickly and don't wait the recommended 5 to 10 minutes for patients' pressures to stabilize, says Patrick Skerrett, editor of the Harvard Heart Letter. Follow our tips to ensure accuracy.

Check Early
Your blood pressure should drop at night and rise throughout the day. If it doesn't, you may have morning hypertension—a risk factor linked to strokes. So check yours right before you go to bed, and first thing in the morning—but before coffee, which can raise your BP, says Skerrett.

Take Notes
Don't just log your numbers; include the time of day and any activity up to 30 minutes prior to your reading. This can help your doctor explain anomalies, says Skerrett. Look for the American Heart Association's downloadable blood-pressure tracker at heart.org/hbp.

Don't Obsess
"Some doctors avoid recommending home monitoring because people can go crazy," says Skerrett. Stick to twice a day a few times a week. Don't worry about spikes—only trends matter. Try the Omron HEM-780. It will average your last three readings for you

These are some fun ways to make the heart stronger and have a little fun while doing so. Thank you to Men'sHealth.com for their research. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting !

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team

How To Have A Heart Healthy Lifestyle

See this sign. Signs are amazing. Sometimes, we pay more attention to physical signs than what signs are going on around us. So, a sign like this might get your attention. Change is needed so you can have a heart healthy lifestyle. These ideas that you use can assist you in living a longer life. Here are  ways you can promote your heart health.

1. Don't smoke or use tobacco

Smoking or using tobacco is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease. Chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels, leading to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis can ultimately lead to a heart attack. When it comes to heart disease prevention, no amount of smoking is safe. Smokeless tobacco and low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes also are risky, as is exposure to secondhand smoke.

In addition, the nicotine in cigarette smoke makes your heart work harder by narrowing your blood vessels and increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke replaces some of the oxygen in your blood. This increases your blood pressure by forcing your heart to work harder to supply enough oxygen. Even so-called "social smoking" — smoking only while at a bar or restaurant with friends — is dangerous and increases the risk of heart disease.

Women who smoke and take birth control pills are at greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke than are those who don't do either. This risk increases with age, especially in women older than 35.

The good news, though, is that when you quit smoking, your risk of heart disease drops dramatically within just one year. And no matter how long or how much you smoked, you'll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit.

2. Exercise for 30 minutes on most days of the week

Getting some regular, daily exercise can reduce your risk of fatal heart disease. And when you combine physical activity with other lifestyle measures, such as maintaining a healthy weight, the payoff is even greater.

Physical activity helps you control your weight and can reduce your chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on your heart, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. It also reduces stress, which may be a factor in heart disease.

Try getting at least 30 to 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity most days of the week. However, even shorter amounts of exercise offer heart benefits, so if you can't meet those guidelines, don't give up. You can even break up your workout time into 10-minute sessions.

And remember that activities such as gardening, housekeeping, taking the stairs and walking the dog all count toward your total. You don't have to exercise strenuously to achieve benefits, but you can see bigger benefits by increasing the intensity, duration and frequency of your workouts.

 

3. Eat a heart-healthy diet

Eating a special diet called the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan can help protect your heart. Following the DASH diet means eating foods that are low in fat, cholesterol and salt. The diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, which can help protect your heart. Beans, other low-fat sources of protein and certain types of fish also can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Limiting certain fats you eat also is important. Of the types of fat — saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fat — saturated fat and trans fat increase the risk of coronary artery disease by raising blood cholesterol levels.

Major sources of saturated fat include:

• Red meat
• Dairy products
• Coconut and palm oils

Sources of trans fat include:

• Deep-fried fast foods
• Bakery products
• Packaged snack foods
• Margarines
• Crackers

Look at the label for the term "partially hydrogenated" to avoid trans fat.
Heart-healthy eating isn't all about cutting back, though. Most people need to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet — with a goal of five to 10 servings a day. Eating that many fruits and vegetables can not only help prevent heart disease, but also may help prevent cancer.
Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat, may decrease your risk of heart attack, protect against irregular heartbeats and lower blood pressure. Some fish, such as salmon and mackerel, are a good natural source of omega-3s. Omega-3s are present in smaller amounts in flaxseed oil, walnut oil, soybean oil and canola oil, and they can also be found in supplements.
Following a heart-healthy diet also means drinking alcohol only in moderation — no more than two drinks a day for men, and one a day for women. At that moderate level, alcohol can have a protective effect on your heart. More than that becomes a health hazard.

4. Maintain a healthy weight

As you put on weight in adulthood, your weight gain is mostly fat rather than muscle. This excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
One way to see if your weight is healthy is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which considers your height and weight in determining whether you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat. BMI numbers 25 and higher are associated with higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
The BMI is a good, but imperfect guide. Muscle weighs more than fat, for instance, and women and men who are very muscular and physically fit can have high BMIs without added health risks. Because of that, waist circumference also is a useful tool to measure how much abdominal fat you have:

• Men are considered overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (101.6 centimeters, or cm)
• Women are overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (88.9 cm)

Even a small weight loss can be beneficial. Reducing your weight by just 10 percent can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level and reduce your risk of diabetes.

5. Get regular health screenings

High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage your heart and blood vessels. But without testing for them, you probably won't know whether you have these conditions. Regular screening can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action.

• Blood pressure. Regular blood pressure screenings start in childhood. Adults should have their blood pressure checked at least every two years. You may need more-frequent checks if your numbers aren't ideal or if you have other risk factors for heart disease. Optimal blood pressure is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury.
• Cholesterol levels. Adults should have their cholesterol measured at least once every five years starting at age 20. You may need more frequent testing if your numbers aren't optimal or if you have other risk factors for heart disease. Some children may need their blood cholesterol tested if they have a strong family history of heart disease.
• Diabetes screening. Since diabetes is a risk factor for developing heart disease, you may want to consider being screened for diabetes. Talk to your doctor about when you should have a fasting blood sugar test to check for diabetes. Depending on your risk factors, such as being overweight or a family history of diabetes, your doctor may recommend first testing you for diabetes sometime between ages 30 and 45, and then retesting every three to five years.

These are real important tips to follow so you can develop a heart healthy lifestyle and enjoy longevity in your future. We thank the Mayo Clinic website for this invaluable information to use.If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting !

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team