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Vacations with Seniority
You are retired. You are long on time and short on ideas of what to do. How about planning a vacation? For today's Boomers there are unlimited travel opportunities. Now is the time to take that vacation you dreamed of during those long days at the office while you were working.
Here are some resources to get your creative juices flowing:
CDC Press Briefing: Pandemic Flu Preparedness
CDC will hosted a press briefing on Thursday, February 1 at 2 pm, ET to
announce the release of two new initiatives designed to advance the nation's
pandemic influenza preparedness efforts: 1) new PSAs designed to encourage
people to learn more about pandemic flu and 2) new CDC guidelines for
implementing public health measures and actions in response to a pandemic
(i.e. non-pharmaceutical actions such as dismissing students from school,
voluntary isolate of ill people, and social distancing measures like
teleworking). For the first time, the new CDC guidelines illustrate how
public health recommendations should or may vary depending on the projected
severity of a pandemic. Members of the public may access the listen-only audio Web cast or visit the CDC Web site following the teleconference for a
full transcript. For more information visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/2007/a070201.htm
Take Charge Tips
Heart Health
Eat Healthy - The Return of Shellfish
It wasn’t long ago that eating shellfish was considered a serious taboo when it came to managing and preventing heart disease. Shellfish were high on the list of foods to avoid. Why? Cholesterol was the offending substance and it was decided that shellfish contained too much.
It is true that people who have high levels of blood cholesterol, are also more likely to develop heart disease. It might seem logical that one good way to prevent raising our blood cholesterol, and decrease our risk of heart disease, is to avoid eating foods high in cholesterol.
Scientists have learned much more about the relationship between cholesterol, fat, and blood levels of cholesterol. They now know that eating cholesterol does not directly translate into higher blood cholesterol levels. It turns out that the amount of saturated fat we eat has more influence on blood cholesterol, and risk of heart disease, than the amount of cholesterol eaten from foods.
How does that change the guidelines for eating shellfish? Foods in this category are actually low in total fat and saturated fat, in spite of being relatively high in cholesterol. From the chart below you can see that shellfish have less total fat and saturated fat compared to other meats.
Food (3 ounces, cooked) |
Calories |
Total Fat
(grams) |
Saturated
(grams) |
| Shrimp |
84 |
1 |
0 |
| Crab |
94 |
1 |
0 |
| Lobster |
83 |
1 |
0 |
| Chicken (white, no skin) |
140 |
3 |
1 |
| Pork chop, boneless, trimmed of fat |
184 |
9 |
3 |
| Ground beef, 80% lean |
216 |
14 |
5 |
| Adapted from Reichenberger McIndoo, H. Welcome Back Shellfish. Today's Diet&Nutrition, January/February 2006, p. 31-33. |
So, go ahead and enjoy shellfish. These foods can easily be included as a serving of lean fish and part of the recommended 6-9 ounces of fish, meat or poultry per day. Like all other heart healthy foods, it also recommended that the shellfish be prepared with low fat cooking methods and served with other heart healthy foods.
Be Active - Aim for 30 Minutes Everyday
What can physical activity do for you? Physical activity is one of the major modifiable risk factors for lowering your risk of a heart attack.
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week. Examples of moderate physical activities include brisk walking, line dancing, biking, swimming, gardening, and doing chair exercises.
If you are just getting started, begin with what you are doing comfortably and work up from there. If are concerned that you may hurt hurtself, do check with your doctor to be sure it is OK for you to exercise. Also, remember that, not exercising is a greater risk than exercising.
Are you too old to begin an exercise program? Never! By taking a few precautions, you can begin today.
- If you have a family history of heart disease, check with your doctor first.
- Don't try to do too much too fast.
- Exercise at an intensity appropriate for you.
- Pick activities that are fun, that suit your needs and that you can do year-round.
- Wear comfortable clothing and footwear.
- Choose a well-lighted, safe place with a smooth, soft surface. Take more time to warm up and cool down before and after your workout. Stretch slowly.
- Don't rely on your sense of thirst; drink water on a fixed schedule.
Suggestions for activities
Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health: Questions and Answers
Get Checked - Lipid Profiles
During American Heart Month, you will likely hear much about having your lipid profile checked. Are you confused by the names of these tests and what they mean? Take a minute to read and learn more about they mean.
It is common for your doctor to order a lipid profile to assess your risk of coronary heart disease.These tests can provide clues about your risk of having a heart attack caused by blockage of artery walls. A lipid profile is a group of blood tests that measure the amount of choelsterol and fat in you blood.
Fats are transported through the blood by way of lipoproteins. A lipid profile includes measures of different lipoproteins and other levels of fats in your blood.
Total cholesterol – the total amount of cholesterol in your blood
HDL-cholesterol – HDL are lipoproteins with the least amount of fat; “good cholesterol” – higher levels of HDL are desired
LDL-cholesterol - LDL are lipoproteins with the highest amount of fat; “bad cholesterol” – lower levels of LDL are desired
Triglycerides – circulating form of fat; diets high in carbohydrate may lead to high triglyceride level
HDL/total cholesterol ratio – risk for heart disease increases as this number rises.
For more information, visit: Lab Tests Online
Be Smoke Free
Smoking is a major cause of atherosclerosis - a build-up of fatty substances in the arteries.
A person’s risk of heart attack greatly increases with the number of cigarettes he or she smokes.
Smoking causes:
- Decreased oxygen to the heart and to other tissues in the body
- Decreased HDL (good) cholesterol
- Increased blood pressure and heart rate
- Increased risk of developing coronary artery disease and heart attack
- Increased risk of developing peripheral artery disease and stroke
- Increased risk of recurrent coronary artery disease after bypass surgery
- Damage to cells that line coronary arteries and other blood vessels
Be Smoke Free to decrease your chance of a heart attack.
Be Positive - Manage Stress
Some studies show a relationship between stress and coronary heart disease risk. The exact connection has not be determined, but because stress is associated with heart disease is is considered a contributing factor.
If your life is full of stress, it can be hard to lead a healthy lifestyle. Instead of being physically active to relieve stress, some people respond by overeating, eating unhealthy foods, consuming too much alcohol or smoking – reactions that can increase the risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
Responding to stress with anger can also be harmful, since it sets off a series of physiological changes including increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure levels that can increase your chance of having a heart attack. And, people who are prone to anger are also more likely to turn to unhealthy behaviors like smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and overeating.
By managing stress with healthy habits, you can decrease your risk of heart disease. Below are some tips.
Tips:
- Identify the source of your stress. Figure out what is really bothering you – it’s the first step in managing your stress.
- Be physically active. It can be a great stress-buster and boost your heart health too! Be sure to talk to your physician before starting any activity program. Share your feelings. Talking to friends, family or coworkers can help you feel better. Take time for yourself. In trying to meet everyone else’s needs, don’t short-change yourself. Make time for yourself.
- Make time to laugh. It’s your body’s natural stress-release mechanism.
- Eat well. Don’t skip lunch, and leave the office to eat if you can.
- Don’t skip vacations. Getting away from it all is important to your mental and physical health.
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