Open Heart Surgery Survivor

News you can use 🙂

Surviving the impact of Open-Heart Surgery is an experience that I continue to celebrate. Today I celebrate 29 years since that surgery so many years ago. Why is it important to me? Well, if you click this link to the Women Heart, website, you will be taken to a website which provides information of the things women should be aware of because we are often mis-diagnosed. Young Women….you can be a part of a growing group of knowledgeable women who understand the signals women experience and provide valuable support. The Women Heart website was not available when I was confronted with a heart problem. The heart problem I was diagnosed with was rare (Atrial Myxoma). Luckily (and I do mean it was luck) – my general doctor believed I needed to see a cardiologist. However, “luck” also happens to the “well-prepared”.

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Learn more by clicking the links below.
A website about Women and heart disease – Heart Sisters
Stay in Touchhttps://www.womenheart.org/subscribe/
Courage infohttps://www.womenheart.org/virtual-red-bag-of-courage/
Woman Heart TV YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtlZ2tLm8J4QScanzLrL1tQ

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Learn more at
Heart Sisters – “best blog on the web for women living with heart disease
https://myheartsisters.org/

The American Heart Association has some interesting topics at the link below. The role of Pets, Diet and more. When you find a moment take a look.
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-bond-for-life-pets/pets-as-coworkers

All the best to you in Wellness!

A Change of Pace for the Holidays

A personal note from me to you for December, 2023.

Some of my fondest and favorite memories are the ones where I shared a cup of tea in the evening with my Mother after coming home from work. I worked the late shift. Getting home from riding the subway around 11pm at night. My mother always was waiting up for me. As a young woman, I had no idea that she was making sure that I was in safely from my job as a telephone operator at the then A T & T Phone company on Canal Street in New York City. Imagine! That was 57 years ago.

And then, in the morning when my Mother fixed breakfast for her 5 children; we always had a pot of tea with our breakfast. My Dad was a coffee drinker.

My Mother passed away, suddenly almost 39 years ago. And to this day, each and every one of my siblings still finds comfort in having a cup of tea. It warms our spirits, makes us feel better, and connects us to a special time in our lives when things were not so complicated – yet.

Now, many years and many job and interests later, I find it comforting that as I evolved – now as a certified aromatherapist – Tea is still in my life. It’s intriguing how much it can make a difference in our well-being.

So, even though I usually tell you about the latest exercise class for senior citizens, best healthwise way to keep our minds intact, or at least active, for December – and just in time for the holidays, I am eager and happy to share this link to some very beneficial information about Tea – just for a change of pace. Tea is Home.

The Mountain Rose Herbs Blog is a wonderful way to learn about tea and guess what, you will have a choice of receiving free pdf tasting cards!
https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/topic/tea-herbal-drinks

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In addition, here’s something about immune support – just in time for the colder winter months:

https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/elderberry-mulled-cider-recipe-for-immune-support

I hope your holiday season will be happy and healthy, and filled with time making new memories that will warm your heart and mind. I will take time the rest of this month to savor the gift of family and friends and be happy I am still here to appreciate something good, like a cup of tea 🙂

Thanks for reading my blog. It gives me joy to bring a tip or two that just might help your well-being journey better.

Sincerely,
Judith

Look for me in January 2024
All the best in Wellness & Happy Holidays!

What is Healthy Aging?

Happy summer to all of you.  This time of year makes us more aware of our physical wellness.  We shed those winter garments to reveal bodies, which have had holiday fun and some sedentary behavior, along with sluggishness due to weather circumstances.
♥
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Taking a Time-Out from Exercise

I have to admit when I look at someone sitting in a hammock I immediately relax.  It’s a symbol for  instant gratification, reading a book, or daydreaming. It does not remind me of taking that 30 minute walk that I promised to do.  A few days ago, I listened to an orator who suggested that the 30 minute walk I take every day is an act of “self♥love”. That’s right.  He said, it takes a lot of ‘self♥love’ to exercise, when you really want to do something else. Many of us would not think about it that way.  Do you?

Let’s talk about what happens when you take a ‘time-out’ from exercise both for seniors and younger adults. I’m not referring to a day or two.  That might be OK, but if you do that for a few weeks, the consequences become much more pervasive.  Here are some of the benefits that exercising on a regular basis provides us with: works against Type 2 diabetes; heightened blood sugar; protects against heart disease; lowers “bad” (LDL) cholesterol.  As seniors, we are often reminded of these points by our doctors.  For younger people, it’s easier to reverse these issues.
♥ I try to get close to 10,000 steps a day. This includes a 30 minute walk, which is about 4,000 steps.   During the course of the rest of the day, I try to get 6,000 more steps or close to it by moving every chance I get.
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Stepping Seniors Formula for Best Walking

I am happy to report that finally there is a formula that can help us calculate our “brisk” walking exercise to give us the best health benefits!

Brisk” walking can now be calculated with a simple formula of  100 steps per minute!   For seniors it’s a good way to have in mind a way to calculate if our walking exercise will be beneficial.  For those of us 60 years of age or older, we may need to add more steps to this formula to satisfy the requirement, but this is a good start. And, of course, we can now go beyond 100 steps.  Presently, the federal guidelines advises 30 minutes of brisk walking.  That translates into 3,000 steps at the pace of 100 steps-per-minute. For those of you who want a more challenging exercise, you can try 130 steps per minute.

The study was conducted  by Catrine Tudor Locke, a professor of Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  You can read about the study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.  It turns out that walking is the most common form of exercise.  So, feel free to continue to use your feet to do just that.

Let’s keep moving seniors! 

Read details ⇒ Source: https://www.nytimes.com/section/well/move

 

 

Senior Citizen Fitness

I know that we have covered this topic over, and over again.  However, no matter where I search for information about senior citizen fitness, the list below is repeated. Below are just a few benefits :)…

Regular exercise improves the following:

  • Immune Function. A healthy, strong body fights off infection and sickness more easily and more quickly. Rather than sapping energy reserves entirely, recovery from an illness will take less of a toll on the body if the person exercises regularly.
  • Cardio-Respiratory and Cardiovascular Function. Frequent physical activity lowers the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. If the elderly person has hypertension, exercise will help lower their blood pressure.
  • Bone Density and Risk of Osteoporosis. Exercise protects against loss in bone mass. Better bone density will reduce the risk of osteoporosis, lower the risk of falling and prevent broken bones. Post-menopausal women can lose as much as 2 percent bone mass each year, and men also lose bone mass as they age. Research done at Tufts University shows that strength training can dramatically reduce this loss, help restore bones, and contribute to better balance and less fractures. Source: https://www.agingcare.com/Articles/Exercise-benefits-for-the-Elderly-95383.htm

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