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Four Keys To A Healthy
Heart
By
Kathi Casey |
 February
is American Heart month and while the stores are full of
heart shaped balloons and red candy boxes filled with
chocolates, no one is talking about the number one killer of
both men and women in the United States – Heart Disease.
Yes, Valentines Day is the most romantic holiday of the year
and I enjoy receiving flowers and dark chocolate (my
weakness) as much as the next Baby Boomer Gal.
1. First and foremost, find your funny bone. Sustained
laughter has been proven to reduce blood pressure, give our
immune system a boost and lower the levels of stress
hormones coursing through our bodies. It’s been estimated
that as children we laughed about 70% of the time, but as
adults, that drops down to a mere 7%. There are many options
for bringing more laughter in our lives. Comedy Central is
non-stop comedy all day long. Robin Williams, Bill Cosby and
other comedians have videos and CD’s that can be purchased
on line or at the big chain stores.
Laughter clubs are springing up all over the United States
and many are led by therapists trained in coping with grief
through laughter – a new but innovative process that works
much better than other conventional therapies. There is
Laughter Yoga and my specialty – Laughing Meditation. All
are good options for re-discovering your youthful laugh. I
recommend laughing for at least ten minutes a day to begin
with. As time goes on and you’re enjoying all those
endorphins released as you laugh, you’ll just naturally find
more to laugh at. Let’s get our Boomer Generation back to
laughing like children.
2. Chronic Stress is a big problem in today’s society and,
according to Dr. Oz, can make our bodies appear 30 years
older than we are. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather
feel 30 years younger, not older. Fortunately, there are
many simple techniques like guided meditation, moderate
exercise and deep breathing techniques that can help reduce
the level of stress hormones coursing through our bodies.
Meditation can be as simple as sitting quietly and counting
your breath backward from 26.
Inhale deeply and think 26, then, exhale slowly and think
26. Repeat with 25 and so on back to 0. Continue this for 10
minutes. If you’d prefer listening to a guided relaxation
CD, there are plenty of good choices and most big chains
will let you listen to a track or two before you purchase so
that you can pick one that you like.
3. “Peanuts! Get your Peanuts, here!” Remember when the
vendor at the baseball game used to come around the aisles
peddling his small packages of nuts – some still warm? Mmmm,
nothing tasted better. Well, it turns out that nuts are good
for us. Several studies have shown that choosing a handful
(one ounce) of nuts a day for a mid afternoon snack can
decrease your risk of heart disease between 30 and 60%. I
like those numbers. The best nuts are those highest in
Omega-3 fatty acids like walnuts, but all nuts are good for
you, even peanuts.
4. Sleeping Beauty had the right idea. Maybe she, like many
of us Baby Boomers, was overworked, under-appreciated,
simply exhausted and on the verge of having a stroke so she
climbed in bed to catch up on much needed sleep. When our
body doesn’t get enough sleep, our arteries age quicker and
our brains hold back the pleasure hormone, serotonin. That
explains why we’re so grumpy after a sleepless night. Most
people need six to eight hours of sleep a night. You know
your body well enough to get the right amount. For me, if I
don’t get 7 hours a night, I turn into a grizzly bear. Our
arteries and hearts need the sleep so if you suffer from
insomnia, don’t eat or drink alcohol for at least two hours
before bed and start a gratitude journal. When you take five
minutes to stop and think about what you’re grateful for
before sleep, your body releases endorphins, you feel
better, your mind is calmer and it’s easier to drop off. You
can also listen to a guided meditation or relaxing music
before bed. Have a healthy day! |
About The Author
For more information on this and other Baby Boomer Health
topics,
check out www. HealthyBoomerBody.com.
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