My Oprah magazine has a great insert this month. It's all "The Best of Dr. Oz". I wanted to share some information. This week we focus on ways to Save Your Heart:1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep. That's per night, not week! One recent study found that the fewer hours of sleep adults get each night, the more likely they are to have calcium deposits in their arteries.
2. Know your blood pressure. Reducing your blood pressure to 115/76 can make your body up to ten years younger. Exercise, lose weight, reduce stress. The benefits from physical activity are just about instantaneous.
3. Avoid second hand smoke. An hour of passive smoke can cause the same amount of aging as having two to four cigarettes!
4. Walk 30 minutes every day. For every hour you exercise during your life, your longevity increases by two hours.
5. Eat fish 3 times a week. If you're not nuts about fish, an ounce of walnuts a day will give you a good dose of omega-3s, too.
6. Take half an aspirin daily. If you're over 40, Dr. Oz recommends half a 325 milligram tablet (or two baby aspirin), with half a glass of warm water both before and after you swallow so that you're less likely to irritate your stomach.
7. Live within your means. Feeling out of control financially can affect not only your sleep, but also your arterial health due to chronic stress.
8. Floss and Brush. Any chronic infection (including gingivitis) stimulates your body to protect against bleeding with an increase in clotting-a recipe for heart attack.
Commitments for the week of Feb 1-7:
Lori- walk 30 minutes and floss daily
Lisa- 2 f&v's per day and 2 workouts
Pam- 2 light cardios and 3 yogas
Shon- 4 f&v's daily and 3 workouts
Rachel- 3 workouts and eating less and better in the evenings
