Vitamin D and Heart Health

I was watching The Today Show this morning and saw a segment on the connection between Vitamin D and Heart Health. Being that I have heart disease in my family, I wanted to do a bit more research.

Reuters reports that, "People with a deficiency in vitamin D may be at increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease, the authors of a new review of current research on vitamin D and cardiovascular health conclude."

Then, I read on a bit further..."Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to heart attack, heart failure, stroke, diabetes-related cardiovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease, the researchers report, adding that studies have also linked inadequate amounts of vitamin D to high blood pressure and diabetes." Yikes.

We all know that an ideal source for Vitamin D is the sun. As little as 20 minutes of sun exposure each day can help the average person boost their Vitamin D levels. However, not all of us live in climates in which we can get 20 minutes of sun every single day, and some of us have sun sensitivities or suffer/have suffered from skin cancer and avoid sun exposure.

Vitamin D supplementation is highly recommended. Even Reuters quotes Dr. John Lee of the Mid America Heart Institute and the University of Missouri in Kansas City ast stating, "vitamin D supplementation is simple, safe and inexpensive".

HERE IS YOUR "SIMPLE, SAFE AND INEXPENSIVE" ANSWER TO VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTS:


VitaMist Spray Vitamins offers the easiest way to get your daily dose of Vitamin D! Spray vitamins are easy to take, are readily absorbed by your body, and are a fantastic way to keep your heart healthy! Click here for more information or to buy your VitaMist Vitamin D Spray Vitamins today!

Please register in the upper right hand corner of this blog and I can send you FREE information about VitaMist and a FREE sample!

Break the Walking Boredom!

I have been walking quite a bit lately. I love walking, especially at this time of the year in So Cal when it is cooler througout most of the day. I don't have to wake up super early or wait until it is dark to walk in a reasonable temperature!

With all of that walking, however, I have been getting a bit bored...and not feeling that my walks have been as challenging as they could be. I probably need to add some jog intervals, but I am also trying to be kind to sports-damaged knees!

The other day I picked up some ankle weights at Target, this exact pair:


("2 lb. Wrist/Ankle Weights - Pair", $11.99 at www.Target.com)

Wow. What a fantastic difference! I could feel it about half way into the walk, once I hit some hills that I had some extra work to do to lift those feet! I definitely felt more challenged, and can still feel an additional tightness in my calves, my thighs...and...well...my buns, too!

I did have on yoga-style pants that I love to walk in. I say that as I feel a bit like if I were wearing shorts, it may have appeared that I was attempting to break free from house arrest! The ankle weights were a bit on the bulky side, and I could only imagine how they could look like house arrest ankle monitors...ummmm...not that I should know what those look like! :)

I have to say that I am really bummed that I did not get these, as they are adjustable and go up to 10 lbs! This is going on my holiday wish list:


("10 lb. Wrist/Ankle Weights - Pair" $44.99 at www.Target.com)

Speaking of holiday gift wishes, give the gift of health this holiday season! Here is a great gift idea for anyone who is focused on their health and wellness! Green tea has amazing health benefits, and Adagio teas has something perfect for the tea lovers in your life:




Click on images for more information or to purchase today!

Green Tea and its Health Benefits

I have admittedly never been much of a tea drinker. I have tried a wide variety of teas, and never quite connected with it. However, I think that my love affair with coffee got in the way, and I recently kicked a 20 year long addiction to Diet Coke. However, in my effort to improve my health, and cut back further on caffeine, I have been dabbling a bit in trying different green teas. After all, I have to be able to drink something a bit more interesting than...water!!! And, honestly, I am pleasantly surprised!



Why Green Tea? Well, according to Wikipedia, "over the last few decades green tea has been subjected to many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long-purported health benefits, with some evidence suggesting regular green tea drinkers may have lower chances of heart disease and developing certain types of cancer. The tea has also been useful for weight loss management."



Sounds like the perfect beverage for someone looking to improve their health, focus on heart health and potentially lose weight or manage their weight. Sounds like the perfect beverage for me!



Furthermore, according again to Wikipedia, there are many more extensive claims, not proven, but interesting to note:

* Stopping certain neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
* Treatment of cancer
* Treating multiple sclerosis
* Preventing the degradation of cell membranes by neutralizing the spread of free radicals which occur during oxidation process.
* Reducing the negative effects of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) by lowering levels of triglycerides and increasing the production of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).
* An increase in levels of the metabolism speeding brain chemical norepinephrine (noradrenaline).
* Japanese researchers claim that drinking five cups of green tea a day can burn 70 to 80 extra calories. Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a self-proclaimed anti-aging specialist, appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and told Oprah's viewers they can lose 10 lbs (4.5 kg) in 6 weeks drinking green tea instead of coffee.
* Some green tea lovers commonly restrict their intake because of the stimulants it contains — equivalent to about a third the amount of caffeine as is found in coffee.



I highly recommend trying the teas from Adagio, their green tea sampler is fantastic! I find that I can enjoy these teas hot or cold. In fact, I prefer their "Citron Green" that has a nice, crisp lemon/lime taste poured over ice. I recently took a water bottled filled with icy cold Citron Green tea and it was incredibly refreshing! Click on any of the images in this blog post to experience the wonders of green tea for yourself!