Heart Healthy Diet

 
My grandparents were right all along...At Sunday dinner, we always had to eat a bowl of cooked greens (sometimes with some marinara sauce) prior to pasta and meats. Also, the meal ended with a big salad. Dessert? That was fruit that everyone shared. My grandfather made a big production (that we loved!) of peeling an apple with a single unbroken ribbon of skin. At summer's end we were treated with sun-warmed figs from the tree in the tiny garden of his Brooklyn, NY backyard. Mmmm!



See this New York Times article,
"Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke" (Feb. 26, 2013)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/health/mediterranean-diet-can-cut-heart-disease-study-finds.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp&

Love Your Heart

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Go RED!

Go RED today! ...and any day!

HEART DISEASE KILLS MORE WOMEN THAN ALL CANCERS COMBINED. Today is National Wear Red Day. Gals and Guys wear something RED to show your support of the fight against heart disease and take the pledge!

Everyone, please try...

Little did I know that the "Perfect Storm" I described in my last entry was a predictor of the real thing.  Oh, no, not about me personally.  The triathlon went very well.  I completed my second sprint triathlon in one year! I was happily greeted by my family at the Finish Line, and my son's girlfriend took a great picture of us.  Will I try this "tri" again? Maybe.  I think that it would be more fun to participate with family and friends in relay teams.  We're working on it...

Most attention right now is going to those on the East Coast who got hit hard by the true "perfect storm," Sandy.  Some we know and many we don't lost whole lives' worth of homes and household goods and memorabilia of family events.  We keep them in our thoughts and prayers; we send them physical resources through various organizations.  Please do the same, especially during this holiday season of giving.

Perfect Storm

A few days until the Tinfoilman Triathlon at the University of Arizona, and I feel only marginally prepared to undertake this challenge.  This summer was a difficult one to manage my health.  Nothing dramatic, thank goodness.  It's the inconsistency and unpredictability of my status that frustrates me at times.  No matter how carefully I plan my training schedule or take care of myself, there is rarely a week that passes without disruption.  I suppose I should embrace the suspense or at least develop a better sense of humor.

Right now, I am in a perfect storm.  This is a good thing.  Really, it is.  Everything is happening at once.  

I just completed the manuscript of my first book.  It is a nonfiction easy-read about this journey over the past ten years.  Now, I have the task of finding a literary agent who can sell this book to a publisher...

Of course, my online biology class is a constant companion of varied tasks.  The students provide all sorts of inspiration for persistence in attaining my goals!

I am hosting a special group of heart rehabilitation trainers and patients at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center's educational luncheon on heart disease in women, "The Heart of the Matter."  The work of the Women's Heart Health Education Committee is significant for the research on heart disease that is conducted right here in Tucson at the UofA.


The triathlon completes my "run" of events.  It's a bit of recreation.  I look forward to seeing my tri-friends from last year.  I hope to pass on their kindness to this years "newbies."

These past weeks have been a bit of a storm, but I could not imagine a more perfect one.

Tri Again

I am very excited!  The announcement came across my email and I jumped at the prospect of another challenge.  I registered to again participate in the 2012 Holualoa Tinfoilman Triathlon at the Universiy of Arizona in Tucson.  It will be held on Sunday, October 14^th.  Start time is 6:30 AM.  This year is extra-special.  I have someone joining me in this year’s race. It’s a secret – I promised not to tell!

My New Hero

This morning I am riding along the river wash. It is the usual route I take when I cycle. On this day, I do not have the mountain bike. Instead, I am testing new road bikes. Yes, I feel guilty about ditching an old friend. Is this how I reward loyalty? It's not permanent. I won't remand it to a corner in the garage, never allowing it to feel sunshine again...really...

I am very excited because my favorite bike shop, adjacent to the river path, is loaning me two different Canondale models! The first I try is a CAAD 10. What a dream! It really moves, taking the hill of the bridge with minimal effort. Oops!...careful on the downside! Coming up the path is a woman I have seen before. She is walking toward me with her usual gait of the tinest baby steps, ever so slowly. It's almost as though she is walking on eggshells. Maybe she is... I feel guilty. Here I am having one heck of a time tearing on this bicycle, even against a strong wind, and this woman is doing all she can to move the slightest of distance. I've seen her before. I don't know if she is recovering from a medical event or if she is staving off the effects of a disease process. What I do know is that she is persistent.

I head back to the bike shop and change out models for the Synapse. Out again, I see my lady friend still making her way toward my starting point. She is a very attractive woman, probably in her 60's, with beautifully coiffed short blonde hair, fashionable white sunglasses, and up-to-date sport attire in pink, black and white.

On my way back, she is doing side-step exercises in a very slow and very deliberate manner, carefully placing her foot with each move.  You can tell that this is part of her regular routine. It is consistent, and she is diligent.

 
The bikes are returned safely to the store manager and I retrieve my keys. As I head to my car, I see the woman approach her own. It is a sporty little convertible! I smile and wave and she does the same in return and recognition. What she does not know is that she is my new hero.