Mmmm Coffee!

When I first started the opening shift (6 am) my biggest concern was how to get my morning coffee! Except for a local franchise which I suspect is open 24 hours and is 3 blocks from work, nothing opened until 8 am.  And, I love my coffee and I didn’t want to wait until 8 a.m. for a coffee that was just “ok”, so I began bringing it to work with the added benefit that it saves me money!  I buy a locally roasted, fair-trade, organic coffee, dark roast. Actually, I’m sipping a cup now. Ahhhh. It is worth every cent.

I drink 2 cups in the morning and seldom any after noon.  I say seldom because on those rare times I get a headache, I found coffee actually helps!  It turns out that caffeine is in many over-the-counter pain medications.  According to a Webmd.com article on headache and coffee, caffeine makes pain relievers more effective in relieving headaches and brings faster relief.  http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/triggers-caffeine

Coffee is really popular if the number of coffee shops that have sprung up over recent years is any indication.  For us coffee drinkers, more good news! According to a recent study released May 16, 2012 by the National Institutes of Health, “older adults who drank coffee had a lower risk of death overall than those who did not drink coffee.” The study, which went on for over 10 years, was adjusted for other risk factors such as smoking and drinking alcohol.  It goes on to elaborate that “coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections, although the association was not seen for cancer.”  http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2012/nci-16.htm

So, I can relax and enjoy my morning coffee, no sugar, no cream, just a little skim milk. It is a low calorie pleasure, as long as no cream or sugar is added.  For me, there is nothing better than that first cup in the morning. Unless I was drinking it at a campsite by Pancake Bay.

-Sheri

Do You Know the Symptoms of a Heart Attack?

Have you ever wondered how you could tell if someone you love is having a heart attack?  Are the symptoms different for men and women or are they the same?   Well, here are some symptoms to look for:

Chest pain – This discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest lasting more than a few minutes. This discomfort may come and go.

Upper body pain – Pain or discomfort may spread beyond your chest to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw. You may have upper body pain with no chest discomfort.

Stomach pain – Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn.

Shortness of breath – You may pant for breath or try to take in deep breaths. This often occurs before you develop chest discomfort or you may not experience any chest discomfort.

Anxiety – You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you’re having a panic attack for no apparent reason.

Lightheadedness – In addition to chest pressure, you may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.

Sweating – You may suddenly break into a sweat with cold, clammy skin.

Nausea or vomiting – You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.

If any of the above symptoms occur and last for 5 minutes, go to the hospital for treatment.

Are there differences in symptoms between men and women?  Sometimes.  “Although men and women can experience chest pressure that feels like an elephant sitting across the chest, women can experience a heart attack without chest pressure,” according to Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director for the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at NYU’s Langone Medical Center and an American Heart Association volunteer.  “Instead they may experience shortness of breath, pressure or pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting, upper back pressure or extreme fatigue.”

If you have had a heart attack and would like to know how you can prevent another one, the YWCA offers a HeartBeat program at the Ottawa Street location.  To find out how this program can help you, call 905-522-9922 ext 226 or check out the HeartBeat program at www.ywcahamilton.org under Programs and Services.

For more information on heart attacks visit:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-attack-symptoms/HB00054

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/WarningSignsofaHeartAttack/Heart-Attack-Symptoms-in-Women_UCM_436448_Article.jsp

http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.2796497/k.BF8B/Home.htm

Woman Alive!

A FREE Physical activity program for woman facing barriers to participation, it starts here @the YWCA in 2002, the success of the program has seen its growth to numerous sites across the city of Hamilton.

The FREE 10 week’s program consists of three 1 – hour physical activity session per week, including activities such as group fitness, aqua-fitness, yoga and more….. The program provides the participants with 3 healthy sessions with different healthy topics such as healthy eating, stress management, staying active and more…..

Woman Alive! Program supports women in understanding the importance of their own health and in developing strategies and skills for improvement and provides them an active, safe, enjoyable and comfortable environment.

Woman Alive! Program provides the participants with Free child minding, free gently used running shoes, healthy snacks, prizes and healthy talks.

Our next Woman Alive! Session for the spring will be:

Registration & Orientation: April 17^th,2012

Program runs Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, 10:30-11:30am

For more information please call Rana Aldibs @ 905-522-9922 ext.118

B-Vitamins

Thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folate, B6 and B12. These are some of the important B-vitamins that work to make red blood cells, form your genetic blueprint, keep your nervous system healthy and even help your body use energy from food. You can get all of your B-vitamins by eating a variety of foods from Canada’s Food Guide. B-vitamins are found in all four food groups.

Information About Vitamin B12

• You need vitamin B12 to form DNA, make healthy blood cells and keep nerves working properly.
• Low levels of vitamin B12 can cause pernicious anemia. Vegetarians who eat no animal products and the elderly who absorb less vitamin B12 are most at risk.
• Vitamin B12 is found only in animal foods and fortified foods. People who avoid all animal products should look for meat alternatives, such as soy products fortified with vitamin B12.
• Ten to thirty percent of older people may not absorb vitamin B12 well. Health Canada advises adults over 50 years to consume foods fortified with vitamin B12 or a supplement containing vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 Content of Some Common Foods

The best sources of vitamin B12 include: eggs, milk, cheese, milk products, meat, fish, shellfish and poultry. Some soy and rice beverages as well as soy-based meat substitutes are fortified with vitamin B12. To see if a product contains vitamin B12 check the Nutrition Facts on the food label.

How Much Vitamin B12 Should I Aim For?

Age in years	Aim for an intake of micrograms	Stay below (mcg)/day
Men and Women 19 and older	2.4	An upper limit for vitamin B12 has not been established.
Pregnant Women 19 and older	2.6
Breastfeeding Women 19 and older	2.8

The following table shows you which foods are sources of vitamin B12.

Food	Serving size	Vitamin B12 (mcg)
Vegetables and Fruit	This food group contains very little of this nutrient.
Grain Products	This food group contains very little of this nutrient.
Milk and Alternatives
Milk
Skim	250 mL (1 cup)	1.4
3.3% homo, 2%, 1%	250 mL (1 cup)	1.1 – 1.2
Buttermilk	250 mL (1 cup)	1.0
Chocolate milk	250 mL (1 cup)	1.0
Cheese
Cottage cheese	250 mL (1 cup)	1.5-1.7
Swiss/emmental	50 g (1 ½ oz)	1.7
Feta, gouda, edam, gruyere, brie, cheddar, fontina	50 g (1 ½ oz)	0.8-0.9
Yogurt
Yogurt beverage	200 mL	1.3
Plain (regular, low fat)	175 g (¾ cup)	0.8-1.0
Fruit bottom (regular, low fat)	175 g (¾ cup)	0.8-0.9
Chocolate, non-fat	175 g (¾ cup)	0.9
Milk Alternatives
Almond or oat beverage, fortified	250 mL (1 cup)	1.1
Soy or rice beverage, fortified	250 mL (1 cup)	1.0
Meat and Alternatives
Organ Meat
Liver (lamb, veal), cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	54.4-64.3
Kidney, lamb, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	59.2
Liver, beef, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	52.9
Liver, turkey, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	43.7
Kidney, veal, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	27.7
Giblets, turkey, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	24.9
Kidney, beef, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	18.7
Liver, chicken, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	15.9
Liver, pork, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	14.0
Pate (goose liver, chicken liver)	75 g (2 ½ oz)	6.1-7.1
Poultry
Turkey, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	0.3
Duck, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	0.3
Chicken, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	0.2-0.3
Beef
Ground, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	2.4-2.7
Various cuts, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	1.3-2.5
Pork
Various cuts, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	0.8-1.1
Ground, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	0.8-0.9
Ham, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	0.7
Bacon, strips, cooked	3 slices (24 g)	0.3-0.4
Miscellaneous
Caribou/reindeer, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	5.0
Salami, beef and pork	75 g (2 ½ oz) or 3 slices	2.0-2.7
Sausage (pepperoni, chorizo, Polish, Italian, frankfurter)	75 g (2 ½ oz)	1.0-1.9
Deli meat, turkey breast	75 g (2 ½ oz) or 3 slices	1.5
Deli meat, pastrami	75 g (2 ½ oz) or 3 slices	1.3
Deli Meat (mortadella, bologna)	75 g (2 ½ oz) or 3 slices	0.9-1.1
Wiener/hot dog	1 wiener (45 g)	0.8
Fish and Seafood
Clams, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	74.7
Oysters, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	18.2 -26.3
Mussels, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	18.0
Caviar, black and red	75 g (2 ½ oz)	15
Mackerel (King, Atlantic), cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	13.5-14.3
Herring, Atlantic, kippered	75 g (2 ½ oz)	14.0
Herring, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	7.2-9.9
Roe, raw	75 g (2 ½ oz)	9.0
Crab, Alaska King, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	8.6
Tuna, bluefin, raw or cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	7.9-8.2
Sardines, canned in oil or tomato sauce	75 g (2 ½ oz)	6.8
Trout, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	3.7-5.6
Salmon, red/sockeye, raw or cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	3.8-4.4
Salmon, pink/humpback, with bones, canned	75 g (2 ½ oz)	3.7
Salmon, Atlantic, wild, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	2.3
Tuna, light, canned in water	75 g (2 ½ oz)	2.2
Meat Alternatives
Meatless, chicken, breaded, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	3.8
Meatless, fish sticks, cooked	75 g (2 ½ oz)	3.2
Meatless, luncheon slices	75 g (2 ½ oz)	3.0
Meatless, wiener/frankfurter	75 g (2 ½ oz)	1.8
Soy burger	75 g (2 ½ oz)	1.8
Egg, cooked	2 large	1.1-1.3
Other
Red Star T6635+ Yeast (Vegetarian Support Formula)	2 grams (1 tsp powder or 2 tsp flaked)	1.0

How Exercise Can Help Improve Cholesterol

Do you have high cholesterol?  I do.  But do you know that exercise is one way to help you lower that bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol?
According to Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness “doing aerobic exercise along with diet changes can prevent or decrease a drop in HDLs.
Exercise alone works to a degree, too. The biggest effect of exercise on improving cholesterol levels is boosting HDLs and lowering triglycerides. But to give HDL levels a good boost above the baseline, exercise must be regular and expend enough energy to burn at least 800 to 1,200 calories per week. Any aerobic exercise—from walking and running to swimming and cycling—counts. Walking at three miles in an hour burns about 300 calories, on average. To meet the threshold then, a person needs to walk around eight to 12 miles a week, or do some other aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes on six or more days per week.
As far as triglycerides go, exercise can reduce them by around 15 percent to 25 percent. There appears to be a similar threshold of regular exercise required to trigger the effect—expending at least 1,200 calories a week, with up to 2,500 to 3,000 calories a week recommended.”
What kinds of exercise can you do to improve your cholesterol levels?  Well, any kind, really.  Going for a walk or bike ride during the summer, skiing in the winter, swimming, attending Aqua Fit, Zumba, or Boot Camp, these are all great ways to get your heart pumping and your cholesterol levels moving in the right direction.

Why not check out a gym in your area to see what they have to offer?  A tour is free and you might see something you like.

A great place to start is your doctor’s office.  They can recommend types of exercise that you can do to ensure your heart is healthy for a long time.

But, when it comes to high cholesterol, what you eat is very important too.  Make sure you seek help from your doctor or dietician on what types of food can lower your cholesterol as well.

Together, the right food and exercise can ensure a healthier heart.

Keep moving!

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/cholesterol/good-cholesterol-bad-cholesterol

posted by Jen