Go Red For Women: Building Awareness to Reduce Risk of Heart Disease in Women

The American Heart Association (AHA) has declared 02.04.11 as National Wear Red Day to help in their campaign to build awareness and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in women. 

Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of women. But did you know more women die of cardiovascular disease and stroke than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer? Did you also know that 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease, which if controlled could reduce their risk?

[Source: Ralph L. Sacco, MD, MS, FAHA, FAAN, President, AHA]

It's personal for me. Not only do I have a genetic blood clotting disorder called Factor V Leiden,  causing my blood to have the propensity to clot which only increases with age, my paternal grandmother, for whom I was very close to, died at a very young age due to complications occurring after open heart surgery. She was only 58. I have come to find out that heart disease and stroke has afflicted many of the women and men in my family- most likely the No. 1 killer of the women in my family.


That's why it has become one of my missions in life to help spread awareness of heart disease and stroke, and to help fund research that fuels the development of treatments and recommendations to prevent heart disease and stroke, as well as medications and surgical innovations for my family and the countless other families out there suffering from this highly preventable disease.  It's also one of the reasons I started Joy of Fitness- to help women and children live active, healthy lifestyles, one of the major ways of preventing heart disease and stroke.


For the second year in a row, I have decided to join the ranks of thousands of individuals, organizations, businesses and schools across the U.S. to help the AHA help women!  I fully support and love what the AHA is doing to spread the word about heart disease and stroke as well as raise and fund cardiovascular research. In the past, AHA-funded research has contributed to such lifesaving discoveries as CPR, pacemakers, bypass surgery, artificial heart valves and microsurgery.


I encourage you to join me in leaving a legacy of health and wellness for our mothers and daughters, our sisters and grandmothers, our best friends, colleagues and women everywhere.

Ways to Go Red:

• Get active. Stay active. Enjoy active. There are so many ways in this busy world we live in to eat healthy and exercise. You just need to make it a priority, a part of the routine, so it becomes a habit not a chore. See 10 Ways to Love Your Heart below.

• Help spread the word by talking with your families. Find out your family medical history, write it down and keep it safe for future generations. Print out and use the AHA Medical Family History Tree template on the home page of this blog at your next doctor's visit.

• Get an annual physical. Here's why: Let's Get a Physical, Physical.  Print out and use the AHA Questions To Ask Your Doctor template found on the home page of this blog at your next doctor's visit.

• Purchase Joy of Fitness reusable bags and workout shirts at the Joy of Fitness Zazzle store.  I will donate all the proceeds from purchases made January through Febraury.  I will let you know end of February what the final number is and write a check out to the AHA. Promise! I can provide a receipt for tax purposes as well, just email me at shannon.joyoffitness@gmail.com.

• I am compiling recipes for a Go Red for Women Cookbook to be sold locally (DC Metro Area) at schools, churches, synagogues, moms groups, and so on. 100% of proceeds will go to the AHA Go Red Campaign to fund cardiovascular disease research. If you or your group is interested in sending a recipe(s) that contains red food or drink items (for example, 10 Foods In Red.), please email me your recipe(s) and story/tribute for the recipe(s). For more details: shannon.joyoffitness.gmail.com.   

• Donate directly to the AHA at the Shannon Stoughton supports Wear Red Day link.

10 Ways to Love Your Heart (from the AHA website)

• 1. Be active: AHA recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day.
• 2.  Eat smart: Enjoy a diet low in sodium, saturated fat and trans fat, and rich in fruits, vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains, and monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.
• 3.  Don’t smoke: Talk to your healthcare provider about smoking cessation programs in your area.  Many are free!
• 4.  Know your numbers: Write down your blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and body mass index. Discuss with your doctor healthy numbers for you and how to help keep your heart healthy. 
• 5.  De-stress: Stress can cause us to overeat, be sedentary or engage in other health-risk behaviors like smoking, all of which can increase your risk of developing heart disease. Take control of stress by meditating, writing in a journal or going for a brisk walk.
• 6.  Maintain a healthy weight: Excess weight can increase your risk of developing heart disease. Losing even a small amount of weight can help to decrease your risk.
• 7.  Evaluate your risk: Age, gender, race/ethnicity, family history and other medical conditions can all increase your risk of developing heart disease. Know which factors affect you and what you can do to reduce them.
• 8.  Listen to your heart: When warning signs pop up, pay attention to them. By visiting a doctor early, your chances of avoiding a serious condition increase. 
• 9.  Know the facts: Read up on heart disease. By knowing about the culprit, you will be better prepared to help prevent and fight it. Visit GoRedForWomen.org for more information. 
• 10.  Follow up regularly: Keep track of your heart health and risk factors by visiting your doctor regularly for medical checkups. 

Be active. Be Happy!

Related articles

• Let's Get a Physical, Physical...Every Year! (joyoffitnessmom.blogspot.com)
• Women's Heart Health Takes Center Stage in February (acog.org)
• Tiny breaks from sitting can whittle a tiny waist (msnbc.msn.com)

A New Year, A New You: Start the Day off Right!

We've heard it a million times: don't skip (or skimp on) breakfast, because it is the most important meal of the day. Yet, countless of us do. It's the 21st century, a modern age, with modern lives to live and those lives are hectic. The daily grind awaits us every morning once that alarm clock goes off, with thousands of decisions to be made, a trillion things to get done. Our attentions are short and pulled in all sorts of directions. It's no wonder we rush out the door every morning neglecting to fuel the body and brain, or better yet, eating junk that gives us a sugar rush and the oh so lovely sugar crash at the most convenient times (of course). So my challenge to you, mom, in this new year is to slow down and smell the roses. We know we should be eating a nutritious breakfast (I list the many reasons why, below, for a refresher), so let's make it happen! Let's take it back to the basics- make time for breakfast and make it a simple, nutritious one. You don't need fancy protein or vitamin bars, or shakes, (unless prescribed to you by your doctor) just a bowl of cereal (hot or cold) in skim milk, some fruit, water and your good to go. For more quick breakfast ideas see below. To top it off, make your kids eat breakfast with you- make breakfast the new family time meal. You'll be doing their body good! I know it sounds crazy, but it's a great way to send your kids and yourself into the world fueled for any challenge. It's the meal of champions, right. Okay I am a big cornball, but you get my meaning. It's also a great time to reflect on the day that is ahead. 


Some tips on how to make breakfast happen: 

• Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier.
• Prepare lunches and prep your breakfast for the next day in the evenings.
• Set your clothes as well as the children's clothes for the next day out in the evenings.
• If your a coffee drinker, prepare your coffee for brewing at night and use the timer on the pot so you wake up to the wonderful aroma of freshed brewed coffee. I know your imagining it, the Folger's coffee moment from the commercials...yeah, well as cheesy as it may be, it is a good feeling.

I think you'll find this a rewarding experience. I know your bodies will love it, even if your moaning and groaning. You'll get used to it, trust me.  Here's to eating and hopefully enjoying a good hearty breakfast every morning in the new year. Cheers!


Why eating an easy, simple, nutritious breakfast is important:

• Improves Concentration and Focus
• Weight Control (Why does eating breakfast help control weight?)
• Better absorption of vital nutrients
• Helps boost energy levels
• Sustainable Strength and Endurance
• May help lower cholesterol levels
• Promotes a Positive Mental Attitude
• Blood Glucose Management for everyone not just Diabetic

Quick, Healthy Breakfast Ideas:

• Mayo Clinic: Healthy breakfast: Quick, flexible options to grab at home
• Eating Well: Healthy Breakfast Recipes and Cooking Tips

Sources: Mayo Clinic

'Tis the Season: How To Be An Every Day Hero

'Tis the season to give thanks, of holiday parties and spending quality time with family and friends. It's a time of reflection and resolutions as well as remembering those we've lost and sharing the wonders and delights of the season with those still with us. As I pondered what my contribution to this holiday season's blogosphere would be, I thought of opening up the "airwaves" to friends and family-to new perspectives and insights that help remind us what the season is all about.

Here's the first installation written by a friend and Joy of Fitness Buddy Training client that helps shows us how we can be an everyday hero just by being aware and thoughtful of the needs of others around us as we celebrate this holiday season and beyond.


How to Be an Everyday Hero
(by Amy Lin)

When I was a kid, I loved adventure stories. I often imagined myself as the hero(ine), riding to the rescue, capturing the bad guys, saving lives, maybe receiving a medal or two for my quick thinking and derring-do. As parents, all of us instinctively want to protect our kids from anything that could hurt them: car accidents, lead paint, house fires, sharp objects, hot stovetops... the list is practically infinite. But even in my vivid imagination, there are few things more terrifying than an unknown illness that sends your baby to the ER, limbs and face swollen, covered with hives, and screaming in fear and pain. That's how my husband and I found out that our daughter is one of the 12 million Americans who have food allergies (for her, it’s dairy, eggs, and sesame). We were devastated to learn that, unlike seasonal allergies, food allergies can cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that includes constriction of the airways and an extreme drop in blood pressure. "Your child could die" is something no parent ever wants to hear.

The scariest aspect of food allergies is that any food, seemingly innocuous and even healthy for most people, may be a deadly toxin to someone who is allergic to it — the most dangerous kind of threat is the one that is perceived as harmless. Everyone knows that poisons such as weed killer and drain cleaner shouldn’t be consumed, so these substances are kept safely away from kids, and the chance of ingesting them at a school or child care center is next to nil. But things like milk, wheat, and nuts are part of the human diet, and most people consider them safe. For this very reason, they pose a grave risk for those with food allergies, especially children.

What does all this have to do with heroism? Well, we now realize that we have scores of heroes in our day-to-day lives — people who help us keep our daughter safe. As she approaches school age, we find ourselves more and more concerned about how we can continue to protect her. We know we'll have to rely more and more on these heroes, and so we’re extremely grateful to have them.

Image via Wikipedia

They are:

• Family members who religiously wash their hands with soap and water

• Friends who ask about food allergies when inviting us to their houses

• Parents who forgive our overprotectiveness of our food-allergic child

• Hosts who aren’t offended when our child can’t eat food they prepared

• Kids who look out for their buddies with food allergies

• Doctors and nurses who help us prepare for allergy emergencies

• Teachers and caregivers who learn how to use an epinephrine injector

• Work colleagues who share allergen-free recipes

• Restaurants who educate their staff about the seriousness of food allergies

• Last but definitely not least, the eagle-eyed moms in our daughter’s playgroup, who always track down the stray Pepperidge Farm Goldfish!

You can become one of these heroes, too. You may not receive any medals for valor, but you might save a life... and you'll be appreciated much, much more than you'll ever know.

~~~

Three easy things you can do to earn the eternal gratitude of a parent with a food-allergic child this holiday season and beyond:

WASH YOUR HANDS thoroughly with soap and water after eating, and teach your child to do the same. This will prevent food particles and possible allergens from being transferred to surfaces that an allergic child might come into contact with.

BE AWARE AND ALERT. If you're hosting an event involving food, find out whether your guests have any food allergies. If you know a child has a food allergy, try to keep watch when he or she is around those foods, especially in the case of very young children who don't yet understand that what they eat could hurt them. Their parents are probably hovering nearby, but they can always use an extra pair of eyes — we all know kids are lightning-fast when it comes to food!

LEARN TO RECOGNIZE the symptoms of an allergic reaction. It usually starts with hives and itchiness, and may lead to swelling of the tongue and throat, abdominal cramps, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and even loss of consciousness. Someone who has a known, severe food allergy will likely have an epinephrine injector (EpiPen or Twinject) on hand. It’s very easy to use — instructions are printed on the injector itself. Call 911 immediately afterward.

For more information about food allergies, please visit The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

Related articles

• FAAN Publishes Updated School Food Allergy Program (eon.businesswire.com)
• Before You Buy a Thanksgiving Turkey (tjantunen.com)

The Food Diary: An Eye Opener!

FoodDiary_SStoughton_WK1

When I first started this blog, in July 2010,  I declared to the world that I would be tracking my food intake for a whole whopping month. I am writing today to say I did just that, and for exactly one month. I wrote it all down on a bright, yellow paper pad that I carried around with me wherever I went and recorded everything I ate- really. However, after sitting down to organize, analyze and present my findings (which is a lot of work especially if you neglect to keep a calorie count as you go), I have decided to share just the first two weeks of my log. I mean, is it really all that exciting to see what a person eats. The important thing for me is to share what I have learned through my experience, and impart the knowledge I gained by researching the topic of food logs.


I decided it was time to take on this endeavor to face my eating habits head-on. I wanted to better understand my eating patterns, why and how I eat, which foods I eat and with whom I eat in order to improve my diet. I also wanted to ascertain if I am in a weight gain, loss, or stabilization mode. I did not restrain myself in any manner, even knowing that I would be sharing my food diary online. This is an area in my life that I have recognized needs improvement. In order to get an accurate understanding of my food choices and eating behaviors, I needed to eat truthfully (as I have been), so that I can learn and make the proper adjustments to reach my body weight goals and exercise performance desired.  I can be pretty hard headed and in order for me to believe I need to change a certain behavior I need to "see it to believe it." I know it sounds cliche, but it's true. Keeping this food journal has indeed opened my eyes. I needed to "see" the evidence laid out in front of me in order to drive home the fact that active people like myself cannot eat whatever they want. This is a bad food attitude I have had since childhood. It also showed me why I may be having a hard time getting rid of the muffin top.

Back to School- Helping Our Kids Make Smart Eating Choices a Lifelong Habit

It's that time of year again, when our young ones leave the nest and are out in the world on their own- for a awhile at least. I just dropped my daughter off at her first day of four year old preschool. She had her “All About Me” bag and lunch box in tow. The drop off went smoothly (she's too independent for her own good, that one), kiss and hug and she was off playing in the classroom without a backward glance. I walk away feeling proud and bit sad- my baby girl is growing up so fast! Four hours of making her own choices (for the most part at least) without parental influence, but with a whole bunch of peer influence. Yikes. I just hope I am giving her the tools to make good choices and feel confident in those choices. One area in particular that I want to influence, or shall I say, I still have some control over, is her eating habits- what goes in her lunchbox.

A few weeks ago, my daughter and I met up with a friend and her two children at Brookside Gardens and had a very nice picnic lunch. My friend and I were talking about packing school lunches- the challenges to ensuring our children are eating healthy and in an environmentally friendly way. The wholesome part of lunch I felt pretty on top of (though it's always nice to get new ideas); however, the earth-friendly part I learned could use a little work. After a few suggestions and some thorough research, I learned just how NOT on top of things I was. I was using a lot of Ziploc type bags to hold food, disposable plastic forks and spoons, and prepackaged food such as single serving applesauce and yogurt cups, juice boxes and so on. All these things just get thrown away. Sure they're convenient, but horrible for the environment, so I was beginning to realize. I even started paying more attention to the labels on the prepackaged "healthy" food items I was giving my daughter- they're not healthy at all (full of sugar and/or sodium!). Ugh. What to do.

Fit Budgeting & Savings Tips for a Fit Life

Why an article about budgeting and saving tips in a blog about living an active and healthy lifestyle? As a mother, a small business owner and fitness advocate, I think healthy living and being active encompasses both striving for physical fitness, and emotional fitness.

I believe personal finance is wrapped-up in emotion. We make countless money spending and saving choices each day. The consequences of those choices (wise or folly) affects our emotional well-being, in turn impacting our physical well-being. When it comes to household finances, the "elephant in the room" for many families, or the cause of bickering and even all out warfare in others, can be a source of stress and even anguish which is no good. Whether your a saver, spender or somewhere in between, I think it's always good to be open and honest about finances with your partner and to evaluate and reevaluate your household finances at the minimum once a year. Working out household finance issues, having a good understanding and control of our finances as well as being able to prioritize spending helps to create less emotional stress- opening up new ways of living and empowering us to happier, active living. Since we're in yet another recession (some of us are pretty familiar with recessions at this point, remember when the dot.com bubble burst in 2000), I thought it was apropos to discuss fit budgeting and savings tips for a fit life. Specifically, how to budget and save, and still do what you want- get fit, stay fit and enjoy it (hopefully). I mean we could all use a financial tone-up every now and then.  Moreover, for lots of moms, when money is tight, our own well fare becomes secondary to that of our families. We make sure all the necessities are taken care of as best we can, but tend to let our own health and fitness fall by the wayside. I want to help you make fitness a priority in good and bad times, because when mama is fit, healthy and happy that's good for the whole family! You not only improve your quality and outlook on life, but most likely your new healthy habits (both physical and fiscal) will trickle down to your family.

Joy of Fitness in Silver Spring, MD | Parents Connect Local

Joy of Fitness in Silver Spring, MD | Parents Connect Local