Woohoo! I've made it through week 1 of the Go Red BetterU program. It wasn't tough, and I feel good about moving ahead.
I do have a question I plan to get answered, and soon. I find myself unsure of what qualifies a meal as "heart healthy". As I flipped through my cookbooks in search of family-friendly, heart-healthy meals, I found I couldn't quite be sure what the Heart Association would qualify as "heart-healthy". I do have a great little cookbook from the Heart Association with 47 recipes in it, but beyond that... Let's just say I'm on a mission to find out the key things to look for when I'm searching recipes. I'll let you know what I find out.
Week 1 down, now on to next week.
Starting Monday, the focus will shift to (and you've heard it before) "knowing your numbers". I know, I know...what numbers?
Here's what we should all find out. Here are our numbers:
- Blood pressure (systolic and diastolic)
- Height, weight and waist circumference (in inches) *
- Blood cholesterol levels:
- Total cholesterol
- Fasting blood glucose (sugar)
*One interesting tidbit the folks at the Heart Association taught me is that women should measure their waist circumference at their smallest mid-section and men should measure at their widest. Doesn't seem fair, but hey...I'm not complaining.
There are lots of places you can go to get these numbers. Of course, you're doctor can get them for you. The easiest may be a local drugstore clinic. Neighborhood medical clinics, there are home test kits you can buy, clinical laboratories, and organized health screenings (often community centers or hospitals).
The thought of finding a way in the next week to FIND THE TIME to learn these numbers, to go where I have to go to get them, to actually find out that something might be "off" with my numbers...does intimidate me a bit. BUT...if nothing else, I want to do this for my family. I want to be around for a very long time for my husband and kids, so a half hour (I'm guessing) is worth it. Right?!?! There have been numerous stories about women learning their numbers only to find out there's a fairly significant concern. They were able to get help BEFORE what would have surely led to a serious heart issue. Or worse, an woman never learns her number, and suffers a heart attack at the age of 42. SCARY!!!
I'll find the time. I have to. And you can, too.
It's not too late to sign up.
Click here to Go Red BetterU with us.
Free Heart-healthy Cookbook
Get your chance to win a FREE Go Red recipe book, with 47 heart-healthy recipes.
Go to
www.goredforwomen.org and sign up to take part in the 12-week program. Once you've signed up, email me for your chance to win your cookbook at
dubill@nbcactionnews.com
We'll mail books to the first 20 who email.
