Healthy Heart = Happy Heart

Most of us think of heart health as an exclusively physiological matter.  If we don’t smoke, eat right and exercise enough, we’ll be able to avoid serious and even fatal diseases.  And there’s no doubt that the heart, which circulations about 2,000 gallons of blood daily throughout the body,  is crucial to an healthy and efficiently functioning system.  Says Ballard F. Smith, M.D. of the Bradenton Cardiology Center in Bradenton, Florida, “The circulatory system does not just carry oxygen, it acts as an exchange system where oxygen is given, and waste products are removed ,via the kidney, liver and lungs. Without a healthy heart, this system fails.”

But there’s another reason to get your heart pumping productively:  It will make you feel better emotionally.  Exercise, a key component of a healthy lifestyle, is not only good for your heart, it’s good  for your mind. Experts have found that exercise improves your mood, helps relieve stress, lowers blood pressure, and keeps your energy at a high level throughout the day.

Researchers have even discovered that exercise may be more of a preventive factor than weight in heart disease. A study conducted by Nicole Bairey Merz, M.D., of Cedars Sinai Medical Center, found that a sedentary lifestyle, no matter what weight you are, is a significant risk factor in getting heart disease.

In general, Dr.Smith of the Bradenton Cardiology Center recommends 30 minutes of “moderate physical activity” every day. Of course, you should check with your doctor about what level of activity is exactly right for you and how much of each type of exercise—warmup; aerobic or cardiovascular; strengthening—you should do.

 

Overall, you’ll feel better while you’re exercising (and after you finish!) if you keep an eye on what you eat throughout the day. Dr. Smith recommends eating nutrient-rich foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables, plus sources of lean protein like chicken, will keep you going throughout the day and, unlike high-fat foods, will prevent you from feeling sluggish. (Have you ever had the urge to walk a mile or two after eating the Megaton Combo #3 at your local fast-food joint?  We didn’t think so.) Keep an eye out, too,  for  “empty calories” -foods like potatoe chips, sugary sports drinks that supply a lot of sugar but almost no nutrients. 

                                                                        Plain water is always best.

If you’re like most people, you’ll find it difficult to keep to your new lifestyle at first. Find an exercise and nutrition buddy – the two of you can keep each other on track. And when your exercise seems hard or your food tastes bland, remember how good you’ll look and feel if you stick with it.

That should make you—and your heart—very happy.  (And your partner too!)

Heart Aglow

 The world is full of wonder,

 Of beauty, mirth and whim;

 And I must surely say I know 

 You're definitely one of them!

 You fill my head with happy thoughts,

 My heart with such delight;

 My stomach's full of butterflies,

 Your love fills my soul with light.

 I'm so glad to have you in my life,

 I thought that you should know;

 Just the simple thought of you

 Will set my heart aglow.

From the upcoming  book "Awakening Love"

written by Yolanda Pacheco Garcia 2010

Men-Seeking Someone Special

They say that all men are alike.  They only have different faces so we can tell them apart. There are lots of words to describe men - strong, caring, loving -they could all be wrong, but you can still use them.  However, I do believe that there is one out there that may have all these traits and more, just where though, the Lord only knows!  Mars perhaps?  

© Personal Ad...

Hopeful woman 

and 

optimist who believes in love,

is looking for her prince charming.

I know you are out there somewhere,

Let’s harmonize feelings and

show that we care.

I am tired of kissing a lot of frogs...

© I am looking for

someone to talk to and discuss daily news

someone to walk with and check out the views 

someone who is honest and will not lie

someone who likes good ole apple pie!                    

someone to love me like there's no tommorrow                      

someone to share all the joys and the sorrow                                                       

someone that will make me laugh day after day                   

someone to be with me to go out and play

someone for dinner and dancing so fine

someone romantic rain or shine

someone to give me a Valentine

someone to ask, "will you be mine?"

I am loving, sincere, patient and kind

I will greet you with joy and let you unwind

I will set you aglow from head to toe

and always be your best friend,  your “amigo”

I am seeking that special someone that will wipe away the blues

I am looking for a special someone is that someone YOU?

©These and many more can be found in my book,  "Awakening Love"

by Yolanda Pacheco Garcia www.victoryp.com

Heartfelt Wisdom on Love

Are you having a glitch in your love life?  Are you feeling a little down? Sometimes it is helpful to review some affirmations on love. Remain healthy by maintaining a simple diet of pure feelings, good wishes and positive thoughts.   Your emotional and physical health must come first.  Replace negative thoughts and feelings with images of beauty.  Cleanse your heart, mind, body and soul. Embrace your loneliness.  Most importantly, be patient; love will come again, and soon enough you will experience the complete fullfillment of love between a man and a woman.

Finding You 

Life can be hard and lonely, this is true, 

Until someone like me, finds someone like you. 

We found each other amid gold laced dreams

and shimmering hopes stitched with silver seams.

A love made of jewels plucked from the evening sky

adorns this universe with the gleam from your eye.

Together we are everything I dreamed we could be

I am so glad I found you and you found me. 

Throughout my years, wishing to find, 

Happiness, Joy and Piece of mind, 

Although we are apart, in miles and in space, 

Nothing can stop us, in the whole human race. 

Together we'll be happy, I know this is so, 

For the two of us have found each other, and we'll never let go. 

So for now this is as much as I can say

My love for you grows with each passing day.

Written by Yolanda Pacheco Garcia

From the Book Lost and Found: Love, a book of love poems

Purchase through www.victoryp.com

My Friends

Friends come and go, through the seasons
and for different reasons.   However, when I make a friend they are always in my heart regardless of whether or not I am still in theirs.  I value my friends and hope that they will remember me with a smile.  For all who have touched my life: 

You are on my list...

I have a list of folks I know ...

all written in a book,

And every now and then ...

I go and take a look.

That is when I realize these names ...

they are a part,

not only of the book they're written in ...

but taken from the heart.

Although you're not aware ...

of any special link, just knowing you,

has shaped my life ...

more than you could think.

So please don't think my greeting ...

as just a mere routine,

your name was not ...

forgotten in between.

   

For when I send a greeting ...

that is addressed to you,

it is because you're on the list ...

of folks I'm indebted to.

So whether I have known you ...

for many days or few,

in some ways you have a part ...

in shaping things I do.

I am but a total ...

of many folks I've met,

you are a friend I would prefer ...

never to forget.

From the book Lost and Found: Love

by Yolanda Pacheco Garcia

To get your copy go to:

www.victoryp.com

Feel Better My Friend

An Offering From the Bottom of My….

A little girl was in church with her mother when she started feeling ill. "Mommy," she said, "can we leave now?"

"No," her mother replied.

"Well, I think I have to throw up!" exclaimed the girl.

"Then go out the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush," said her mother.

After about sixty seconds, the little girl returned to her seat. "Did you throw up?" her mother asked.

"Yes," the little girl replied.

"How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?" her mother asked.

"I didn't have to go out of the church, Mommy. They have a box next to the front door that says, 'For the Sick.'"

Feel Better Soon

I heard from a bird

that you were not well

so I made you a basket

to make you feel swell.

I put it together with loving care

it was easy and fun

for me to prepare.

“Stuffy and tired,” says your body?

Well, what you need is

a delicious Hot Toddy!

This is one thing that you should not share

So I am happy to help with your health care.

Feel Better Soon!

©Yolanda Pacheco Garcia

The Party

The Party

©Written by Yolanda Pacheco Garcia

The senses are excited when they start to feel

The tongue on this texture, has much appeal.

Savory flavor what a delight!

I could devour this all thru the night!

The music is playing inside of my head,

and then I decide to lick instead.

It is nice and rich and very strong,

a little too salty, WAIT,

the flavor is wrong!

This one is a little too thick

if I dont stop eating 

I will get sick!

Nacho Yummy Tortilla Chips!

Tragon, is a research company that pays me to go eat.  A group of people test taste various flavors of a new product and respond to different questions about it.  I always get inspired when I go there!  It is fun!

Weight Loss Tips - Birthday Dinner

 I sought out the most knowledgeable registered dietitians (RDs) in the country for their very best advice. Based on their expertise and their experience with thousands of clients, they gave us some savvy and surprising advice:

“Eat only when you have these three things: table, plate, chair. When you eat from a plate while seated at a table, you’re more mindful and will naturally eat less and feel more satisfied. That means avoid eating while standing at the fridge, lounging on the couch, or driving in the car!”
-Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet

“Never say never. Instead of cutting out indulgent favorites completely, try a more balanced, livable plan. I look at foods as ‘usually,’ ‘sometimes’ and ‘rarely’. There is no such thing as ‘never’. If you fill your day with vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy, a little cheese or a piece of chocolate won’t derail you.”   Think BALANCED.
-Ellie Krieger, RD, author of So Easy: Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week and host of Food Network's "Healthy Appetite"

“Think before your drink. The number of calories in cocktails can really add up during nights on the town. Choose simple drinks such as one part vodka and three parts club soda and add a splash of juice--grapefruit, orange or cranberry--for flavor.
-Carolyn O'Neil, MS, RD, co-author of The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!

“Mindlessness and multitasking while eating can trip you up, especially if trying to manage weight. Think of food as nutrition, fuel, and something pleasurable. If it's food time, then really make it food time, even just for 10 minutes. Pause and examine what you're eating. Savor every bite. Eat Slowly!
-D. Milton Stokes, MPH, RD, Connecticut-based nutrition counselor and co-author of Flat Belly Diet for Men

“You’ve heard this a zillion times, but that’s because it’s really necessary: Start your day with breakfast. You can't run a car without gas, and you can't run your body without food!”
-Keri M. Gans, MS, RD, CDN, nutrition consultant, speaker, and author of the upcoming The Small Change Diet

“Treat snacks like mini meals. Combine protein-packed foods (hard-cooked eggs, low-fat cottage cheese and yogurt, and hummus) with complex carbohydrates, including whole-grain crackers, bread, fruits, and veggies, to feel fuller for longer between meals.”
-Elizabeth M. Ward, MS, RD, author of Expect the Best, Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, & After Pregnancy

“Go ‘nuts’ at the beginning of the day to save calories in the end. A study showed that women who included a handful of almonds a day, as part of a calorie-controlled diet, lost more weight and kept it off longer than those who didn’t. Researchers think that almonds, possibly due to their fiber, satisfying crunch and healthy fats, increase the satiety hormone cholecystokinin, which helps keep you feeling full longer.”   Also, great for diabetics.
-David Grotto, RD, LDN, author of 101 Optimal Life Foods

“Swap spaghetti with spaghetti squash. Cup for cup you'll save 180 calories and boost your intake of potassium, which fights water retention and high blood pressure, as well as vitamin A, a major anti-ager and immune booster.”                  (Or when you just have to have some,  swap regular for whole wheat!)
-Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, co-author The Ultimate Diet Log

“Reconnect with your inner voice telling you to stop when you are satisfied and eat when you are hungry. Too often we eat when the clock says it’s time, and we stop when the oversized plate in front of us is empty.”
-Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N, The "Diet Diva" on TV’s The Daily Buzz

Birthday Dinner

written by Yolanda Pacheco Garcia

The food was delicious

Italian’s the best

so rich and different

from all of the rest.

The wine was sweet,

and my chocolate cake,

was decadent to eat.

My friends are fun.

The chat inspiring,

But you my dear

are most exciting!

The diet?

The diet?

Let's exercise!

Tomorrow is a new day!

From the book Awakening Love 

by Yolanda Pacheco Garcia

www.victoryp.com