Mediterranean Diet May Ward Off Heart Disease

There's nothing like a beach, a Mediterranean beach, to increase one's life quality. Reading the results of a study on the merits of following the Mediterranean Diet, with or without the beach, suggests it can help reduce heart disease and stroke by as much as 30% in some individuals.

According to the New York Times, "Until now, evidence that the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of heart disease was weak, based mostly on studies showing that people from Mediterranean countries seemed to have lower rates of heart disease — a pattern that could have been attributed to factors other than diet." They also drank a fair amount of red wine every day, which could also lower blood pressure.

"Risk factors like cholesterol or hypertension or weight" are the key risks to control, yet in this study, "heart attacks and strokes and death" were examined, not cholesterol or blood pressure numbers. People truly following the Mediterranean Diet reduced their heart attack and stroke risk by 30%. How you ask? Details of the diet followed for this study are here.

Grab a glass a red, pony up to the table and dig into the antipasto tray, but skip the cured meats. Olive oil, salmon, anchovies, kalamato olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, apricots, berries, kale, whole grains and peppers are just a 
few of the best items on the list. All Recipes offers Mediterranean Diet meal ideas and recipes to follow including complete menu plans.

The researchers following the participants in the study were so convinced the Mediterranean Diet lowered heart disease risk, they now follow it.  And we should, too.

Game On

Time out. Time flies. Time travels. Time starts now. And I'm back in the game. After a brief time out to get reorganized, revitalized and rejuvenated, time to get back at it.

I look the same, only older. I stopped wearing bowties back in the day, which in this case was way back. And my hair is a little longer, a little blonder, sans bangs. Spit curls on the sides -- history!

I laugh the same, only more. I stopped poo-pooing and started hee-hawing. It's more fun and heart healthy.   

And the eyes still sparkle, but with lash assistance. 
As time flies, the days get more important and the kids' lives more significant. New hills to climb increase the importance of key elements, especially my new core builder, planks http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/qt/plank.htm

So expect more, stay tuned and check back. Game on and I'm back in. 

Moms Are Forever

Funny how things change with moms.  There from the beginning, carefully planning things out, waiting nine full months to meet. Greeting with gusto, nurturing and coaxing. Non-judgemental but opinionated. Urging one on, cheerleading from the sidelines.

Countless birthdays, graduations, weddings, divorces, headaches and phone calls. In good health and in bad, there from the beginning. 

And it's done. Six weeks short of your 91st birthday, after seven months of defying the odds, you bid adieu. Glioblastoma won. 

The journey continues as there is more to do. More flowers to plant. More rooms to paint. More kids to call and grandbabies to hug. We're on a journey, and good parentage has helped. The bumps, though sometimes high, were tolerable and the advice, spot on.  It's been a good run. Even without your bright blue eyes, Moms are forever.