Think RED!

[iLLuDeano]

About 4 years ago my father went through a rather stressful time with his job. He was in and out of the country for work on a weekly basis. One day we received a call from a hospital in Johannesburg telling us that he fainted on the airplane. Although funny at first, since he is a man's man and DOES NOT FAINT OR CRY. We took it very seriously. He denied that anything was wrong with him and made all sorts of excuses as to what made him faint.

Following the incident over 5months he fainted twice more on the airplane with signs of bad blood pressure. The doctors couldn't really point out what was wrong with him. That December he went for a angiogram that confirmed 80% of his main artery was blocked. The doctor said he needed to get open heart surgery or he has no more that 2 months to live. He got the surgery and healed up pretty well, since then he took the necessary steps to live healthier!

Here are some basic pointers to look after your heart and your health!

> Know your blood pressure
> Don’t smoke. If you smoke, try to quit
> Get tested for diabetes
> Have your cholesterol and triglyceride levels tested. Your doctor may advise you to lower them
> Maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle
> Limit alcohol to no more than 1 drink a day
> Find healthy ways to cope with stress

Think Red for yourself, your family and your future!

If you want more technical details and a good read you can visit the Think Red website HERE

Hope this helps and that at least a couple of people get into healthy living! If you have any onther stories or pointers to share please feel free to do so as it could save a life!!

[iLLuDeano]

Trying to quit smoking is not easy! Trust me I know Here are 10 good reasons to get you started!

10 good reasons to stop smoking
1. Your health will improve as soon as you stop smoking.
2. Your body will begin to heal itself from the moment you quit.
3. No more smelly clothes, hair and breath.
4. You will save money.
5. You will be able to smell and taste your food better.
6. You will have more energy.
7. You won’t have to sneak around looking for places where you can smoke.
8. Your skin will improve and you won’t develop wrinkles due to premature ageing.
9. Your teeth will be whiter.
10. No more cleaning smelly ashtrays.

[iLLuDeano]

Good health food checklist
Go for
• Plenty of fruit and vegetables
• Plenty of starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta. Choose wholegrain varieties wherever possible.
• Pulses such as lentils and beans
• Low fat or fat-free milk and dairy products
• Skinless white meat
• Ostrich meat
• Olive, rapeseed, avocado oils
• Oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, tuna and pilchards
Eat Less
• Processed foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt
• Sugar
• Salt
• Butter, cream and whole milk
• Fatty red meat
• Pastry and cakes
• Saturated and trans fats
• Fried foods
• Sugary drinks

[iLLuDeano]

Good cholesterol and bad cholesterol

All cholesterol is bad, right?
Actually there are two types of cholesterol, the LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol which is the one that causes the fatty deposits on our blood vessels and the good cholesterol called HDL (high-density lipoprotein) which actually prevents heart disease by removing excess cholesterol in the blood.
What can I do to control cholesterol?

Dietary changes are the best way to control cholesterol levels in the body.

• Eat healthy foods that are low in cholesterol, trans fats and saturated fats.
• Eat plenty of dietary fibre which also helps to control cholesterol levels.
• Make cholesterol level screening part of your annual check up
• Exercise. An active, healthy body makes more good cholesterol.
• Watch your weight and maintain a healthy BMI range.

NB: Some people have a tendency to make too much bad cholesterol due to a genetic condition.
They can be perfectly healthy, fit and eat a good diet. That is why it is important to be screened for cholesterol levels, even if you think you are low risk.

[iLLuDeano]

Track your eating habits

It is useful to know what you eat and how much you eat. Write down what you are eating on a daily basis for a normal week.
You will be surprised where those hidden kJ can creep in.
A biscuit with your coffee, the mid afternoon chocolate bar and those few drinks after work all contribute to your total calorie intake.

Think RED!!

[iLLuDeano]

Rooibos comes out tops for a strong heart

Powerful antioxidants contained in Rooibos tea can help to combat vascular inflammation, a contributing factor in heart disease.
In an article on the antioxidant properties of all teas on Lance Armstrong’s Live Strong web site, Rooibos was shown to have the highest levels of aspalathin and nothofagin – antioxidants that can reduce inflammation of the arteries.
Rooibos tea is native to South Africa and is brewed from the leaves of the Aspalathuslinearis shrub.
Green tea which is brewed from the Camellia sinensisplant, the same plant used for black and white teas. It contains high levels of catechin epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a different class of antioxidant, not contained in Rooibos.
Catechins are thought to inhibit cancer cell reproduction and to encourage the cell-death of cancer cells.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/40...#ixzz1jnBzUeCy

[iLLuDeano]

Recognise a stroke

A stroke occurs when there is a blockage in an artery which prevents blood reaching your brain or if a blood vessel in the brain bursts.
The affected part of the brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients as there is no blood flowing to the area. This can result in the brain tissue becoming damaged or even dying.
Recognising the symptoms of a stroke can save a life and drastically reduce damage to the brain. If you suspect that somebody is having a stroke, perform this simple test.

1. Ask the person to say something to you like their name and address or a simple sentence. Check for slurring of words.
2. Ask the person to close their eyes and raise both their arms over their head. If one arm cannot lift as high as the other, this is a sign of weakness on one side of the body and can indicate that a stroke has occurred.
3. Ask the person to smile. Check for any drooping on either side.
If any of these symptoms are present, call an ambulance or rush the person to hospital immediately. With a stroke, every second counts.

Remember Think RED! http://www.thinkred.co.za/

[iLLuDeano]

Morning Forum!

Hope that you guys have found the Think Red thread of use. I'll be making regular posts here to give exposure to ThinkRed
and also to make sure my fellow members live healthy!

Here are some top tips about EXERCISE! Many people think exercising means paying R500pm for a gym contract, waking up early to go jog or get home late after yoga! Well what about exercise at work?

Sitting at a desk all day is not doing your heart or your butt any favours. Get moving and feel the difference.

• Instead of sitting at a co-workers desk to have a discussion, suggest a walk.
• Use headphones and walk around while talking on the phone.
• Walk around the office and spend a little time with everyone instead of sending an e-mail.
• Take the stairs instead of the lift. Or get off a few floors early and take the stairs the rest of the way.
• If you have time to spare at an airport, take a walk instead of sitting around.
• Participate in or start a social soccer, real tennis or other sports league at your company.
• Schedule your exercise time like any other important appointment. After all, it is important.
• Take a packed lunch to a local park and have a walking lunch.

Please feel free to add ANY useful health tips for the heart, mind and body to promote healthy living.

[pmbguy]

I think that the motivation to be healthy is more important than tips to be healthy. We all know what is healthy and what is not. We all know we should exercise etc.

Not that the tips are bad, just slightly superfluous. Perhaps motivational posts about the benefits of being healthy will be more effective. (Like the smoking post)

I applaud your efforts

[iLLuDeano]

Thank you for that reply! Very much appreciated. I will work on that angle