How I found my happy heart (guest post)

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in North America:  according to the CDC in 2008, 616,000 people died as a result – meaning that 1 in 4 deaths could be attributed to heart disease. The stats surrounding heart health can be staggering, and we are inundated with this type of information everyday.

But what do you really think of when you think of heart disease? Probably an older man? You might picture him overweight? Hair greying and thinning from many stress filled years? Maybe not leading the healthiest lifestyle? Possibly a smoker?

I can pretty much guarantee that you didn’t picture me. A 27 year old healthy living blogger who is gearing up to train for her first marathon. Am I right?

MizFit note: I love my Darwinian Fail.

But the truth is I am one of the faces of heart disease and I have been battling my heart condition and my body for the last decade.

I was just 17 when I was diagnosed with my arrhythmia – Long QT Syndrome. And I was just 18 when I was outfitted with my very first pacemaker/defibrillator.

Yep, it’s me and the Oldie-Goldies just kicking it at the cardio clinic. Robot hearts are where it’s at these days. Cyborg powers activate! What?! What?! But I digress. Because while I am very proud to say that I am now a healthy happy 20-something, it was a long road back from the brink.

For me, obviously, a happy healthy heart doesn’t come naturally. It is something I have had to work at. And while I whole-heartedly give an insane amount of credit to my doctors, the advances in medical science, and my whole cardio team – just the medical intervention alone wasn’t enough. I still had a LOT of rough days, especially early on in my diagnosis.

My health definitely improved, but “bad days” were a norm in my world. Those bad days meant I just couldn’t get started. My body was already exhausted from battling my unruly ticker, and I was unable to do much else. I struggled with my energy levels and some days could not even bring myself to venture beyond the comforts of my bed.

And I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve got a lot of living to do! So I couldn’t afford to be spending so much time down and out.

I needed to get going.

So that is how Operation Happy Heart began.

I found myself losing faith in my body’s ability to work for me, instead of against me. I felt myself losing hope with each “bad day” that past. And I felt my resolve and drive being swallowed up by my diagnosis.

My health wasn’t mine anymore. My body and what it could do was ruled by how happy my heart was that day, and I no longer felt like I controlled that.

It was frustrating and absolutely terrifying, but I turned up at my cardiologists door asking for my body back. I wanted my life back. I wanted to be in control of my health again.

So we started slow.

Just eating more vegetables. Skip the all-night parties – which is easier said than done for student away at university.

Trying to make movement part the regular routine – walk more, maybe even try yoga. These were all manageable changes that I gradually incorporated into my day-to-day life, and the change in my body was profound.

I started keeping a running tally of my good days vs. bad. What was different? What was different from one day to the next? What could I do the help to make these bad days fewer and farther between? The solution made itself clear in a hurry once I started to give it some thought.

If I take care of my body, then my body will take care of me.

Krysten blogs at Darwinian Fail  Her genetics may have “doomed” her according to Darwin, but she believes fitness is also defined by adaptability, perseverance, and strength. She’s chosen *her* definition over Darwin’s.

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This Product’s Name Really Speaks To My Heart

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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I *Heart* October

I love fall. It's my favorite time of year, especially with that "extra" hour we get when daylight savings ends.

I won't bore you with a lot of words. I'll just bore you with photos :)

Fall means:

Pickled beets from BFF Sharon in Kansas. Beets good.

G-baby Claire was born in October 2007. Grandma Julia and Grammy Lynn have no problem sharing. Autumn Leaf Festival and fire truck rides!
Claire wants to be a firefighter. Or a police officer. She can't decide.I always wanted to be a fire fighter. I blame "Emergency!" and Randolph Mantooth.Handing Luca over to a firefighter so I could jump down. Nice bra strap, Lynn.Papa Larry, Claire, Luca, Me, BFF Pam and her son, Alex waiting for the fire truck ridesWhat's a carnival without rides!
?But he does love a piggyback ride.
And Grammy loves the bike trail. It soothes my soul. And reminds my thighs who's boss :)
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Thank you for indulging me. I adore fall, even more so because of the months that follow. Fall has always been the time I gather my "memory nuts" to keep me mentally sustained for January, February and March.
Tell me about your fall. I hope it is treating you well and providing you with the fuel to help you through winter. Unless, of course, winter's your thing :)

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Heart Healthy Cookbooks {Weekend Giveaway}

Merck, a national sponsor of the Go Red for Women campaign, wants to remind women that there are steps they can take to lower their risks. They have offered FIVE heart healthy cookbooks as a giveaway to our readers. The 2011 limited-edition magazine cookbook, Recipes for the Heart, is a 96-page digest-size publication which features 47 taste-tested recipes.

To ENTER: Leave a comment here saying "I love my heart" or something equally cheesy but heart-felt :-) The giveaway runs from Saturday, June 18 - Tuesday, June 20, 2011 (11:59:59 EST).

A few resources from the American Heart Association (AHA): The Go Red Heart Check-Up can be a useful tool to determine your risk of developing heart disease. Or sign up for BetterU, the AHA's free 12-week online program that provides tools, tips and information to help women take the right steps to a healthier lifestyle.

Thanks Merck!

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Kashi Heart to Heart Oat Flakes & Blueberry Clusters Cereal Review

Kashi Heart to Heart Oat Flakes & Blueberry Clusters is described as, "a delicious blend of crispy oat flakes and crunchy oat clusters made with sun-sweetened blueberries, one of nature's antioxidant fruits."

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 55 grams (1 cup)
Calories: 200
Total Fat: 2 grams, 3%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 80 mg, 3%
Carbohydrates: 44 grams
Fiber: 4 grams, 18%
Sugar: 12 grams
Protein: 6 grams

With this cereal, the flakes taste strongly of blueberry flavor and are sweet, but as for the oat clusters, they are very small and don't pack much flavor, nor add much texture. I find that I'm not really into "corn flakes type cereal" and although I liked this cereal okay, I much prefer Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal which I had the day before - and which coincidentally, has more fiber and less sugar.

Each 55 gram serving of Kashi Heart to Heart Oat Flakes & Blueberry Clusters Cereal (1 cup), provides 200 calories, 2 grams of total fat, 4 grams of fiber (18% of the DV), 12 grams of sugars and 6 grams of protein.

The ingredients list is a little lengthy, but has no artificial sweeteners - it starts off with oat blend (whole grain oats, oat bran), rice, evaporated cane juice syrup and whole grain rolled oats.

I received samples of Kashi Heart to Heart Cereals from the company, but this sells for $3.99 at my local grocery store. I would buy this over Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Blueberry Muffin Cereal and Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal both of which have artificial colors and no blueberry in the ingredients list, but this is not one of my favorite Kashi cereals.

{Website: Kashi}

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Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal Review

I received a few different types of Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal to consider for review here. Since, I love adding cinnamon to EVERYTHING (including coffee), I started with Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal. On Kashi's website, it mentions that, "Heart to Heart cereal was created with more heart healthy ingredients to make taking care of your heart enjoyable." And indeed the packaging is rife with details on how this cereal may be beneficial to your health.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 33 grams (3/4 cup)
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 1.5 grams, 2%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 80 mg, 3%
Carbohydrates: 25 grams
Fiber: 5 grams, 19%
Sugar: 5 grams
Protein: 4 grams

Oh I really like this variety. The flavor is not complex, but is simply cinnamony, lightly sweet and crunchy. Not only is it good as a cereal eaten in the traditional way with milk (or almond milk in my case), but it's also pretty good as a stand-alone snack. I actually prefer this to the Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Oat Waffles (which is also pretty good too).

Each 33 gram serving (3/4 cup) provides 120 calories, only 1.5 grams of total fat, 5 grams of fiber (19% of the daily value), 5 grams of sugars and 4 grams of protein. There is also 100% of the daily value for vitamin E, folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12. So there's more fiber and less sugar in Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal, than in Honey Nut Cheerios.

The ingredients list while a little lengthy, has nothing to be alarmed about, and starts with whole oat flour, oat bran, evaporated cane juice, yellow corn meal and corn flour. I love the simplicity of this cereal. The flavor is on point, nothing too complex and it's simply nutritious.

As previously mentioned, I received Kashi Heart to Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal from the company, but this retails for $3.99 at my local grocery store. I typically wait until it's on sale to buy Kahi cereals, since they are a bit pricey, and I'll be keeping an eye out to actually buy this.

{Website: Kashi}

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