After John’s heart attack, his doctor talked with him about eating for health and the diets that could lower his risk of another one. He recommended a whole-food, plant-based diet (plant-focused), a vegetarian diet (includes dairy and eggs), or a Mediterranean diet (includes fish, dairy, eggs, and poultry). Research shows all three meet most of the same nutritional goals. The whole-food, plant-based diet requires a B12 supplement. There is research supporting its role in improving heart disease and diabetes. The vegetarian and Mediterranean diet also benefits heart disease and diabetes. This plan is eaten in regions known for longevity. These dietary patterns also have a great nutritional profile.
All of these diets include proteins, carbohydrates, and fats within the recommended macronutrient ranges. Macronutrients are important for energy, hormone production, and overall body function, so it’s important to include all food groups. Using My Plate (Download E-Book Here) is a helpful way to make sure your diet is balanced.
John decided to follow the Mediterranean diet because it best suited his needs. Since he often ate out, the fish, poultry, and egg options gave him the flexibility he wanted.
The Mediterranean diet focuses on plants but allows fish, poultry, and dairy. Red meat is eaten occasionally. It offers helpful plant compounds, such as antioxidants and phytonutrients, along with fiber and water. It’s low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, added sugars, ultra-processed foods, and red and processed meats.
He planned his meals using My Plate guidelines. He filled half of his plate with non-starchy vegetables in green, red, yellow, orange, and purple—each color offering different health benefits. The other half was split between protein and starchy vegetables. His protein came from fish, poultry, legumes, eggs, nuts, and seeds. He kept red meat to 4 ounces a week and avoided processed meats. The last section of his plate included grains such as brown rice, whole-grain pasta, or whole-grain bread, or starchy veggies like half a potato or corn. He ate a bowl of fruit for dessert. Fermented foods such as yogurt, cheeses, sauerkraut, and kimchi, plus plenty of herbs and spices, added flavor without extra salt or sugar. These fermented foods also helped his good gut bacteria, which support the whole body. When he got hungry in the afternoon, he snacked on a handful of nuts.
After a few weeks of eating for health, John felt more energetic and his mood improved. His taste buds changed, and he started craving healthier foods. He looked forward to his next doctor’s visit, confident his Hemoglobin A1c and lipid profile would have improved.
What has worked for you in creating healthy eating habits.
Please share your experiences below
Sleep Awareness Month starts with daylight saving time, when most Americans lose an hour of sleep. This month aims to celebrate the benefits of good sleep, raise awareness about sleep problems, and encourage the prevention and treatment of sleep disorders. More than 70 million Americans face chronic sleep issues. Unfortunately, being tired has become a badge of honor, seen as a sign of hard work and dedication.
Sleep is beneficial to our health.
It strengthens the immune system,
Helps repair tissue damage
Promotes cardiac health. Lack of sleep is a risk factor for cardiovascular problems, including high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and heart disease.
Contributes to better metabolism, including blood pressure regulation. Deep sleep helps the cells respond to insulin. Those with poor sleep have an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Sleep clears waste from the brain and improves brain function. Good sleep improves concentration, learning, and logical reasoning.
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Children need more:
Ages 5 and younger need 10 to 16 hours.
Ages 6 -12 need 9 to 12 hours.
Ages 13-18 need 8 to 10 hours.
Losing sleep is a serious safety risk. Feeling drowsy slows your reaction time just as much as driving drunk. Fatigue causes about 100,000 car crashes and 1,550 deaths each year in the US. Poor sleep reduces attention, alertness, concentration, and problem-solving skills, making it harder to think and learn.
How to improve your sleep:
Eat well — don’t go to bed hungry or stuffed. Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fermented foods, and healthy oils like extra-virgin olive oil and Omega-3s to support your gut microbiome. A diverse gut microbiome usually means better sleep. The good gut bacteria help produce chemicals like serotonin, GABA, melatonin, and tryptophan that can improve sleep. Be careful with nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol since their stimulating effects can last for hours. Alcohol might make you sleepy at first, but it can disturb your sleep later.
Regular exercise can help you sleep better. Spending time outside every day also makes a difference.
Limit daytime naps to under an hour.
Create a calm sleep space. Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet. Avoid screens that emit light for at least an hour before bed. Try calming activities like a warm bath or relaxation exercises before sleeping.
Manage your worries. I use a meditation where you imagine leaving your worries on the front porch when you come inside. Don’t worry, no one will take them. Take time to calm your mind.
Find what works best for you to improve your sleep. It’s great for your health!
March is Wellness Month in Palo Pinto County.
So, let’s begin by focusing on staying mentally fit as we explore overall wellness. Through my coaching training, I became a Three-Principles Facilitator. The Three Principles—Universal Mind, Thought, and Consciousness are psychological principles that shape how we see the world around us. In this day of unprecedented events, our thoughts (often negative) whirl through our heads like a snow globe gone wild, creating constant stress. The stress response is important for us to flee from danger or be prepared to fight. It is only designed to be activated for about 30 minutes every 2-3 days. Constant activation wears down the body and mental state. It is a risk factor for most chronic diseases and can trigger anxiety and even depression. The components of the Three Principles are Universal Mind, Thoughts, and Consciousness.
Universal Mind
Today was a peaceful day. I sat by the riverbank, listening to the wind in the trees, the crows cawing, and a flock of wild geese flying overhead. As I took in the beauty of nature, I felt a warm, peaceful, loving sensation. My mind calmed from daily stress, and I connected to a place where wisdom, insight, peace, well-being, joy, and creativity live.
When God created us, he gave us a spiritual connection called the Universal Mind. It’s our inner guide to the wisdom of the Universe. Let the mind become quiet and look for a warm, peaceful feeling. That’s when answers to worries and problems come, creativity flows, and peace of mind grows. We all have access to it. It is our default setting.
Thought
From birth, we’re given the gift of thought. A constant stream of thoughts runs through our heads, all day, every day. Some are happy, some are sad, some are angry, and some are even wicked. They flow like the ticker tape on a news channel. Every thought carries a feeling. We create these thoughts, but don’t control the creation. Our sad thoughts create sad feelings. Angry thoughts evoke the feeling of anger. Happy thoughts bring happiness. We have about 70,000 thoughts a day, so most pass unnoticed unless we focus on them. Thoughts only have power if we give them power. Without our attention, they’re harmless. Remember, our thoughts shape our feelings 100% of the time. Feelings act like rumble strips on the road, warning us about our thinking. If we constantly focus on negative thoughts, then it can lead to depression or anxiety. There are great counselors in Mineral Wells who can help. Also, talk to your healthcare provider. Sometimes medication that boosts serotonin can improve well-being.
Consciousness
This is our ability to be aware of reality through our five senses, as shaped by our thoughts. For example, I used to have a 30-minute commute to work through the country. When I was present in the moment, I noticed the countryside around me, the ducks on the pond, and the wild hogs by the side of the road. When I was in my head, lost in thoughts, I don’t even remember the drive.
These three principles work together to shape our experience. Our experience doesn’t come from our past, personality, other people, or circumstances. The experience of every moment comes from within. How you use your thoughts creates the experience you have.
Be sure to share your experiences in staying mentally fit, below
Your hormones tell the story of balance inside your body. This section explores how those signals shift through midlife and how to work with them, not against them, using movement, nutrition, and stress reduction to find steady ground again.
Many conversations focus on Female Hormones, but Male hormones play an important part in Healthy Lifestyles also
Hormones are your body’s messengers. They influence energy, mood, weight, sleep, libido, temperature regulation, and more. As we age, hormonal shifts are natural, but that doesn’t mean we’re powerless in how we respond to them.
The transition through midlife, especially during perimenopause and andropause, can bring significant changes. These aren’t just about reproduction; they affect every system in the body. The key is learning to work with your changing body rather than fight it.
Understanding the Shifts
For women, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone fluctuate during perimenopause and decline after menopause. This can impact:
Mood and memory
Sleep and hot flashes.
Weight distribution and metabolism
Skin and joint comfort
Bone density and libido
For men, testosterone often declines gradually starting in midlife. This may influence:
Energy and motivation
Muscle mass and strength
Sexual function and mood
Fatigue and sleep quality
Everyone’s experience is unique. Some changes are mild; others may be disruptive. The good news is that many lifestyle factors can support hormonal balance.
Lifestyle and Food Choices That Help
Eat the right amount of protein and healthy fats to support hormone production.
Manage stress, which can suppress key hormones like testosterone and progesterone.
Move regularly, including strength training and gentle cardio.
Thyroid or adrenal function testing, which often overlap with midlife changes.
The goal is to alleviate discomfort and restore balance, allowing you to function and feel your best as you age. Aging is inevitable, but being miserable and in pain is not.
Hormonal changes are not a flaw in the system; they’re part of the natural evolution of the body. When you support your hormones instead of fearing them, you allow yourself to move through midlife with power, grace, and clarity.
Reflection:
Notice patterns in your mood, energy, and sleep this week. Do they align with your stress levels, diet, or movement? Awareness is the first step toward Hormonal balance.
Have you managed your Hormone Harmony well, as we have aged?
Share your experience below.
Let’s take a moment to learn about and appreciate your heart. Your heart is about the size of your fist and weighs roughly 10 ounces. It sits just behind and slightly to the left of your breastbone, in the center of your chest. It is protected by your breastbone and rib cage. The heart’s main job is to pump blood throughout your body. It removes the carbon dioxide waste product and picks up oxygen to deliver to the cells. The heart also works with your nervous system to control your heart rate, and your endocrine system to release hormones that tell your blood vessels when to constrict or relax.
The heart’s strong walls squeeze and relax to pump blood through your body. A muscle layer called the septum divides the heart into left and right sides. The heart is also wrapped in a protective sac that makes fluid, which helps prevent it from rubbing against other organs. Your heart has four chambers: two on the top and two on the bottom.
Right atrium: Two large veins, the superior and inferior vena cava, bring oxygen-poor blood to the right atrium. From there, the right atrium pumps this blood to the right ventricle.
Right ventricle: This chamber sends oxygen-poor blood to your lungs through the pulmonary artery. In your lungs, carbon dioxide is removed, and the blood picks up fresh oxygen.
Left atrium: This chamber receives oxygen-rich blood from the pulmonary veins and pumps it into the left ventricle.
Left ventricle: This chamber is larger and stronger than the right ventricle. It pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body.
Heart valves are small flaps that open and close to let blood flow through your heart. They also make sure blood moves in the right direction.
The coronary arteries are the first branches off the aorta, supplying oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. Other arteries branch off the aorta to carry oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body.
The heart has its own electrical system that controls the rhythm and speed of your heartbeats. The signals start at the top of the right atrium and travel down to the bottom of the ventricles.
The Heart Attack
If a coronary arteries become blocked, the heart is deprived of the oxygen-rich blood it needs to function properly. A partial blockage creates a condition known as angina. It is a short-lived pain or discomfort that occurs with increased demand, such as during exercise or extreme stress. This is a warning sign that a heart attack can happen. A heart attack is the death of the heart muscle. How bad it is depends on the location of the blockage and how much heart muscle the artery supplies.
For example:
John left work with bad indigestion. He tried taking antacids, but they didn’t help. Soon, the pain spread down his arm. Alone at home, he worried the ambulance would take too long, so he drove himself to the emergency room. He felt a bit dizzy while driving, and the dizziness got worse as he reached the ER parking lot. He remembers getting out of the car, but nothing after that. The switchboard operator, watching the parking lot camera, saw John pass out and quickly alerted the emergency room staff. The doctor and two nurses rushed out. John was in cardiac arrest, so they started CPR and put him on a stretcher to bring him inside. The heart monitor showed he was in ventricular fibrillation, meaning his heart was quivering instead of pumping blood. They used a defibrillator, but his heart rhythm didn’t change. After giving him epinephrine and using the defibrillator again, his heart finally returned to a normal rhythm. The EKG showed he was having a heart attack. John was stabilized and sent to a larger hospital for advanced care. Doctors found that his main coronary artery, which supplies blood to the left side of his heart, was blocked, so they performed a procedure to restore blood flow.
John was very fortunate that day.
Many people ignore or deny heart attack symptoms for about two hours before calling 911. Most cardiac arrests happen during this time.
John managed to reach the hospital before passing out, and the switchboard operator noticed when he collapsed in the parking lot. When the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen, dangerous heart rhythms can happen. If this had happened while he was driving, he could have crashed.
If John had called 911, the ambulance team would have brought oxygen, medicine, and equipment to lower his risk of cardiac arrest.
Signs and symptoms of a heart attack include:
Chest pain or discomfort that feels like crushing, squeezing, heaviness, or even bad indigestion.
Pain in the neck, arm, jaw, or back.
Shortness of breath.
Sweating, nausea, or feeling lightheaded.
If you notice any of these symptoms, call 911 right away.
And remember, typically, in men, symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain or discomfort, arm, neck, jaw, or back pain, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, or lightheadedness. Women may or may not have these symptoms. They may experience tiredness that won’t go away or feels excessive, anxiety, dizziness, palpitations. Many women attribute these symptoms to less life-threatening conditions such as acid reflux, the flu, or normal aging.
Please share this article with your friends,
and comment below to share any personal experiences
February is Love Your Heart Month. Friday, February 6th, is Wear Red for Women and Heart Disease Day! Over 60 million women in the United States are living with some form of heart disease. It is the Number 1 killer of women in the United States.
Heart disease affects women of all ages. Addressing heart health at every life stage can improve the quality of life and overall health. In the United States, Black women have a higher prevalence and morbidity from cardiovascular disease than non-Black women do. Women have a lower risk of heart disease until after menopause due to estrogen protection; however, Women in their 30s can have serious blockages. Especially if they have a history of diabetes, obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, smoking, increased stress, or family history.
According to the American Heart Association, one of the biggest discoveries in the past 10 years is the link between pregnancy complications and heart disease and stroke risk. Now we know that if a woman has gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, or eclampsia during pregnancy, that they are a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life.
Typically, in men, symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain or discomfort, arm, neck, jaw, or back pain, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, or lightheadedness. Women may or may not have these symptoms. They may experience tiredness that won’t go away or feels excessive, anxiety, dizziness, palpitations. Many women attribute these symptoms to less life-threatening conditions such as acid reflux, the flu, or normal aging.
Lifestyle factors that decrease risk include:
Don’t smoke. Just one year after you quit, you will cut your risk of coronary heart disease by 50%
Eat a heart-healthy diet, such as the DASH or Mediterranean diet, that includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, lean proteins, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nuts and seeds. Decrease sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day (1 teaspoon). Fresh (not canned) fruits and vegetables are low in sodium and aren’t counted in the 2,300 mg.
Engage in moderate intensity exercise for 30 minutes a day.
Carve out time every day to decrease your stress. Get 7 to 8 hours of good quality sleep.
Talk with your provider about your risk of cardiovascular disease and how you can lower it.
The risk of heart disease for women increases significantly after age 40, often rising after menopause due to the loss of estrogen’s protective effects.
Older women are more likely to suffer from heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), or diastolic heart failure.
Take a few minutes and watch this informative Video
Be sure to share your experiences in the comment section
and also share this page with your friends.
right atrium pumps this blood to the right ventricle.
