" A healthy heart " - Kristy

I decided to share an article I found that has some very useful tips! Enjoy!


5 Foods to Prevent Heart Disease user
by DietsInReview from This Author » Report Abuse By Rebecca Scritchfield MA, RD, LD

In case you hadn't heard, February is American Heart Month, an initiative to raise awareness about heart disease and stroke, the number one killer in the U.S.

Eating a healthy diet can be a key method of preventing heart disease. We're highlighting five heart-healthy foods that can literally save your health. We recognize that these are not the only five foods that protect your heart, but they stand out as star performers and great additions to any diet.

1. Garlic: This herb is ideal for heart health. Numerous studies have shown the potential benefits of regular garlic consumption on blood pressure, platelet aggregation, serum triglyceride level, and cholesterol levels – all of which keep your heart performing. Garlic also makes a great seasoning for food so you can greatly reduce salt.

2. Salmon: Make the swap from a saturated fat burger to a salmon fillet. While some saturated fat is fine, a little goes a long way. The average cheeseburger has more than half a day worth of the artery clogging fat, which will increase your risk for a heart attack. Conversely, salmon lowers that risk thanks to heart healthy fats. Omega-3s can prevent erratic heart rhythms, reduce likelihood of blood clots inside arteries, improve the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, and prevent cholesterol from becoming damaged, at which point it clogs arteries.

3. Berries and Cherries: Props must be given to nature’s candy. These sweet treats are high in polyphenols, which prevent cell damage that creates unhealthy blood vessels and heart. During the winter, opt for frozen berries. Try thawing a bag of frozen strawberries in the refrigerator. Then, add unsweetened, steel-cut oatmeal with the berries their juice and your heart will say thanks with each beat.

4. Quinoa: Often mistaken as a grain, this tiny sprouted seed is an excellent source of magnesium, the mineral that relaxes blood vessels. Low dietary levels of magnesium lead to some scary health issues like increased rates of hypertension, ischemic heart disease and heart arrhythmias. Quinoa cooks quickly and makes great leftovers. Toss with grilled veggies and roasted chicken for a delicious one-pot dinner, or try this Red Curry Quinoa recipe.

5. Hot Cocoa: You read right! Hot cocoa is brimming with antioxidants – two-times more than red wine and three times more than green tea. The cool February temperatures are no match for a mug of hot cocoa. My tip: since hot chocolate mixes are full of sugar, use 100% cocoa and combine with a teaspoon of sugar. Plus you'll sweeten with the natural sugars in the milk.

A story by Lauren Fristsky about an extraordinary girl - Monica

Article credit: Lauren Fristsky
See original article: Lemondrop.com

Super Woman -- Kiera Brinkley, Quadruple Amputee Dancer
Dancing is one activity Kiera Brinkley "shouldn't" be able to do.

In a wheelchair since a quadruple amputation at age 2, the 16-year-old has nonetheless stricken the word "disability" from her vocabulary to pursue a dance career. Recently she proved just how able she is by performing at Juilliard, the prestigious New York City arts school.

Why We Love Her: As a toddler, Brinkley, of Portland, Ore., contracted an infection called pneumococcosis and lost her arms and legs. That didn't stop her from learning to love to dance, especially to R&B music. While she's worked with coaches, she usually choreographs her own routines, which include some pretty intense acrobatic moves.

Brinkley became involved in the Dream Factory, a nonprofit organization in Oregon that helps sick children live their dreams. The organization helped coordinate her week-long stay at Juilliard, where Brinkley sat in on classes and performed for students. She also taught her routine to students there, said Tricia Batchler, the student volunteer at the Dream Factory who worked with Brinkley.

"I am in a wheelchair, but it's not stopping me," Kiera told a reporter.

An Inspiring Quote - by Kristy

"I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles"- Audrey Hepburn

Be Yourself - by Monica

“You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.” –Winston Churchill

This week was definitely no walk in the park, but it also taught me an important lesson.

People will talk bad about you. You will have people walk out of your life when you did nothing wrong. You will help people who, in your deepest time of need, won’t be there for you in return.

That happened to me this week. And it was tempting to change who I was. It was tempting to harden my heart and stop being so open to people so I wouldn’t be hurt like that again.

But, this week alone, I saw five of my true friends. Every single one of them was there for me. Every single one of them was worried about me. They all loved me for who I was.

Don’t help others in hopes of a reward. Because a reward is not guaranteed. Help people because you want to help them be happy, if only for a moment. Some people are selfish and won’t repay you, but that’s not why you should do it. You’re bound to be disappointed if you do it for that reason. I regret to say, with one person who took me for granted, I was tempted to stop helping others. But, if everyone who was disappointed stopped helping altogether, no one would help at all anymore.

I realized that, for that one person who took me for granted, there were so many other people who did appreciate it.

If you try to help hundreds of people and only help one, then it was worth it.

And never ever change who you are for anyone. Because if you do, you won’t be happy with yourself. And if you do, you will never know who your true friends are.

If you lose friends because of who you are…well, that’s their loss.

You are the one person in your life who you know will never leave you. So be the kind of person you can be proud of and stop worrying what other people think of that person.

I learned that the world is always trying to knock the good out of people. And I know that I for one won’t let it knock the goodness out of me.

The Hindu Bhagavad Gita said that we have a duty to realize our full potential in the world and to construct or discover a unique individuality. Don’t settle or change your individuality for others.

"Some Great Ways to Stress Less" - by Kristy

Everyone is prone to stress from time to time in life. However, there are often simple things you can do to help stress less. Some obvious stress relievers are: getting extra sleep, exercising, and eating right.

But according to an article on Yahoo.com there are some changes you can make you might not have thought about before.

Consider this checklist:
Before you go to sleep, prepare for the morning.
Don’t wear tight clothes or uncomfortable shoes.
Make a list.
Listen to a favorite song.
Keep extra cash and stamps in the house.
Be polite and be fair.
Laugh out loud.
Have a good book to read.
Keep an extra set of keys.
Always keep your passport in the same place.
Throw something away.
Don’t say mean things about other people.
Put a Bandaid in your wallet.
Keep gas in the car.
Pay attention to someone else.
Make your bed.

I personally love doing yoga to keep my mind balanced and life less stressed. My yoga teacher always says, "stress is when you resist what is." What are some of your favorite ways to resist stress?

Link to story: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/20-very-easy-tips-for-lowering-your-daily-stress-level-566834/#comments

To Save a Life - by Monica

I recently interviewed Jon Russo, who graduated two years before I did from my alma mater Notre Dame Prep, for the alumni magazine distributed a couple times per year.

My inspirational news for this week is actually about a movie that will be released a week from today on Jan. 22.

How does an alumnus from my school have anything to do with this movie, you may ask?

Well, Russo is now a hip-hop artist under the alias J-Rus (you can listen to his music here). And one of his songs is actually one of the background tracks for the movie’s preview (the first song in the preview). He will be traveling to L.A. on Thursday to help promote the movie.

This movie isn’t a typical movie that I usually see in previews. This movie isn’t a typical “boy-meets-girl” movie, boy falls in love with girl, the end. It’s not a typical “shoot ‘em up” movie with blowing up stuff as the central special effect. Nor is it a mindless comedy where each joke has various body parts as the central theme of the joke. No, this is a movie that’s premise is teaching people to be nicer to their fellow human being. It’s a movie that teaches us not to judge others based on whether or not they are considered “cool” or a “loser.”

Each one of us has the power to make someone feel like they belong. Each one of us has the power to save a life.

This is the central theme of the movie.

Most movies I see have very predictable story lines where money, fame, and good looks are much of the focus.

This movie is more than that.

It’s appropriately called “To Save a Life.” It is a movie about an all-star sports player in high school whose childhood friend committed suicide. The movie centers around the effect this had on the main character’s life and how he, in turn, would sacrifice his dreams to help save the lives of others.

Not only is this movie an inspiration, but Russo, who I spoke about in the beginning of this blog post, also makes it his goal to be an inspiration to his peers. He spoke time and time again that, if you have a dream, you just need to reach for it. Anything is possible.

“When you have destiny knocking at your heart’s door 24/7, you can’t run away from it. You have to pursue it with everything you’ve got,” Russo said.

As Russo has demonstrated in his own life, if you work hard enough, the dreams that some people may doubt can definitely become a reality.

"Go for the Gold" - by Kristy

The Winter 2010 Olympic Games are getting set to take place in Vancouver, Canada. The games will last Feb 12-28. The Olympic games are a great symbol of world unity as we get to watch some of the greatest athletes from across the globe compete.

The colors of the Olympic rings represent the unity of the 5 continents: Australia, Africa, America,Asia and Europe. The white flag the rings are on is symbolic of peace throughout the games.

What is your favorite part of the the olympics?


For more information check out the offical website here - http://www.vancouver2010.com/

Harmony Dust's story - by Monica

I read this passage from the book Warrior Chicks by Holly Wagner, and it definitely inspired me. It shows that you really can overcome anything. Everyone has a story to tell in this world, and sometimes others cross our paths that either make our lives so much harder or change our lives for the better forever. I think when we come in contact with others, we should try our best to be the latter. Treat others with respect instead of using them. It will make a world of a difference in their lives. People are not objects, and when you treat them like they are, it makes a lasting impact. But a woman named Harmony, that Wagner writes about, overcame the way she was treated in her past and used her past in order to inspire others with the help of a girl she met when she was 21. She shows that it’s never too late to change and to use your past experiences to help others going through similar experiences. Use your regrets and past hurts to grow instead of to smother you. Use them to try and keep others from going through it too and to make others feel less alone.

“My friend Harmony…was just three when she was exposed to pornography. When she was five, she was molested by two women. When she was seven, she was molested by an older boy. When she was eight, her drug-addict mother was almost killed by a man who broke into their home and beat her with brass knuckles. When she was 13, her mother’s boyfriend began pursuing her sexually. She started running away from home. The boyfriend moved out and her mom followed him, leaving her alone with her 8-year-old brother for 3 months. When she was 14, she was raped by her ex-boyfriend. More than once. In fact, so many times that she stopped fighting him. As a result of the attacks, she was kicked out of school for having sex on campus. The school staff made an announcement over the PA system, telling everything why she had been kicked out. The rumor around school was that she was having an orgy and filming a porno movie in the auditorium. Her reputation had been formed and followed her all the way to college.

When she was 16, her boyfriend was shot in the head. She tried to cut her wrists. When she was 19, some guy at college told her that she should become a stripper to solve her financial problems. She didn’t want to. She made an appointment with one of her psychology professors to seek advice. She looked up to him and hoped he would tell her not to do it. He said, ‘You might as well do it. It’s not like you have to add it to your resume.’

So she began stripping. While still going to school, she worked as an assistant teacher by day and a stripper by night. She finally ended up quitting her day job. Her psychology professor came to the club and had one of his friends ask her to do a table dance for him. She was finally convinced that all men were sick and perverted.

Her boyfriend got another girl pregnant. The pregnant girl moved in with them.
When she was 20, she started sleeping with women. One of her girlfriends moved in with her, her boyfriend and the boyfriend’s other girlfriend!

When she was 21, she met a girl in ballet class and developed a friendship. This girl invited her to church. She went. She encountered a love that took her breath away, and she pursued a relationship with God. She began to understand her worth and value. She went to recovery classes and Bible studies.

She quit stripping.

When she was 23, she graduated with a B.A. in psychology.

When she was 26, she married a man who adored her, who treated her with the love and dignity any daughter of a King should know.

When she was 27, she started a master’s degree program. And she started a group called Treasures out of Darkness. The group of girls from our church goes into strip clubs, taking gifts to the dancers and demonstrating the love of God. Many of the dancers, upon encountering Harmony and the girls of the Treasures, begin the journey toward understanding their value. Many have left the club life.

Harmony was a victim of so much pain that it breaks my heart.

She survived. Now she is an overcomer. In the very arena in which the enemy tried to destroy her, she is now leading others to freedom. I love that.

Victim. Survivor. Overcomer. Who you were. Who you are. Who you are destined to be.”

For more information on Harmony’s group Treasures out of Darkness visit iamatreasure.com

No matter what your faith or what you believe, wouldn’t you rather be the person that brings people up instead of the one who brings them down?

"Helpful Tips" - by Kristy

Today I decided to share a story I found on Yahoo! News. A helpful article with tips for getting your life in order for the new year! Giving yourself the chance to make improvements is always important!

use the link below to read the article:

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/newyear/resolve-to-get-your-life-in-order-in-2010-556006/

2010

Happy New Year’s – the start of a new decade!!! We hope it’s a great year for everyone!