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Heart Health

Matters Of The Heart

**This post was written as part of my partnership with BAYER, however it’s as open as I’ve been in awhile.**

In the last week I have eaten ribs, cheeseburgers, fried chicken, chips, soda, more chips and pizza. This is not the path I had set out for myself a year ago when I decided to start taking my health more seriously. That venture had actually started out pretty well, too, as I had been going to the gym regularly and started eating healthier at work.

So what happened? The truth is that I have no idea. While I was doing those things I was feeling great about it. I was enjoying competing in the Fitbit challenges with my friends, my running was bringing me a lot of joy and confidence, and I even hired a personal trainer for a little while. I can’t even remember why I stopped. Usually it’s either because I get sick and derail very quickly or get too busy with work and then get complacent afterward. You can’t deny that it feels good to curl up on the couch to binge watch through your favourite series. I just happen to take that to the ultimate extreme and give up on fitness altogether.

The reason I keep coming back to it though, is that now I have a family to raise and who look to me for a positive example of how you are supposed to live. I should mention at this point that most of the eating of junk I mentioned of the top is done either at work of when the kids are in school as I try not to let them see that side of their dad’s behaviour. Yeah, I know, that’s kind of sad in itself but I share it with you only so you know that through all the happy photos and moments I share, there is also a deep struggle.

I recently had my yearly physical and let’s just say that, outside of this week’s debacle, I have been slowly taking steps to try to reverse the damage I have caused over the last couple years. The aches and pains have started to creep up on me and as a closet hypochondriac, it’s only a matter of time before the anxiety starts kicking in again. With February being Heart Month in Canada, and due to the aforementioned hypochondria, I spent some time reading about the heart.

I found this very cool infographic that showed 11 Fascinating Facts About The Human Heart that’s worth taking a look at. Also, while you may not like to think about it, but it’s also important to be able to recognize a heart attack, which is what happens when a part of the heart muscle isn’t getting enough blood flow. Symptoms vary by individual; common ones include:

• Chest discomfort
• Upper body discomfort (including discomfort in the arms, jaw, neck and back)
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating and nausea
• Light-headedness

Aspirin 81mg Tablets

Another interesting thing I read is that in the case of a heart attack, the longer you wait, the more damage to the heart muscle can occur, so you should make sure you seek immediate treatment. If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911 then crush or chew two ASPIRIN® 81mg tablets – it could save your life. ASPIRIN® 81mg is approved in Canada for emergency use during a heart attack. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.

So here I sit, tired and overweight, realizing that I’m googling “symptoms of heart attack” and wondering if this will be the wake-up call I need to get my butt in gear. Time will tell but I have a good feeling about it.

**Disclosure. I was compensated for my participation in the Bayer Bloggers program.**

GoodLife iHeartExercise Healthy Heart Challenge

Join The #iHeartExercise Challenge With GoodLife Fitness!

Around this time last year is when I decided that I was tired of feeling sore, tired and lazy all the time and decided to something about it. I teamed up with GoodLife Fitness to give myself the jumpstart I needed and while there are still days where I don’t feel like picking my butt up off the couch, overall I am much more active than I was. I definitely feel a lot better than I did 365 days ago.

Well, February is Heart Month all across Canada and GoodLife, in partnership with the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, will be running a 29 Day Healthy Heart Challenge on Facebook throughout the month. This will consist of a daily challenge, along with exercise tips, recipe ideas, suggestions for reducing stress and getting better sleep, and advice for preventing heart disease and stroke.

If you are looking for a boost to get you started and don’t want to jump all in right away, GoodLife’s Healthy Heart Challenge could be exactly what you are looking for. Simply head over to the GoodLife Facebook Page and get started! I promise you that you will feel better about yourself after only a few challenges. You really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking small steps towards a healthier you.

You can share these daily tips with your social network through Facebook and Twitter all month long using the #iHeartExercise hashtag. And, if you have a friend whose heart you care for, bring them in during GoodLife’s Open House. From February 15 – 19 every Canadian has the opportunity to work on their heart health in their local GoodLife club!

PS – It’s going to be hard but that’s what makes it worth doing!!

GoodLife Fitness Prize Pack

Win a 3 Month GoodLife Fitness Membership & Prize Pack!

To celebrate Heart Month and the fact that I am now officially a member at GoodLife Fitness, I am teaming up with GoodLife to give away a 3 month membership along with the prize pack shown above.

This February, GoodLife Fitness has teamed up with the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre to host the Healthy Heart Challenge to help keep your heart pumping!

Throughout the month, challenge participants will be encouraged to get CardioStrong through:

– daily cardiac stats and trends

– advice from a team of cardiologist and dieticians about preventing heart disease and stroke

– fitness tips and exercise ideas from GoodLife experts

– recipe ideas and nutrition tips to lower your risks

– suggestions for reducing stress and getting better sleep

As you complete the challenges, make sure you share your accomplishments and photos on social media using the #IHeartExercise hashtag. A lot of people won’t admit it but reading their friends journey to healthier lifestyles can be a striog motivator to get healthy themselves.

Giveaway

To get you started on the right foot, I am giving away a GoodLife Prize Pack that includes 1 GoodLife Fitness gym bag, a 3-month GoodLife Fitness membership, 1 branded water bottle and an #IHeartExercise t-shirt (various sizes available). The value of this prize pack is estimated at $250.

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below telling me what your biggest obstacle is on your journey to becoming a healthier you. The giveaway closes Feb 28th and is open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec. Good Luck and don’t forget to join the Healthy Heart Challenge on Facebook!