health and welness

how stress affects your heart!

/ healthbuddymelissa / 1 Comment

Welcome to Thursday! If you have been reading along then you know I have been talking about Stress the whole month of April. There are still 8 more days in April, which means you can still grab one of my free coaching sessions related to Stress. Last week I discussed how Stress affects your kidneys. Today, I am going to discuss how Stress affects your heart.

Stress is a silent and insidious killer. What do I mean by that. I mean the affects of Stress can go unnoticed or taken as something else and it the results can be slow. I already discussed some of the effects caused by Stress such as increased heart rate, faster breathing, and higher blood pressure. But, what do these symptoms do to your heart?

Long term Stress and Anxiety can increase your risk of getting Heart Disease. Stress, by increasing Cortisol is meant to help us deal with fear, but when that fear response is chronic Stress and Anxiety can be the result. Stress also can increase your Cholesterol and even blood sugar levels in the blood. If Stress goes untreated the heart can start to show signs of chronic Stress such as lower oxygen to the heart, decreased blood flow to the heart, increased risk of clots.

Some signs that you may be too stressed are lack of good sleep, aches and pains, decreased energy, moodiness, impatience, memory issues or forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, headaches, stomach upset, and possibly others.

Below you will find a few good videos that explains how Stress can affect your heart. If you would like to learn to manage your Stress to decrease your risk of Heart Disease, click here, or use the contact information at the end of this post to message me about my Health Coaching options.

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National kidney month: Better food choices

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March is National Kidney Month and each Thursday I will be sharing some older posts to help you make better food choices to prevent Kidney Disease and may also slow the progression of Kidney Disease. If you read my post from Monday then you know I have gotten back to stage 2 and I am so excited about that. That doesn’t mean I can slack off. I want it to stay there. Strict eating lifestyles are very hard to stick with and you will have days, or weeks where you fall off the wagon and need to get back on. But, in the long run all that hard work will hopefully pay off. One of my main reasons for becoming a Health Coach, and starting this blog, is to raise awareness about Kidney Disease both prevention and treatment. If I am able to help even one person than I am happy.

  1. I have probably talked about this ad nauseum by now, but decreasing your salt intake is one of the healthiest things you can do for your kidneys. I have to add for your heart and blood pressure as well. The typical Western Diet has way too much added salt, or sodium. The two best ways to do this are learn to cook at home with lots of different spices to add flavor instead of salt, and reduce your processed/fast food intake. Learning to read labels and takeout menus will make you more aware of exactly how much sodium is in a serving and what a serving is. 140 mg of sodium, or less per serving, is considered acceptable. Just be sure to stick to a serving. Here are some of my articles on sodium: https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2019/03/04/sodium/, https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2019/03/06/how-does-salt-effect-kidneys/. Using vinegar on your food can add the flavor of salt without salt. The same is true for lemon juice. Try to use unsalted butter if you must choose butter.
  2. Reduce the amount of fat you are eating and use proper portion control. This is good for heart health as well as kidney health. Again, I go back to cooking at home and avoiding processed/fast food options as the best ways to help lower your fat intake. But, you have to be aware of other ways fats can sneak in in subtle ways, such as gravy, sauces, butter, cooking oil, etc. Maintaining a healthy body weight can also come under this tip. Losing weight when you already have kidney disease can be very difficult due to the metabolic issues associated with it. Likewise if you are underweight, gaining weight may be your goal to help your kidney disease, your heart, and your brain. Choosing lower fat options of dairy products is optimal. Just be sure and check how much sugar is added because fat was removed, especially if you have Diabetes. Here are some of my articles on this topic: https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2019/10/30/wellness-wednesday-transfats-and-alzheimers-disease/, https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2021/02/15/portion-distortion-hot-dogs/, https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2021/01/04/portion-distortion-potato-chips/, https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2020/11/09/my-meatless-week-in-review-and-pizza-portion-distortion/, https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2020/11/02/portion-distortion-ice-cream/, https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2020/08/03/portion-distortion-red-meat/, https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2020/09/23/portion-distortion-how-have-portions-changed-through-the-years/, https://healthbuddymelissa.coach/2020/08/11/is-sugar-evil-and-addicting/.
  3. If you already have Kidney Disease, Heart Disease, or Diabetes, know your limits and follow them. Keep a food journal to help you keep track. I use my Fitbit to keep track of my calories, fat intake, and protein intake. I have also added a sodium tracker, though I don’t use it as much as I used to. You kind of will get used to how much salt is in what foods. I use an app called Nutrition Facts to get a better understanding of how much Phosphorus is in certain foods. It took me four years to finally figure out how much protein my body needed to function at optimal level but still protect my kidney. I don’t have Potassium restrictions, but if you do that same app I shared can help you. There are some other kidney apps but I did not find them user friendly. If you don’t have a smart phone the website Eat This Much, a pen and paper can help you journal what you eat and how much.

There are many other articles in my archives, besides the ones I shared. Browse through them and see if there is anything that can help you. If you would like to learn more about my Health Buddy Melissa Coaching Service, use the contact form at the end of this post to message me for a free health assessment and evaluation after via email. Any questions can be posted in the comments, or again use the contact form.

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Freebie for Moms for Month of May

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Happy Wednesday!  As promised I am announcing my May freebie early, so moms can start signing up.  For the month of May Moms can request one free 15 minute Distance Reiki session.  I am a level 2 Reiki practitioner.  Reiki is a form of Energy Healing.  I will not be starting the sessions until May 1st, but people can start signing up now and getting appointments made.  I will be limiting myself to doing 2 sessions a day, for a total of 60 sessions.  So, that is 60 Moms who can get in on this special offer.  Please follow the guidelines below.  If you do not you will not be able to get the freebie.  Obviously, the point of me doing a free item each month, is to get people introduced to me, and my products.  You will have to follow the steps to get it.

1-  Please be honest and be sure you are a mom.  It doesn’t matter if you are a stepmom, adopted mom, or biological mom, but you must be a mom.  Don’t worry dads will get a chance in June.

2-  You must use the form in this post to contact me and request your free Distance Reiki Session.  Make sure you mention that you want to sign up for the free session.  Within 48 hours I will contact you via email to arrange your session.  You must agree to my disclaimer, and supply a headshot of yourself for the session. This is a must.  It is how I was taught to do a distance session.   If you do not want to do either of those things then please don’t sign up.  I will also explain how to prepare for your session, and what Reiki is and is not.  I will delete all images after your session is over.

3-  By filling out the contact form you are agreeing to receive my weekly newsletter, via email.

4-  Moms can sign up through the end of May, or until I have 60 sessions booked and verified.  You can stay on a wait-list for when I offer the next one, but you can’t opt out of my newsletter to stay on the waitlist.

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Mindful Monday: Mindful Yoga

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Updated 4/12/2021 Below is an easy, slow Yoga practice video.  Once you learn the Yoga moves it would make sense to me to do your Mindful Yoga with soft gentle music, nature noises, or no noise.  Incorporating breathing exercises, with your Yoga would also be an awesome way to do Mindful Yoga.  Remember with Mindfulness you are being in the present with whatever is happening in your day, not avoiding it. It is a way to deal with the triggers and stressors of everyday life.   That would be more of a Meditation Yoga.  If you would like a Guided Imagery to listen to while you do Yoga, use the contact form below to message me for pricing and details. I have a certification in Guided Imagery. The Guided Imagery will be created specifically for you, with your needs and preferences. I will need to gather some information to create a personal Guided Imagery mp4 file for you. There are tons of free Guided Imagery videos on Youtube if you would rather try a free version.

April 2021 is Stress Awareness Month, on this blog. Mindful Yoga and or Guided Imagery are two great ways to help relieve stress. I am giving away 10 coaching sessions in April. If you would like to learn more, click here. You can always use the contact form to email me with any questions.

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Health Tip on Tuesday

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Walking is a great way to get in some exercise. Plus, it helps to relieve stress, improve balance, strengthens muscles, and so much more. Mindful Walking, ie being in the moment is a great way to stimulate your senses. Notice what you see, hear, smell, feel and taste. Pay attention to your breathing, and how you are feeling as your feet hit the ground.

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