Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Quote of the Day


 It's motive alone that gives character to the actions of men. 
~Jean de la Bruyere

Friday, March 22, 2013

Article Share -American Heart Association


How Important Is Cardiovascular Research Funding? Ask Chris Morgan

FAIRVIEW SYSTEM, MARCH 20, 2013
 
Research made possible by funding from the American Heart Association Heart Walk matters to heart patients like Chris Morgan, who suffered a life-threatening aortic dissection last year.
If you ever wondered how vital cardiovascular research funding is to our patients, just ask Chris Morgan.

The 43-year-old Farmington father of three suffered an aortic dissection last spring—a life-threatening condition that placed a 28-inch tear in his aorta.

The expert care Chris received at Fairview Ridges Hospital and University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview saved his life and put him on the road to recovery.

On May 4, when Fairview walkers arrive at Target Field for the American Heart Association Heart Walk, they can be proud that hundreds of patients like Chris benefit from their fundraising efforts. 


A 'busload of tingles'Chris, who coaches the Eagan High School swim team, recalls feeling a “busload of tingles” throughout his body last year at his team's banquet. He felt ill, but kept going for another three hours.

After the event, when Chris handed the car keys to his wife, Amy, she knew there was something seriously wrong. She drove him to Fairview Ridges Hospital's Emergency Department, where Molly Mattson, RN, whose child is on the Eagan swim team, was starting her shift.

Under the direction of John Houghland, MD, Chris underwent a battery of tests to determine what was wrong. Realizing time was of the essence, John had Chris flown to University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

Once there, Chris was in surgery within an hour to repair the aortic dissection, led by yet another Eagan swim parent, Herbert Ward, MD.

The surgery was successful, and Chris was able to return to work seven weeks later. Chris credits his Fairview care team for having a positive effect on his attitude and overall prognosis. 

“The Fairview doctors working with me at Ridges and at University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview are very educated about my condition,” Chris says. “I feel very well provided and cared for, and that means a lot to me.”


Walking to make a differenceChris’ story reminds us that research funding raised at the American Heart Association's May 4 Heart Walk and March of Dimes' April 28 March for Babies make a difference in people's lives.

To donate and make a difference in someone's life please copy and paste the following link:
http://twincitiesheartwalk.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1033008&lis=0&kntae1033008=162AED6FED864CA5901BE6E056213DFA

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Today's Scenic View


While you walk along the path
     enjoy the scenery
          for it changes quickly...

Saturday, March 16, 2013

American Heart Walk

Good Morning Health is Spiritual Fans!  This May I will be participating in the American Heart Walk in my hometown.  My personal goal is to raise $1000.  I know that may seem like a lot, but the money spent is worth it if it means saving a life.  Here are some interesting statistics on heart disease:

The Plus Side:
3% of Americans are thought to have optimum cardiovascular health, according to a recent study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for which researchers questioned more than 350,000 people nationwide about their body mass index, cholesterol levels, fruit and vegetable consumption, and more. but the findings weren't all doom and gloom. For instance, if you're between the ages of 35-54, you're in the bracket most likely to have an "ideal" ticker.
Edelstein, Julia "Real Simple" (2013)


The Burden:


  • About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.1
  • Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. More than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2009 were in men.1
  • Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing more than 385,000 peopleannually.1
  • Every year about 935,000 Americans have a heart attack. Of these, 610,000 are a first heart attack. 325,000 happen in people who have already had a heart attack.2
  • Coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $108.9 billion each year.3 This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.
CDC-DHDSP "Heart Disease Facts"


No One is Safe:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most ethnicities in the United States, including African Americans, Hispanics, and whites. For American Indians or Alaska Natives and Asians or Pacific Islanders, heart disease is second only to cancer. Below are the percentages of all deaths caused by heart disease in 2008, listed by ethnicity.4
Race of Ethnic Group% of Deaths
African Americans24.5
American Indians or Alaska Natives18.0
Asians or Pacific Islanders23.2
Hispanics20.8
Whites25.1
All25.0



Please visit my pledge page and donate.  Even if it's only $1.00. Let's work together to create a better, heart healthier country!  Let's rid that map of all that red!

http://twincitiesheartwalk.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1033008&supid=379205584

Friday, March 15, 2013

Quote of the Day


 Your work is to discover your work and then with all you heart to give yourself to it. 
                       
                               ~Buddha

Friday, March 8, 2013

Setting Goals to Build an Outstanding Life


Setting goals is a part of human nature.  We all at some point in our lives have looked a head and said to ourselves: "I want to be there!" where ever there was.  At some point in our lives we lose track of those goals, we get busy, life just seems to get in the way.  How do we refocus on what we need to do in order to accomplish what we saw as something worth our time and effort to reach for, to achieve?

Becoming a goal accomplisher should start first with a goal, but more than that it starts with making a goal oriented life.  What do I mean by a goal oriented life?  A goal oriented life should be one that allows you to focus on a lot of mini-goals that will ultimately allow you to achieve the bigger goals.  Many mini-accomplishments can snow-ball your momentum and confidence for reaching higher then you may have thought possible.
Think of one goal or one thing that you have always dreamed about doing, or becoming, a career you have always wanted to try.  Now what steps would you have to take to see that goal come to fruition?  Depending upon your thought, the steps could be a daunting amount.

Let's say for example: your goal is to run in the Boston marathon.  If you've never run in your life this can seem like a very scary, almost impossible dream.  Yet if you turn this dream into a set of mini-goals you will find yourself one day standing at the starting line of the Boston marathon surrounded by the hundreds of thousands of other runners, and a feeling of accomplishment will follow you over the finish line.

How to turn a big dream into mini-goals:
  1. determine what your goal or achievement is
  2. set a date in the future that will allow you the time to appropriately complete any steps that may be required
  3. research what is needed to get to your goal's finish line
  4. set your mini-goals up in easily achievable increments (cont. with our marathon example).
    • talk to a health care professional about your health and any issues that might be present that could result in injury or failure
    • read some running literature to educate yourself on the many different styles of running 
    • find a good pair of shoes that work for you (only use them for your running training sessions)
    • if you've never run, first see if you can walk a mile, 2 miles, or even a 5K.
    • ask for running assistance from friends that run or find a running coach
    • run your first mile, your first 5K
    • actually run in a public event
    • increase speed, time, and distance always striving for further, longer, and just a little bit faster (no one's going to be disappointed with you if you don't beat the Boston marathon time record on your first attempt)
    • Once these mini-goals have been accomplished keep training and sign up for the big day.  Get your airline tickets and hotel accommodations.  If you invest that much money in the event it makes it harder to back out.
But why set goals in the first place:

"If you don't have a goal in life, you are spending your life running around and not achieving anything for yourself." ~Bill Copeland

Our whole existence as humans is to achieve something, even if it's nothing more than to live.  While the achievement of just living is much easier now than it was say one hundred or even a thousand years ago we have lost touch I think with what it meant to really work at just living.  We need goals, we need something to look forward to, something to strive for it is a part of our nature.  By acknowledging them through journaling or blogging about them can help give you clarity about what it really is that you are attempting to achieve.  Goals are a representation of our desires and ideas of what it means to be in a better place or a better version of ourselves.  Having a physical reference (yes even a blog is physical) allows you to go back and remind yourself what you want to do which can help you maintain focus.  Blogging about your goals, especially on a public forum, makes you accountable.  Not only do you become more aware that you have slipped out of the energy expenditure required for your goal but those who follow along are aware as well.

Finally -and this is important: 

Goals force you to strive out of your comfort zone and into new life experiences that broaden the mind and can enlighten the spirit.  Even if you feel that you have already accomplished all that you ever wanted, setting even little goals that force you to experience the best that life has to offer can make your life outstanding!

"Goals ensure you get the best out of life, for two reasons.
Firstly, by becoming a better person, your new found knowledge and abilities let you experience more out of the same life events compared to the previous you. Think about how your worldview is different now vs the you 10 years ago. Do you see life with much more clarity, depth and perspective today than you were in the past? What may be a simple daily occurrence in the past holds a lot more meaning to the more highly evolved you today.
Secondly, time passes in our life, whether we want to or not. Goals with specific measures and deadlines ensure we are maximizing our output and experiences during our time here. If you have already discovered your life purpose, your goals will ensure you get the best out of your purpose" (Celes: on Jan 19, 2009).

Personally I have monthly goals right now that I blog about (clearly not here, so now you know where all my blogging time goes).  Since I started these goals last June I have noticed a dramatic change in my outlook on life.  Yes there are down falls, and yes there are times when it can seem that the goal is too lofty or to difficult to reach; but then sometimes it really is the little things that get you going and matter the most; and sometimes we need those little reminders, that gentle push of our dreams calling to us from our future to remind us we have purpose.

Reference:
Celes (Jan 19, 2009). 6 Important Reasons Why You Should Set Goals. http://personalexcellence.co/blog/6-important-reasons-why-you-should-set-goals/