11 Ways to Live Longer!

One of my favorite websites - Med Help has 11 tips to a longer live!

Check it out! Med Help - 11 Surprising Ways to Live Longer!

Some of my favorites are:

Boost your berry intake!  More Strawberries & Blueberries!  I like this one!! I usually eat blueberries every day!

Get Married! Well, been happily married for over 36 years!!  Thanks Sue!

Volunteer!  Do that!  Church keeps me busy!  Ushering, driving the church van, Sunday School teaching!  And many more!

Say a little prayer! This is also a daily thing!  God has blessed us!

Sleep - need to work on this one!  Average about 7 hours.

Stimulate your brain!  I think I do this one reading, sudoku puzzles, and research!

And many other ideas!  Have a look!

One and a Half Years After Open Heart By-pass Surgery

Another milestone!  It has been one and a half years since my quintuple by-pass surgery!  It is time to take a look at where I am and what I feel like!

Mentally
There are days when I wake up now & forget I even had open hearty by-pass surgery!  But, after I shower & look in the mirror the scar is there to remind me!  In a way, it is a good reminder!  Hey Stupid, exercise, eat right, and behave yourself!  Since my surgery & retirement happened during the same year, the mental part of recovery coincides the the mental part of retirement.  Both worlds are running on parallel paths!

The battle with depression which can occur after surgery, or after retirement, is not a struggle for me.  Of course, there are days when the health and aging process bring the reality of life to focus, but I have been keeping busy and that seems to be a key!

Keeping Busy!
With retirement and health concerns, having a reason to get up every morning to me is a key to life at ANY age!  Here are some of my pursuits!

1 - Do things I never was able to do before!  Here is a list of things that I have tackled the past 18 months:

• Church Volunteering - I did many things for our church in the past, but now I can do more.  In the past I helped with the youth, was council president, ushered, and taught Sunday School.  What I have added is a Men's Retirement Group.  We meet monthly, have breakfast, and go to church and paint, weed flower gardens, and do anything to help keep our church looking good!
• Writing - I have many areas of interest that I plan to write about:  history, sports, etc.  My first assignment has been helping my wife's Uncle Paul wring his biography!  Here retired from NASA in the 1990's and helped our country put a man on the moon & build the successful Space Shuttle Program!  An amazing story!  My next venture will be a history of where I grew up as a child - Lebanon County, PA!
• Golfing - I am now golfing at least twice a week!  I'm trying not to get crazy about my scores, but I have time to work on my game!  The best part is golfing with my buddies!  Retired friends & people that I enjoy to spend a four hour ride!
• Exercise - I have more time to focus on my own physical condition.  Next year I turn 60 & my goal is Keystone Games & Senior Games.  Because of my PVC's (extra heart beats), I am not running a lot, so I will focus on other events & activities! (But I still may attempt Pole Vault!)
• Mr. Mom - This one is important!  My lovely wife Sue is still working!  Therefore, I cannot have too much fun!  So, cleaning around the house, dishes, vacuuming, etc.  These are all important duties that a husband must do if he retires before his wife!!!!
• Working part-time - I am still working!  Coaching track & field from December till May keeps me very busy!  Usually 3-6 days a week, average about 20-24 hours a week.  And part-time carpet cleaning two days a week, about 2-4 hours a day!

Medicines!

I am still taking a bunch of meds!  Here is my list:

• Singulair (10 mg) - for my allergies & asthma
• Aciphex (20 mg) - for my stomach & acid reflux
• Metoprolol (25 mg) - for my heart - beta blocker
• Amlodipine (5 mg) - for my heart
• Plavix (75 mg) - for my heart - blood thinner
• Atorvastatin (40 mg) - lipitor generic for my cholesterol
• Aspirin (81 mg) - for my heart
• Omega 3 Fish Oil (1000 mg) - for my heart - diet supplement

The medicines seem to be working.  My cholesterol is down to healthy levels, my extra heart beats (PVC's) are manageable, my other issues allergies, asthma, are under control. (although the asthmas kicked up when I cleaned a couple houses with cats!!

Diet

I am watch what I eat.  I only have red meat about once every two weeks, mostly fish & chicken.  Try to eat healthy foods for snacks, fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. (If cookies are around I'm in trouble)  I still have my sweet tooth, but have cut chocolate out of my diet, except for a rare snack.  Still need to lose 10-15 pounds, I am around 190 pounds & want to get down to about 175.

I will be making more choices this next year, one is, if I will coach track & field next season.  I will make this decision at the end of the summer.

Heart Humor

It is time to look at the funny side of life!  Try this bis of "heart Humor"!

In a car garage, where a famous heart surgeon was waiting for the service manager to take a look at his Mercedes, there was a loud mouthed mechanic who was removing the cylinder heads from the motor of a car. He saw the surgeon waiting and lured him into an argument. 

He asked the doc after straightening up and wiping his hands on a rag, "Look at this car i'm working on. I also open hearts, take valves out, grind them, put in new parts, and when I finish this baby will purr like a kitten. So how come you get the big bucks, when you and I are doing basically the same work?" 

The surgeon very calmly leaned over and whispered to the loudmouth mechanic, "Try doing it with the engine running."

Pretty good?  Check out the website! M&D India - Humor

It also has great information for medical research!!!

OK.  After a weekend of food, it is time to focus on food!  Found this article on food for the heart!!

The ABC's of Eight Delicious Heart Healthy Decisions

Let's look at some of the highlights!

Avocado!  Let's focus on this forgotten fruit!  What are the good stats about this fruit?

Contrary to popular belief the avocado can be quite beneficial to a weight-management program, and a heart healthy diet. The avocado is virtually the only fruit that has fat which is mono-unsaturated. Only 5 grams of fat per serving and most of that of the mono-unsaturated kind. It's mono-unsaturated fat speeds up the basal metabolic rate as compared to saturated fat. It is very, very low in cholesterol, the bad kind. And it's Omega-3 rich. Avocados provide more than 25 essential nutrients. They are a very good source of vitamin E, good amounts of vitamin C, containing credible amounts of thiamine and riboflavin. And compared to the banana, it has 60% more potassium. It is very low in sodium, very low sugar. And it's high in dietary fiber.

Looks good!  But what does it taste like?  This week, the mouth of Albright meets the Avocado!
So, once a week:

After you've had a nutritional breakfast, choosing to use an avocado as the base food in your lunch meal, say an avocado, tomato, and lettuce salad with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, one time a week is a heart healthy meal, and decision.