Challenge Week 7

WELCOME
Hopefully, Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras have not done us in! Throw in a funeral and a birthday and you'll know why, scale-wise, I'm grateful to have gotten the cast off!!! February is American Heart Month, so this week we'll take our ticker into consideration!

FOOD/NUTRITION
But it was Mardi Gras … I know, we can find an excuse every week, and I'll admit, I was distracted by seriouseats.com's "Can There be a Po'Boy Diet?" Luckily for me, our topic is a Healthy Heart, so I'll have to save Mardis Gras until my journey here is done! A heart-healthy diet should be low in sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat — but that doesn't mean it has to be low in taste. And eating out shouldn't always be such a challenge. Guess which Baltimore restaurant in Little Italy made it onto Gayot's, coiner of the term Nouvelle Cuisine, Top 10 Heart-Healthy Restaurants in the United States?

HEALTH/FITNESS
I love the Mayo clinic, chock full of great information! Check out:
Aerobic exercise: Top 10 reasons to get physical
Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic exercise is good for you. Regular aerobic activity — such as walking, bicycling or swimming — can help you live longer and healthier. Need motivation? See how aerobic exercise affects your heart, lungs and blood flow. Then get moving and start reaping the rewards.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE
Hiking, Hot Yoga, Boxing and Belly Dancing not your thing? This week's challenge is simple, and it's one of the easiest things you can do for your heart - Get a Cholesteral Check!

APPS/BOOKS
Are you serious about your heart health? Well, there’s an app for that. In fact, there are a lot of heart-related apps out there. Here are a few that caught the St. Vincent Heart Center's attention. Apps For Your Heart!

ADVICE
Dr. Oz's Keys to a Healthy Heart
Do you know how to spot a heart attack weeks before it happens? Now you will, with this at-a-glance guide .... Dr. Oz offers some great information that you may not already know, definitely worth a read.