Healthy Living Blog

Our local Heart Walk for the American Heart Association is coming up in April. I've decided to join "Team Shaping Concepts" and raise money for the heart association in memory of my Dad.

**If you would like to donate money for the team, please click on this link! Yes, I'd like to donate!

In case you aren't aware of what happened, my dad died on May 3, 2000 from an apparent heart attack in his sleep. Although he was fit (an avid tennis player and he had his black belt in tae kwon do), he was a smoker and was under a lot of stress. My family, like so many others, understands first hand what it's like to lose a loved one to heart disease and stroke. The aim of the heart walk is to help raise money for research as well as encourage people to be physically active, eat healthfully, stop smoking, control blood pressure and cholesterol and manage diabetes.

One of the primary objectives of losing weight and becoming healthy is my desire not to die early like my father. He missed so much...two weddings (including mine), the adoption of his granddaughter as well as future adopted children in our family, countless holidays, the Red Sox breaking the curse and winning a world series, witnessing the growth of our careers and the big and little accomplishments that each family experiences over the years. I know how difficult it's been to not have him around and I don't want my husband, daughter and family to experience the same pain.

For information on heart attack symptoms and warning signs: click here
For information on warning signs of an impending stroke: click here
Take the heart attack risk assessment quiz! click here (what was YOUR score? Mine was 1%)
Take the stroke risk assessment quiz! click here!

Here are some photos of my Dad:

Here my dad just finished playing paintball in Okatie. I wasn't there (for some reason I just don't enjoy people shooting things at me...call me silly, but.....) but I heard from my brothers that he had an AWESOME time! You can just see it on his face!

Here is my dad with a friend's son. My dad never had the opportunity to meet his granddaughter due to his death so I've always enjoyed this photo...I can imagine him walking with Katie hand-in-hand on a warm summer's day.

My dad enjoyed acting and performed in a variety of plays throughout the state of New Hampshire. Here is an image from one of his early plays.

And finally, here is my Dad's headshot he used for commercials, modeling and plays. He's trying to look all rugged and tough but those who knew him understood that he was just a big mush inside.

**Again, if you would like to donate money for the team, please click on this link! Yes, I'd like to donate!

And finally, I have participated in one other Heart Walk over the years. I was 13 or 14 years old and back then there was an option to do a short walk or a long walk. I didn't realize I signed up for the long walk! I think it was 15 - 20 miles. What the heck?? I thought I was going to die! I didn't bring any snacks or water, I wasn't wearing the proper shoes...I was miserable! By the time I finally finished, it was dark outside, the crickets were chirping and I was one of the last to cross the finish line! But I did it and it's definitely worth the effort and the money raised for the American Heart Association! Reminds me of another time when I entered a bike race and was the last to finish....quite humbling to be trailed by a man in a car at the back of the race. But that's a whole other story! :)