I almost said “no” to the calcium score test. And then my doctor explained it to me…
After that, I never looked back. I started ordering them for my patients. My brother, a family practice doc started ordering it for his patients. Together we found 8 patients who were ready to have a heart attack.
We sent them to the heart lab where they were saved from that frightful event.
Healthy hearts are important but getting started is another whole story...
- Moving Around Can Be Tricky: If you're a senior or you're looking after one, you might find that moving around isn't as easy as it used to be. This can make it tough to get the exercise you need.
- Health Issues Can Get in the Way: Sometimes, health problems like arthritis or heart disease can make it hard to stay active without feeling achy or tired. It's totally normal for caregivers to worry about making things worse.
- Money Matters: Eating well and staying active can cost a pretty penny. If money's tight, you might find it hard to afford healthy food or gym memberships.
- Thinking It Won't Work: Sometimes, you might wonder if eating better and exercising is even worth it. Will it really make a difference?
These are just a few of the worries my patients shared with me when I finally got them to open up.
[TRUE STORY]
I remember the patient who came in with heart disease. We caught his small heart attack quickly. He got the catheterization and went into cardiac rehab in order to build his heart muscles back up.
He left the classes with a new resolve to keep his heart happy and healthy. He now had friends and a teacher who would support him. He could return to the classes anytime he needed a booster shot of support.
When I saw him again in my office, he was laughing and joking around. His wife of 45 years said he was a new man and the heart attack actually changed both their lives for the better. He now played golf, and pickleball. He rode his bike every day.
He admitted that his wife was not the exercise-happy guru he was but that she enjoyed walking and pickleball, accompanying him to the pickleball court to socialize with friends.
He had never played pickleball before but they both found that no one cared. They went to a court and started hitting the ball back and forth and the next thing they knew people were asking if they could join them. He told me, “Suzanne, we only hit the ball back and forth like 3 times before we missed.”
"Isn’t that normal?", I asked, "I mean if you see a professional tennis match, they never volley it over the net for very long."
And so biking, golfing, walking, and pickleball has changed this 77-year-young into a man of youth. And all of us can do it. All because our hearts say so.
Remember, we don’t have to get it perfect…we just have to get it going.
Your 3 Stupid Simple Baby Steps
What are some baby steps you can take?
- The first baby step is to start stepping! Park your car far away from the grocery store. Use the bathroom farthest from where you are. Walk for 15 minutes after supper.
- Slowly remove one “bad” drink from your intake and replace with water. "Bad drinks" are anything but water. That's easy, but do it slowly. In other words, I can't drink that next soda until I have had at least one glass of water today."
- Eat good foods 80% of the time and go “hog-wild” on your cravings 20% of the time. Simply put good foods have labels where you can pronounce normal English words. For example, I don't know if chicken even has a label, but if it did, it would say "chicken". If apples had a label, it might say "apple". We can pronounce these words. If it says, tert-butylhydroquinone, it's not a normal word. It's probably some salt or sugar-hidden chemical preservative used in our "bad" foods. (aka: your cravings).
Don't get caught up in the BIG picture
Everyone can do baby steps. Many of my patients thought they had to change everything all at once. They never believed that a little change can lead to a big change.
I, myself, often get caught up in the BIG change and need to remember that I have to start somewhere.
When I was 30, I wanted to run a marathon. I started by running from my house to the neighbor’s mailbox. He lived next door in a city neighborhood. The next day I ran 2 mailboxes. It was hard because I wanted to run more but I made myself keep it stupid simple so I wouldn’t hurt my joints, run out of breath, and become overwhelmed.
Even though I knew I could run more, I also knew I would overdo it and then the next day hurt all over and probably stop running completely. (Once I stop or skip something, it's hard for me to get back into it again.) Does this ever happen to you?
So, keep your heart healthy by keeping things simple. Walk a little bit more, drink an extra glass of water, add less "bad" food and more "good" food to your food plan.
Your heart will thank you by giving you more energy, strength, and focus to enjoy more of your life's activities. How do I know this! We see it everyday in medicine!! 
