Making Even One Positive Lifestyle Change Lowers Your Risk

Here is the latest photo of Shorty. He is doing well. He ate the Dandelion flower then continued on his walk. Well, not so much a walk as a carry but I'm still getting my steps in, just not as quickly as before. A walk with this puppy also involves a lot of pauses for chatting as people stop to admire him.


I found out today that the Maltese breed is over 28 centuries old. Talk about tried and true!



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There was an article recently in the Globe and Mail, life section. It listed at least eight lifestyle changes to help you avoid heart disease. In our case, to help prevent the recurrence of blockages and other symptoms after Heart Surgery.



The thrust of the article was that there are a lot of recommendations from your doctor and other health care team members of things you should do for your health, even if you only do one good thing it will have a positive effect.

We all know by now that we should:

• Quit Smoking
• Moderate Alcohol
• Get Daily Exercise
• Reduce Salt
• Eat more Whole Grains
• Control Our Weight

And on and on goes the list.

Here is the thing though, you don't have to do it all in a gulp. Just do something. Maybe try starting with one thing and include the others as you go along. Building on your successes slowly and surely until you find the balance that works for you.

As a fellow in my ninth month of recovery after Open Heart Surgery for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts, right now I feel like I will do whatever it takes to avoid having to go through this (or perhaps even worse) again. Knowing myself though, I suspect as I feel better and better my resolve to do all of the things on the list may weaken.

Which brings me back to the point. Doing something, even if it is only one thing on the list, is better than doing nothing.

Steps today: 10987

Get Shorty! Get Moving!

Look at this little beauty. This is Shorty the newest member of our family.

he has been with us now for three days. I have never been a big fan of small dogs but this guy is hard to resist.

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There seems to be a link between successful recovery from bypass graft surgery or other heart operations and sharing your home with pets.

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If you think about it, it does look to be likely. It is certainly hard to be stressed while stroking a cat or playing with a puppy. Reducing stress is one of the key lifestyle changes recommended to diminish the risk of heart disease.

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Having a dog will also get you out of the chair or up off of the couch pretty regularly as they need to pee or go for walks. Your dog may be sympathetic to the fact that you are feeling pretty crummy but when he's got to go, he's got to go.

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Once you are on your feet a dog is a great walking companion. They are definitely an important member of the Zipper Club Support Team .

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Shorty is technically my wife's dog but I had no idea just how darn cute a Maltese puppy can be. Our Field Spaniel pup arrives in mid-December so I have a feeling that our house is going to be so full of puppy cuteness for the next few months that I'm going to have to work at being my grumpy old self or no one will recognize me.