Top Five Fave's

Anti-Ageing

Find out what Anti-Ageing Specialist Shaun Connolly has to say!

Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in Australia. If your over 50 get your checked now.

Be a Stunning Senior

Annette Sym's tells us how to still enjoy those many morning or afternoon tea's without wreaking havoc with your health.

Nutra Organics e-Cookbook is Here!

Nutra Organics e-Cookbook is here! Most recipes are free of gluten, dairy, preservatives and additives.

Self Sabotage, Why We Do It.

Are you making promises to yourself...but only find your letting yourself down?

Michelle's Healthy Heart Challenge

In early March this year, I went to a Women’s Pampering Day held in my local town. While I was there I thought I would get my blood sugar level, weight and blood pressure checked. As I am only 40, both the Health Program Officer and I were both a bit surprised by my 144 over 104 blood pressure. Normally my BP is 110 over 70.

I made an appointment with the doctor a few days later. My BP was still up, so she sent me for an ECG. Nothing showed up. Within a couple of weeks I had also started to experience chest pains and shortness of breath. I also had an elevated pulse rate. I have also experienced heart pulpitations for as long as I can remember, these had also become much more noticable too.

I had been under quite a lot of stress for several months earlier and at the time of the tests, was under a great deal of stress and worry. My doctor advised me to “quit what was stressing me out” which I did!

I expected my BP to drop from then on, but it didn’t. In fact it went up!

The doctors suggested an Exercise ECG, most people know this as a Stress Test.

On the day of the stress test, my blood pressure was 190 over 100! The test showed nothing was wrong and that my recovery rate was good. My heart rate got up to 144 bpm.

I am now having my BP checked on a weekly basis to keep an eye on it. The doctor doesn’t want to put me on Blood Pressure medication and I don’t particularly want to start taking any either.

This has inspired me to join the Go Red For Women Healthy Heart Challenge.

My goal is to lower my Blood Pressure and also to lose a bit of weight and of course to reduce my risk of heart disease. I am doing this by walking at least 4 days of the week. Some of these days I walk twice, to support friends that are also doing the challenge. We walk 4.2km. I am also watching what I put in my mouth too.