Research has suggested it might be possible to help prevent heart disease by boosting people's positive emotions. The study found that people with a positive outlook, who experience joy, happiness, and contentment in their lives are less likely to suffer heart disease,.
 

It is accepted knowledge that depression and stress significantly increase people's risk of developing heart disease, but now  studies done in Canada and Nova Scotia are showing that happiness can lessen the risk. The inability to forgive, hanging on to past hurts and traumas, increases the risk by physically lowering respiratory and heart function.
 

You may not always be able to surround yourself with happy people and some days may not seem like a gift, but it is up to each of us to make the choice to see the glass half empty or half full. Look how long George Burns (January 20, 1896 - March 9, 1996) and Bob Hope (May 29, 1903  - July 27, 2003) lived. They were happy and dedicated their lives to making others happy as well.  
 

Doing things that give you pleasure and simple acts of kindness are the activities most often accredited to giving one a sense of satisfaction. Satisfaction brings a smile and you cannot smile and be unhappy for very long. So, like the children’s song states, "If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands!!"

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For those of you who made a New Year's resolution to lose weight or get in shape, I have to tell you that evidence is stacking up against conventional cardio. Here are several studies confirming the health-harming effects of long-distance running:
*   A 2006 study screened 60 non-elite participants of the 2004 and 2005 Boston Marathons, using echocardiography and serum biomarkers. Just like the featured study above, it too found decreased right ventricular systolic function in the runners, caused by an increase in inflammation and a decrease in blood flow.
*  Research by Dr. Arthur Siegel, director of Internal Medicine at Harvard's McLean Hospital, also found that long-distance running leads to high levels of inflammation that may trigger cardiac events.
*  A 2006 study found that long-distance running leads to abnormalities in how blood is pumped into your heart.
*  In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers recruited a group of extremely fit older men. All of them were members of the 100 Marathon club, meaning athletes who had completed a minimum of 100 marathons. Half of these lifelong athletes showed some heart muscle scarring as a result - specifically the men who had trained the longest and hardest.
*  Recently published in the journal Circulation, this animal study was designed to mimic the strenuous daily exercise load of serious marathoners over the course of 10 years. All the rats had normal, healthy hearts at the outset of the study, but by the end most of them had developed "diffuse scarring and some structural changes, similar to the changes seen in the human endurance athletes."

The answer is to exercise correctly and appropriately making certain you have adequate recovery, which can be as important as the exercise itself. The most important part of a healthy exercise program is variety, but remember the evidence that conventional cardio or long-distance running is one of the worst forms of exercise for your heart and other studies that it's one of the least efficient forms of exercise.

The journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases recently published research that concluded the best fitness program mimics the movements of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, lots of walking and occasional short bursts of high-intensity activities, but not long-distance running. Remember that when the hunter gather was doing the running, he was in fight or flight, a state of adrenal stress. That’s why the recovery time mentioned earlier is so important.

So my advice is to get some balanced exercise, and do it with a smile :-)
 

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Ginkgo & Hawthorn Combination (100 caps) Benefits: Improves circulation throughout the body.Provides enhanced enzyme metabolism and oxygen utilization in the heart muscle. Description: Ginkgo & Hawthorn Combination [Circulatory] contains Ginkgo leaves concentrate (Ginkgo biloba), hawthorn berries and olive leaf extract, used in many cultures to support the circulatory system.
This herbal combination supports increased blood circulation and oxygen utilization in the heart muscle.
This combination is quite popular in Europe.
Adults: Take 1 capsule with a meal three times daily. Stock Number: 909-3 Retail Cost: $17.25 Member Cost: $11.50
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Blood Pressurex (60 caps)  Benefits: Provides potent antioxidant properties. Supports and maintains blood vessels. Encourages optimal blood flow. Supports blood pressure levels already within the normal range. Promotes blood flow in the peripheral arteries. Helps maintain normal blood viscosity.
Blood Pressurex [Circulatory]. Blood Pressurex is a blend of essential and natural ingredients that may help the body maintain blood pressure levels already within the normal range. The main ingredients of this formula are the powerful herbs Coleus forskohlii, olive leaf extract, hawthorn berries extract and golden rod; the amino acid arginine; and the potent antioxidants vitamin E and grape seed extract.

Potent grape seed extract contains an array of bioflavonoids, antioxidants and polyphenols, including resveratrol. Studies show that grape seed extract may support blood pressure and may contribute to overall cardiovascular health.

All of these ingredients combine to help protect blood vessels, promote blood flow in the peripheral arteries and inhibit cell damage. All of these benefits are made possible due to their potent antioxidant properties.

CAUTION: Consult your health care provider before using this product if you are currently taking prescription medication(s) for high blood pressure or if your blood pressure is above normal (diastolic reading above 90). Do not discontinue use of your prescription medication(s) without your doctor's approval.

Adults: Take 1 capsule with a meal three times daily. Stock Number: 554-8 Retail Cost: $32.95 Member Cost: $21.95
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Co-Q10 (50 MG) (30 Softgel Caps) Benefits: Helps reduce oxidative stress in all cells throughout the body. Supports the health of the heart, kidneys, liver and pancreas. Promotes healthy cardiovascular function and general longevity. Supports energy production. Exhibits antioxidant and neuron-protective properties. Supports already-normal-range blood pressure levels. Provides 50 mg non-crystallizing, highly bioavailable co-enzyme Q10 per serving.
 

Co-Enzyme Q10 50 mg [Circulatory, Vital Nutrition]. Co-Q10 is a vitamin-like substance present in every cell in the body. It is vital for cellular energy, cardiovascular health and longevity. Co-Q10 helps reduce oxidative stress on cells throughout the body and especially contributes to the health of the heart, kidneys, liver and pancreas. It is also known for its antioxidant properties and for its support of already-normal-range blood pressure levels.
 

Co-Q10 material is often found in a crystalline state, which is less-absorbable by the body. Nature’s Sunshine uses a patented lipid blend to keep co-Q10 from crystallizing, and it yields maximum bioavailability. A double-blind human clinical trial showed that NSP Co-Q10 50 mg was at least eight times more readily absorbed by the body than competing (crystalline) products.
 

This product contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), flax seed oil, soy monoglycerides and co-enzyme Q10.
Take: 1 softgel with a meal daily for circulatory support. Stock Number: 4109-8 Retail Cost: $35.25 Member Cost: $23.50

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Arcee is going to crash into the ocean and die. His plane is caught in a violent lighting storm and it looks like they are going down when suddenly the plane lands and it’s a bright sunny day in Hawai'i. Our hero meets a new friend, a being from somewhere out in the universe, who is to become his teacher. Arcee thinks maybe he's having a near-death experience, but not this time.
 

What if you found out this Earth was actually an experiment? That's just part of what Arcee learns during the funny, intriguing, and informative conversations he has with his new teacher. They explore controversial topics such as near-death experience, déja vu, past life, parallel realities, and even suicide. Arcee learns about global warming and resource depletion and who's causing it. He also learns how people could save the Earth if they wanted too.

To find out more, come join Arcee in his conversation with gods.

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