Keith Ahrens

Heart Disease remains the leading causes of death in the US.

Obesity is an epidemic.  Obesity is a leading contributor and cause of Cardiovascular Disease.  It’s a well-known risk factor.

If Obesity is the most preventable of all the diseases, why are we having such a hard time doing something about it? – Keith

Americans born today have a greater chance of not living as long as their parents.  The CDC Center for Disease Control released new data that indicates that life expectancy has fallen.  Although it’s different for men, women, and minorities, the fact that it has declined is alarming.

A couple of the key trends noted in this report are that stroke has dropped to the 4th leading cause of death.  The article credits efforts of the American Heart Association as a reason for the trend along with major advances in stroke therapy.

Heart Disease and Cancer are still the #1 and #2 causes of death in the US accounting for 48{1ee8873d3da54571ef77633feec9b2f18618b0dba2f28faf42edb28003d1c6f7} of all deaths.

Obesity has risen to such high levels and contributes to heart disease and diabetes, both potentially leading to an early death. – Keith

To read the report click here: Center for Disease Control

OK, OK, When is enough, enough?

What would you do if you were told you can’t exercise?

The doctor just told me that I couldn’t exert myself until the first of the year. He said no more physical exertion such as treadmill, cardio, or heavy weightlifting until at least January 1.

I just had this biopsy on my bladder and it turns out I tried doing a little too much too soon.  (you can read my previous blog post) I’ve been climbing the walls and feeling like crap. I’ll spare everyone the details.

I need to allow sufficient time for healing at this point. No exceptions.

With the holidays here in full swing and not being able to exercise, how do I prevent a holiday weight gain.  The answer is quite simple although making it happen will be more challenging.

The only answer is to not consume more calories than we burn. That brings us to our BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate.

Your BMR is the number of calories you’d burn if you stayed in bed all day or sat on the couch and did nothing all day.  Our bodies burn calories even at rest.

At 5’10”, 210 pounds, male, My BMR is @1926 calories to maintain my weight.

To determine your BMR you can click on the link, enter your numbers, and find out approximately how many calories you burn by doing nothing.

If I consume fewer calories each day than my BMR shows, I’ll lose weight.  If I consume more, I’ll gain weight.  Simple but equally challenging.

What I can do is go for a nice walk.  I think I’ll be walking at the lake quite a few times in the next month.  At least I can walk. – Keith

We get so busy during the holidays. It seems that we have twice as much to do in half the time it takes to do it.

Our Stress levels rise. Many will turn to food; others will come in the front door and plop down on the couch. Believe me, I’ve been there. In fact, I used to plop down, overeat and then tell myself how tired I was and not necessarily in that order.

We need to manage our time better.  By developing a schedule of tasks it can make the daily chores during the holidays less stressful and thus better for our hearts. A “To-Do” list lets you DO.

Prioritize the tasks you have to do in order of importance. And NO, not everything you have to do is as important as the next.

The one appointment that needs to be at the top of your list is physical fitness.  You must schedule an appointment everyday for yourself for daily exercise or physical activity. Consider the extra running around you have to do a bonus activity for your heart.

It’s not so important when you do it but I believe that by getting your exercise completed early in the day, everything else will just seem easier.

My top 3 priorities each day are sleep, physical fitness, and heart healthy meals. Everything else is secondary.

So, pencil in that appointment for yourself each day. It’s one you can’t miss! – Keith

I went in for a biopsy on my bladder on November 24.

A couple months prior, a lighted scope was done on my bladder and it showed an area that the doctor said needed to be biopsied. The biopsy had to be completed in a hospital.

When the doctor said that I needed a biopsy during this procedure I had a flashback to when the surgeon told me I needed open-heart surgery to save my life.

While lying there, I kind of had an anxiety attack as far as softly shaking and just feeling all-alone.  I’m OK today and have a positive attitude. I’m not sure where I’m getting the positive attitude from but I know it’s deep. I’ve been through a lot the past few years.

Very briefly, almost 2 years ago this Thanksgiving I was in San Francisco writing my book and had blood in my urine… I freaked out, flew the next plane back to Vegas to see my doctor and was OK.  Later it was determined (Cat Scan) I had a Kidney Stone but it was not blocking anything.

I had approx 10-12 occurrences of blood in my urine since then, mostly after a treadmill or heavy workout.  In June, I went to the ER for kidney pain.  A severe Kidney infection was diagnosed and treated.

To be on the safe side, my primary doctor sent me to an urologist who ran some tests.  All came back negative except for that Kidney Stone which was still there.  He didn’t want to stop there. I actually praise this doctor because he just wanted to rule everything out except for the kidney stone.  He wanted to be thorough and a scope was done on my bladder a few weeks later.  That was an experience in and of it self.  When he went in to look at my bladder, the doctor saw something on the monitor and immediately said that was where the bleeding was coming from and it needed to be biopsied and removed.  He, and I, saw the problem area on the monitor.  He made me look.

I just couldn’t figure out, why me… again? First my heart and now I had to think about the “C” word. Could I have bladder cancer? Perhaps I could handle it better than someone else. I’m thankful, however, that it was I, and none of my family or friends going through this.

I met with the surgeon today and the pathology reports came back negative.  I don’t have cancer.  I was diagnosed with cystitis glandularis.  I’ll be doing my research but this is great news compared to what I expected to hear.

My message today is to get regular checkups, don’t ignore your body when it’s trying to tell you something, eat heart healthy and get regular exercise and activity.

Healthy days ahead for us all, Keith

Are you feeling a little stressed?

Are the upcoming holidays, family worries, or work piling up on with other obligations?

Managing and controlling stress is an important element in our overall health.

There’re many tips to relieve stress but, in my opinion, the top two are getting regular physical exercise and eating heart healthy.

Get up and take a walk. Climb some stairs. Take some deep breaths. Meditate for a few minutes. Add an extra serving of fruit and veggies to your plate. Eat several small meals instead of 3 large meals.

Make sure you’re getting enough sleep and drinking enough water to stay hydrated during the holidays.

When we don’t get enough sleep our bodies crave for more energy. Energy comes from the calories we consume. We fuel that energy by eating more when we’re stressed, tired or dehydrated. – Keith

“Recertified for my CPR – AED Adult, Child and Infant Training today. It’s always good to get the practice using AED devices and Performing CPR. You never know when you’ll be called upon or have to step in to save a life. Being prepared can make a scary situation seem less scary. Are you ready? Please visit the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross web sites for classes in your area.” – Keith

“Why don’t we get check ups? Many people are in a state of denial, have fears, too busy, don’t want to know if there’s a problem, hate doctors, afraid of blood work, may feel embarrassed to discover a problem etc…..  I could go on and on about excuses I’ve heard.  But at the end of the day, they’re just excuses. Get a check up!  Save your life!” – Keith