Healthy Swellness: Jamieson Vitamin’s #ChangeOfHeart Challenge

February is Heart Health Month. And to make the most of this important month (did you know heart disease is the number-one killer of women?), Jamieson is inviting Canadian women to take part in their #ChangeOfHeart Challenge, in which you make simple lifestyle changes in your everyday life that will help improve your heart health.

(and even better, to acknowledge all of us who will take part in the challenge and to recognize the importance of heart health, the vitamin company will make a $25,000 donation to the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre.)

I’ll be committing to the challenge by incorporating small changes into my routine — top of mind for me is getting more sleep (many nights, I only get five or six hours, when I probably need more like seven or eight). Physical inactivity, another risk factor, is another I will try to improve on; because even though I do exercise regularly, the continuous hours of sitting in front of the computer or watching Netflix are not good for my ticker.

Not sure what simple changes you can make to your routine? Well, sign up for the #ChangeOfHeart Challenge on Facebook, and every day a challenge will be posted along with heart-health tips. And if you need more incentive other than getting healthier, well, each challenge you complete will enter you in a weekly draw to with a Jamieson heart health prize consisting of an activity tracker, gym bag, a three-month supply of Jamieson OmegaRED Super Krill and more.

(OmegaRED Super Krill, pictured above, is a non-fishy softgel that boasts an antioxidant, astaxanthin, that makes it nearly 50 times more effective than other omega-3 products. Omega-3s help to maintain your heart health by reducing your levels of bad cholesterol while also boosting your levels of good cholesterol.)

Sign up for the #ChangeOfHeart Challenge today so you don’t miss out on any of the tips or challenges.

Leave a Comment January 31, 2015

Beauty Swellness: My Comme des Garcons manicure for the Philadelphia Marathon

Nail-job craving: I’ve been wanting a Comme des Garcons manicure for awhile now, and I figured the Philadelphia Marathon would be a good place for it, with the hearts and Philly being the City of Brotherly Love and all.

How I satisfied that craving: Leeanne Colley of Tips Nail Bar just ran with my Comme des Garcons theme. “Just have a  nap,” she told me as she started on my nails. She used CND Shellac in Cream Puff, Black Pool and Wildfire. And the manicure “only” took about two hours (and that includes half an hour for removing my superhero Booyah mani), so relatively short compared to my typical marathon manicures.

“I bet you never thought once we started these ‘marathon manicures’ we’d be doing so many of them,” I joked to Leeanne (this is my fifth marathon, and this is the first time I’m doing two fulls so close together — eep!).

How this nail art makes me feel: Full of love —  for Leeanne and her fantastic team at Tips, for running, for my friends, for the chance to visit the great city of Philly once again, and of course, for my amazing manicure.

Love it or hate it: See above.

2 Comments November 11, 2013

Is marathon running dangerous for your heart?

(Reebok RealFlex)

I’ll admit breathing a sigh of relief when reading this finding (even though I’ve talked to my doctor about my long-distance running before I set out to train):

Marathon running is not linked to a higher risk of cardiac arrest compared to other physical activities — in fact, the rate was the same or lower in comparison. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that most people who did suffer cardiac arrest had undiagnosed, pre-existing conditions. One researcher noted that its the wide media coverage that’s created the belief that long-distance running is linked to a high risk of cardiac arrest.

3 Comments January 17, 2012