Personal note

[Mynock]

Glad you're ok!
"Tired" is the symptom you want to look out for, that's the one that kills because it seems so innocuous. Grandfather had the same issue, no pain at all, just out of breath all the time and zero energy even after a good nights sleep. Took him to the doc and they literally made him lay down in the exam room and called for a stretcher, wouldn't even let him walk over to the ER to be admitted.

[PINK PONY]

I've read in quite a few places that getting adequate Magnesium is vital for maintaining good cardiac health / avoiding heart disease.

[QuicksandMania]

Erectile dysfunction (ED) can also be a symptom. To treat that, here is a recipe for the "ED Miracle Shake" I started using a few months ago that has worked wonders for that problem that strikes so many men over 40:

Pre-Packaged

• Heart Plus (Cardio-C) Powder (1 scoop)
• Cardio Heart Health-L-Arginine Powder Supplement (1/2 scoop)
• Pycnogenol Powder 75 mg (1/2 a 150mg capsule)
• Baking Soda (1/8th Tsp)

Individual

• Vitamin C Powder 2500 mg (Approx. ½ tsp)
• L-Lysine Powder 2500 mg (Approx. ½ tsp)
• L-Proline Powder 500 mg (Approx. 1/8 tsp)
• L-Arginine Powder 2500 mg (Approx. ½ tsp)
• L-Citruline Powder 500 mg (Approx. 1/8 tsp)
• Pycnogenol Powder 75 mg (½ a 150mg capsule)
• Baking Soda (1/8th Tsp)

Directions

Add all ingredients into a 16 oz glass of your favorite juice or water and mix with a spoon.
Drink it immediately.
Take the shake 2x per day – once before breakfast and once before dinner.
The best time to take it is 30 minutes before a meal.

I usually mix it in a blender with cashew milk to minimize the foaminess while maximizing the dissolution along with cacao powder (not cocoa powder) for flavor and additional health benefits.

I usually take the pycnogenol tablet directly in a 100 mg dose rather than try to split and blend a 150 mg capsule.

[Duncan Edwards]

Good idea Duncan. In 2010 I had shortness of breath to the extent that walking 5 stairs was a burden. One Dr. initially said it was pneumonia, but it did not go away so finally I saw a cardiologist and after an EKG and Echo on the heart, he said, oh, I should be in the hospital like, oh, NOW. So in go and wound up owning a stent, had a 95% blocked artery. That was five years ago. In December of 2015, we drove north to visit new grand-daughter, 10 month old, and just prior to this drive I began to have short breath again, not bad and it came and went ... but up THERE it came back with a vengeance. Now, going to hospital in NJ while living in Georgia is a logistical nightmare, so I chose to survive, drive back to Georgia where Emory has the BEST people in the country. I saw my GP first who said that, oh, I should be in the hospital, well, NOW. So back I went and this time, stent is fine, artery is fine, just a weak heart from eating crap food. Diet change, one coffee a day, etc and wearing an external defib.

It's always interesting to me to hear some details about these things. I recognized a fellow employee was having a stroke once because I'd heard others describe their experience. Feeling pretty fit myself but these things can sneak up on us of a certain age (53). My confidence has not been helped since I pretty much quit running a year ago and spend too much time with a box of donuts. I couldn't sleep and my weight got to 190 flabby pounds which is big for me. Tackling a special project outside this summer was unusually difficult. Realizing that I don't have time to die I've begun to turn things around but it's more of a challenge than it once was.

[QuicksandMania]

My confidence has not been helped since I pretty much quit running a year ago and spend too much time with a box of donuts. I couldn't sleep and my weight got to 190 flabby pounds which is big for me. Tackling a special project outside this summer was unusually difficult. Realizing that I don't have time to die I've begun to turn things around but it's more of a challenge than it once was.

Two books I recommend:

Body by Science by John Little and Doug McGuff
The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson

Oh, and lay off the donuts.

That said, I finally threw in the towel on self-managed portion control and signed with a weight management firm called Metabolic Research Center to hold myself accountable to an outside party twice a week.

It helps to spend time with fit people rather than fat ones because, as the saying goes, "You are what your friends eat."

[Duncan Edwards]

My confidence has not been helped since I pretty much quit running a year ago and spend too much time with a box of donuts. I couldn't sleep and my weight got to 190 flabby pounds which is big for me. Tackling a special project outside this summer was unusually difficult. Realizing that I don't have time to die I've begun to turn things around but it's more of a challenge than it once was.

Two books I recommend:

Body by Science by John Little and Doug McGuff
The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson

Oh, and lay off the donuts.

That said, I finally threw in the towel on self-managed portion control and signed with a weight management firm called Metabolic Research Center to hold myself accountable to an outside party twice a week.

It helps to spend time with fit people rather than fat ones because, as the saying goes, "You are what your friends eat."

I couldn't agree more. My wife is a fitness instructor who is in excellent shape for a lady of 29, much less 54. Trust me when I say I have heard no end of "encouragement" from her.