Search Results for: blog heavy petting is good for your heart

A Cat Can Lower Your Heart Attack Risk

As if we didn’t love our pets enough — here’s another reason to cuddle your kitty! A ten year study from the University of Minnesota suggests that having a cat for a pet can cut your heart attack risk by nearly a third! More than four thousand Americans between the ages of thirty and seventy-five were tracked between 1976 and 1980 for a National Health and Nutrition Examination Study. The University of Minnesota team looked at the data, then spent a decade following up with the participants to look at health issues and death rates. More than half the people … Continue reading →

Nocturnal Leg Cramps

Have you ever had a leg cramp wake you out of a sound sleep? Not the best way to wake up! Why does this happen sometimes? Even when we sleep, our bodies are still in motion. We roll over, we fight for the blankets, we stretch. (Just watch a dog’s feet twitch in his sleep if you don’t believe me!) During all this motion, our muscles contract. If a muscle doesn’t relax again — and stays contracted — you can end up with one of those sudden cramps. At least you don’t HAVE to suffer with nighttime leg cramps. Here … Continue reading →

How Pets Relieve Stress

I had a discouraging morning at work today. By the time I got home, I was sad and cranky and in a generally bad mood. And then I opened the door. My German shepherd mix, Moose, came waddling up and jammed his nose into my hand. My boxer mix, Lally, came bounding up with her squeaky ball in her mouth and her tail wagging. And I just had to smile. Pets have an amazing ability to relieve stress. It’s hard to keep feeling bad when you have a barking, licking, wiggling, warm fuzzy bundle of joy around. It’s hard to … Continue reading →

Eleven More Ways To Fight Aging

You don’t have to grow old gracefully if you don’t want to! Here are ten more choices you can make that can help increase your life expectancy. Skip a meal — if it works for rats, it could work for people too. A study found that rats fed 30% less than normal lived 30% longer than normal. Studies done in humans showed that a leaner eater had a heart that looked 10-15 years younger than a regular eater. Manage stress. Stress releases hormones into the bloodstream that can raise your blood pressure and lower the effectiveness of your immune system. … Continue reading →