For years I thought I was getting the right walking shoes for my feet. That changed when I started fitness walking and ended up injuring my foot. When you know how to choose the best shoe for your feet, you’ll avoid injury and recover more quickly. This is a lesson I learned the hard way. What should you avoid? How do you choose a good shoe for walking?

When your grieving or in extreme stress, the thought of maintaining your heart healthy diet, or any part of your normal activities can go right out of the window. That’s where I’ve been lately. But as I’m starting to reconnect with others, I’d like to share some tips for taking care of yourself when you just don’t feel you can.

What do you envision when you think of chili? A hearty bowl of a tomato, meat and possibly bean stew, seasoned with chili and spices, with crackers on the side? Chili means different things, depending on where you are. This Heart Healthy Cincinnati style vegetarian chili, with a touch of cocoa, is delicious and easy to make.

New York City requires certain restaurants to display this warning symbol next to any menu item that has 2300mg or more of sodium per serving. Warning label courtesy of New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

When you order food from New York City restaurants that have 15 or more locations nationwide, you will see a warning symbol for every item or combination listed that contains more than 2300 mg of sodium per serving. This warning will be a salt shaker that appears on menus, menu boards or near every place that food is listed for you to order. New York City is the first in the Unites States to require warnings about sodium content to be addressed on the restaurant menu. So how does this help you?

As I look at all of those delicious looking dishes on the menu, and choose from the under 500 or 600 calories portion of the menu, I’m missing out on some very critical information. Where is the sodium content? At minimum, menus will usually display the calorie and fat content of a meal. You may even see whether a selection conforms to a particular diet program. Too much sodium increases your risk for heart disease and stroke. So How do you find the low sodium choices?

When you’re feeling lost or off the track with your weight loss goals, isn’t it hard to know where to start? One of my weight loss accountability partners said to me “As for me, I have not been doing that well at all. I do not have any goals set right now. I am way off. I have to figure something out. Lost right now. ” It sounds overwhelming, doesn’t it? Well it doesn’t have to be. The best thing you can do is start from where you are. Here’s how.