Good morning! As we enter the summer months, a friendly reminder to not only stay active but also be mindful of how good nutrition can support your heart health goals. Let’s connect with Gina DeNucci, a registered nurse and a certified health/wellness coach living in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. She has tips on how to make everyday meals an opportunity to invest in heart health. WWAD: We all know instinctively that we should eat healthy, but it can be hard to resist not-so-good-for-us snacks. What is your advice for how to start a healthy routine that includes more heart healthy foods? NURSE GINA: This is an important topic. A healthy heart is priceless and your daily nutrition choices can have an impact. I know it can be overwhelming to change habits, so I recommend starting with baby steps that fit your lifestyle. Make heart healthy choices for you and those in your care that you can enjoy and steadily incorporate into a healthy routine over time. WWAD: That makes sense but where to begin?  NURSE GINA: My advice is start with increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. This includes vegetables of all types (dark green; red and orange; beans, peas, and lentils to name a few) and fruits, especially whole fruit. WWAD: We appreciate Fresh Avocados-Love One Today’s partnership this year. Where do fresh avocados fit in? NURSE GINA: Avocados are a heart-healthy fruit. So many reasons to love them. They provide naturally good fats, are low in saturated fat, and are cholesterol-, sugar-, and sodium-free. Avocados add creaminess and nearly 20 vitamins and nutrients which are important to maintaining good health. Plus, avocados are a great fresh fruit option to help boost fiber intake. Did you know that 1/3 of a medium avocado adds 3 grams of fiber which may help to lower cholesterol?  And, I love their versatility: they can be eaten alone or used in a variety of tasty recipes. Smoothie recipes like this Heart-Healthy Avocado and Mango Kick-Starter Smoothie are a great example of how to step up your intake of fruit. Watch my video for my step-by-step instructions and you will have a delicious and nutritious post-workout snack in just 20 minutes. WWAD: Avocados in smoothies is a great idea. Any other tips? NURSE GINA: Two tips: (1) You can freeze avocados. Next time you have an avocado that is getting too ripe and you are not ready to eat, try to cut, peel and then freeze for a smoothie. (2) Stay creative in the kitchen. Look at resources like LoveOneToday.com/WWAD to get inspiration on more ways to add fresh avocado to your everyday menus.

We are excited to announce a new and exciting partnership with globalbike! We were first introduced to this wonderful organization by our dear friend, Katherine Jeter (you may remember Katherine from our Kilimanjaro Challenge). What is globalbike and why do we love them so much? This US-based non-profit organization harnesses the bicycle’s power as a tool for social impact, economic development, and women’s empowerment in Tanzania, East Africa. Emboldened by cycling communities in the US and global women’s movements, globalbike equips and trains women in the last mile of rural Tanzania to run self-sustaining bike rental businesses that meet the transportation needs of their communities and propel women into sustainable careers. Bike rental businesses serve rural populations living on less than two dollars a day, enabling rural entrepreneurs to increase their incomes by 25-57% when they access an affordable bike through rental financing. Women earn annual dividends from bike rental businesses, profits that they continually reinvest in the community and in other women-led projects. globabike has over 10 years of experience researching and designing sustainable transportation solutions for rural communities in Africa. Pretty cool – right? Be sure to check out their website for more information.

This summer globalbike is hosting a virtual challenge that will take you from Kili to the Coast and everywhere in between. You can choose between one to three tours that you can schedule on your own time over the summer. Walk, run, or ride and log miles and receive inspiring video content on cycling in Tanzania and on globalbike programs. Compete for fun athletic prizes, or crowdfund for women entrepreneurs in Tanzania. You can register here. Use your miles to inspire! Think of it as training for our Fall Walk Challenge – yes we said it – there will be an amazing, exciting, fantastic, Fall Walk Challenge!

Podcast Alert Dr. David + Dr. Yami = Win. Click here.

Welcome New Walk Chapters! Click here to find your local Walk with a Doc chapter.