January 15, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 15 Healthy living for the new year: Keeping it simple This year, let’s keep it simple. It’s time to get back to basics and stop overcomplicating everything. That might be a way for all of us to accomplish our goals and “to do” lists. Let’s also plan to not let anyone stop us by making the simplest of things into major issues. Let’s face it: Life and health are really very basic con- cepts. We need to eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, and sleep when tired. It doesn’t get much more basic than that, unless we make it more complicated. Here are a few basic recommendations: Eat clean, whole foods in their most natural state. When- ever possible, skip the processed, boxed, reprocessed, and preserved foods. Eat less white flour and sugar. Drink a lot of water. Drink more than you want to and add an extra glass for every caffeinated beverage you drink. Get your body moving and stop making excuses. We are all creative human beings and we can find a way to get moving even when it’s below freezing. De-stress yourself as much as possible. Consider prayer, meditation, or yoga. Maybe even say “no” a few times just to open up your schedule. Anything that slows you down periodically each day is good for you. Sleep, even when you tell yourself you are not tired. Your body needs good quality sleep for at least six to eight hours a day. If you want to set goals and work at something specific, find a support system to help buoy you and to help hold you accountable. Remember to throw in some daily random acts of kind- ness and gratitude. A little goodness and thankfulness can go a very long way. This article was submitted by Health Coach Eva Cono- ver, AADP of eva@evasfresh.com. Quick facts about cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have diagnosed heart disease. Though often mistaken as the same thing as a heart attack, cardiac arrest is not the same. Heart attacks can cause cardiac arrest and even lead to death, but the cause of heart attack and cardiac arrest are different. According to the American Heart Association, heart attacks are caused by a blockage that stops blood from flowing to the heart. Though heart muscle tissue dies because of this lack of blood supply, heart attacks do not always result in death. Cardiac arrest is caused by an electrical malfunction of the heart, which suddenly stops working properly. This can be arrhythmia, a condition that occurs when the heart beats irregularly or abnormally. Once the heart has stopped during cardiac arrest, death can occur within minutes. However, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can reverse cardiac arrest. A defibrillator will be used to shock the heart, which can restore it to a normal rhythm in just a few minutes. Because cardiac arrest is so sudden and strikes with- out warning, it is imperative that men and women who are with someone they believe is in cardiac arrest take action immediately.