Conflicting purposes

Short entry today because I have to finish the last two stories for Sunday’s kickoff of …
No! Not the Super Bowl. (I wish) The Tribune-Democrat’s American Heart Month Project.
But it seems writing about heart disease prevention could interfere with my personal work on heart disease prevention.
I am writing the main story with an overall picture of heart disease risk factors and local programs to help develop strategies that reduce the risk. Additional stories hit the often-overlooked risk of heart disease in women, the components of a heart-healthy diet, and a Somerset County woman’s personal steps to reduce her own risk.
Then this evening, I’ll be there when Rep. Mark Critz helps launch the cardiac risk clinic collaboration between Windber Research Institute and Windber Medical Center.
Watch for that story in Friday’s editions of  The Tribune-Democrat.
Ironically all the writing about heart health my limit my daily physical activity for heart health – unless I get up to Windber HealthStyles and stroll around the track for a while before the congressman’s hootenanny.
While I will continue to work on a heart-healthy lifestyle over the weekend, I won’t be blogging again until Monday. I worked Sunday, so I have tomorrow off and will take the opportunity to enjoy some heart-healthy de-stressing.
As I look forward to my first weekend in the heart-health mode, it was a little disturbing to see the American Heart Association’s warning that too much alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure, obesity, a higher risk of developing diabetes, stroke, cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death.
Fortunately I read the second paragraph:
“If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. This means an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.”
So my Friday happy hour at Tulune’s South Side Saloon is safe for now. The Heart Association also lists some possible health benefits to a little drink now and then, but warns:
“No direct comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.”
Hmm, Further study is clearly needed.