Healthy Heart = Knowing Your Cholesterol

Today I plan to give a general overview of the chemistry that helps determine how healthy your heart is and can be.

How "Good" and "Bad" Cholesterol Can Help or Harm Your Arteries.

All cholesterol isn't the same. There's "good" HDL CHOLESTEROL and "bad" LDL cholesterol. Both types of cholesterol molecules travel through the bloodstream in globular packages in combination with lipoproteins, and they perform different functions.

HDL Cholesterol

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are small, dense molecules responsible for transporting cholesterol to the liver.HDL is good for your body because it helps remove cholesterol from the arteries and protects against dangerous blockages (plaques) in the arteries. HDL cholesterol is also less likely than other forms of cholesterol to oxidize and leave sticky plaques on artery walls.

"Your good HDL cholesterol hustles your bad LDL cholesterol to your liver to disposal before it can plant itself like barnacles in your arteries," says Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.

People who exercise, don't smoke, and maintain a healthy weight tend to have higher levels of this “good” cholesterol. Low HDL levels can be a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), while high levels (>60 mg/dL) help reduce CHD risk.

LDL Cholesterol

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) carries the majority of cholesterol through your bloodstream and delivers it to the cells of the body. These molecules are larger, less dense, and less stable than HDL. They readily oxidize and deposit plaques on arterial walls to likely to clog arteries and lead to cardiovascular disease. That's why LDL is known as the "bad" cholesterol.

What about Triglycerides?

Monitoring LDL and HDL Cholesterol is Smart, But Don't Overlook Your Triglycerides.

When it comes to cholesterol, "good" HDL cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol aren't the only numbers to watch. Your doctor will screen your TRIGLYCERIDES, too.

Triglycerides are fatty acids that act as the basic building blocks of fats. Your body converts the excess calories you eat into triglycerides, which are stored in fat cells. As needed, hormones regulate the release of triglycerides from fat tissue to meet your body's energy needs.

In terms of cardiovascular disease prevention, triglycerides haven't not gotten as much attention as LDL and HDL cholesterol, but research has shown that high triglyceride levels of 200 mg/dL or more (hypertriglyceridemia) can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

How can you keep your triglyceride levels down? A heart-healthy diet that's low in saturated fats can help tame high triglycerides. So can exercise:

Exercise and Cholesterol

Your doctor has probably coached you on the importance of a smart diet to manage your cholesterol. Physical activity is another important piece of the puzzle. One study found that daily exercise, combined with a high-fiber, low-fat diet, can help improve cholesterol levels in just three weeks.

Regular workouts enhance your cholesterol numbers in three ways:

Boost beneficial HDL cholesterol. Swimming, cycling, walking, or other types of aerobic exercise -- the kind that raises your heart rate -- elevates your HDL level.

Trim "bad" LDL cholesterol. Aerobic workouts also help keep harmful LDL cholesterol in check. For extra LDL-lowering benefits, add resistance training to your routine.  Get started today with easy resistance band workouts.)

Knock down triglycerides. Are your triglyceride levels high, too? Moderate-intensity exercise can help bring them down

Knowledge Is Power

Cholesterol can be helpful and harmful, depending on how much you have in your body and what it's doing. Given that there are both good and bad types of cholesterol, and that high cholesterol can have different causes in different people, it makes managing cholesterol levels a bit complicated. But with good information, you have the power to do something about your cholesterol. So why did your cholesterol get so high? And what can you do to bring it down? Here are some possible answers to these and several other important questions you should ask your doctor about your cholesterol.

What's Causing Your High Cholesterol?

Certain things can predispose you to high cholesterol. For example, if you're a man over 45 or a woman over 55, you're at greater risk. Having a family history of high cholesterol may predispose you to poor cholesterol as well. So can certain health conditions, like diabetes. And your doctor may want to talk about your lifestyle to see whether there may be a culprit there. Being overweight, not exercising enough, and eating a poor diet can play a big role in poor cholesterol values.

How Can I Tell Whether My Cholesterol Is High?

Unfortunately, high cholesterol doesn't have any symptoms, so it's easy to think you're doing okay, even if you're not. The only way to know whether your cholesterol is high is to have it checked. So find out how often your doctor would like you to have your cholesterol screened. Otherwise healthy people should have their cholesterol checked at least once every 5 years. But if you have high cholesterol or multiple heart disease risk factors, your doctor will want you to have it screened more often.

How Much Good Cholesterol Do I Need?

There are two main types of cholesterol: "bad" LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and "good" HDL (high-density lipoprotein). The more HDL you have, the better it is for your heart disease risk, because HDL transports cholesterol away from tissues to the liver and out of your body. You want low LDL and high HDL. For otherwise healthy people, HDL levels should be at least 40. But your HDL goal will differ, depending on your unique medical situation. If you have other health risk factors, your doctor may want yours to be higher. Work with your doctor to determine what your HDL and LDL goals should be.

What Should I Eat to Control Cholesterol?

Your doctor will likely recommend that you minimize foods high in saturated fats -- which raise total cholesterol. He or she will also want you to minimize -- or eliminate completely -- any trans fats, because they do a double whammy, raising LDL cholesterol while lowering good HDL. The best way to manage your cholesterol is to focus more on monounsaturated fats instead, like olive oil, avocados, and nut fats. These not only reduce LDL but also can help boost good cholesterol. Your doctor will also likely encourage you to enjoy a wide variety of fiber-rich foods, including soy, produce, legumes, and whole grains like oats and barley.

How Much Do I Have to Exercise to Improve My Cholesterol?

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. But how much is enough? You'll want to talk to your doctor about a reasonable exercise goal, given your current medical profile. The good news is that even if you are new to exercise and can only manage a little bit at first, that's probably still good enough to make a difference. In fact, just upping your amount of physical activity each day can help improve your cardiovascular health. But eventually you'll want to work up to a moderate-intensity exercise program. Work with your doctor on determining a reasonable schedule for that.

How Can I Tell Whether Stress Is a Factor?

Several small studies have shown long-term chronic stress can raise blood cholesterol levels, possibly because it causes us to blow off our healthy diet and exercise habits. But how do you know whether you're stressed? Talk to your doctor about the physical and emotional signs of chronic stress. The bad thing about chronic stress is that we can't always recognize it ourselves. Feeling stressed becomes our "normal," and we don't know any different

Do I Need Medication to Manage My Cholesterol?

Many people can lower borderline high cholesterol levels with healthy lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. But many people could also benefit from cholesterol medication. Talk to your doctor about which of your health risk factors make you a good candidate for medication therapy, and what kinds of medication make sense for you. Ask about both the benefits and the risks for each cholesterol medication your doctor suggests. And keep in mind that even if your doctor prescribes medication, you'll still need to eat right and exercise to keep your cholesterol under control. Medications don't replace healthy habits.

Aim for a Healthy Weight

A healthy weight is crucial for a long, healthy life. In 1999, almost 108 million-or 61 percent of-adults in the United States were overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of heart attack. And, it increases your risk of developing high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes-each of which also increases your chance of having a heart attack. If you are overweight, even a small weight loss-just 10 percent of your current weight-will help to lower your risk of developing those diseases.
Two of the measures that assess whether or not a person is overweight are body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. BMI is a measure of weight relative to height. To check your BMI, choose this online calculator. Waist circumference measures abdominal fat. The risk for developing heart and other diseases increases with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches in men and more than 35 inches in women.
To be at their best, adults need to avoid gaining weight and many need to lose weight. Losing weight and keeping it off depends on a change of lifestyle that combines sensible eating with regular physical activity, not a temporary effort to drop pounds quickly. If you need to lose excess weight, talk with your health care provider about developing an action plan, which includes a hearty-healthy, low-calorie, nutritious eating plan and physical activity.

Framingham Risk Tool

Framingham Risk Tool

Peace of Mind for Your Heart

Here are three steps you can take -- and chances are you need not go beyond the first one:

1. Find out about your risk. First, take the Framingham Risk Assessment to determine your risk of having a heart attack in the next 10 years. Chances are that you'll do much better than average.

Cholesterol levels by themselves say very little. If you do not know your blood pressure or blood test values, call your doctor's office.

You should get to know these values and what they mean.

If you experience symptoms of heart trouble or if you are concerned that you may have heart disease, skip the assessment and see your doctor right away.

Heart Attack Warning Signs

A heart attack is a frightening event, and you probably don't want to think about it. But, if you learn the signs of a heart attack and what steps to take, you can save a life–maybe your own.

What are the signs of a heart attack? Many people think a heart attack is sudden and intense, like a "movie" heart attack, where a person clutches his or her chest and falls over.

The truth is that many heart attacks start slowly, as a mild pain or discomfort. If you feel such a symptom, you may not be sure what's wrong. Your symptoms may even come and go. Even those who have had a heart attack may not recognize their symptoms, because the next attack can have entirely different ones.

Women may not think they're at risk of having a heart attack–but they are. It's vital that everyone learn the warning signs of a heart attack.

 These are:

CHEST DISCOMFORT.  Most heart attacks involve discomfort of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.  The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.

DISCOMFORT in other area of the upper body.  Can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck jaw, or stomach.

SHORTNESS of breath.  Often comes along with chest discomfort.  But it also can occur before chest discomfort
.
OTHER SYMPTOMS.  May include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light headaches.

Learn the signs–but also remember: Even if you're not sure it's a heart attack, you should still have it checked out. Fast action can save lives-maybe your own.

2. If you are at elevated risk, consider talking to your doctor about screening options that are appropriate for your pattern of risk factors, including tests of blood lipids that predict heart disease and non – invasive cardiac imaging..

Recent research has given your doctor new tools to accurately determine what, if any, further diagnostic tests or treatments you might need. For example, traditional screening and diagnostic tests are complemented by new blood test measures such as Lp(a) lipoprotein, C-reactive protein and plasma homocysteine. Even more on the cutting edge of science are two tests that can be quite predictive: apoB/apoA1 ratio; and Lp PLA2. Calcium deposits in coronary arteries can now be visualized with noninvasive tests. Results from these tests can help determine what preventive measures or treatments would be best for you or if any further diagnostic tests are needed.

3. If the results from the above tests suggest that you may have heart disease, your doctor may suggest that you undergo further testing such as a thallium stress test or cardiac catheterization to determine the extent of the disease.

Social Media Marketing Dictionary: 120 Terms to Know

Social Media Marketing Dictionary: 120 Terms to Know

A

AddThis - AddThis is a social bookmarking service that provides a code users can put on their websites so that when people visit that site, they have the option to share via Facebook, Twitter, etc. Its analytics service can show you which pages are trending, where people are interacting with your brand, and what they're saying about your content on Twitter.

Algorithm - An algorithm is a set of formulas developed for a computer to perform a certain function. This is important in the social sphere as the algorithms sites like Facebook and Google use are critical for developing content-sharing strategies.

Application Programing Interface (API) - An API is a documented interface that allows one software application to interact with another application. An example of this is the Twitter API.

Avatar - An avatar is an image or username that represents a person online within forums and social networks.

B

BackType - BackType is a social media analytics company that helps companies measure their social engagement. Previously, the service started as a blog comment search engine.

Bitly - Bitly is a free URL shortening service that provides statistics for the links users share online. Bitly is popularly used to condense long URLs to make them easier to share on social networks such as Twitter.

Blip.TV - Blip.TV is an online video sharing site that provides a free and paid platform for individuals and companies who host an online video show.

Blog - Blog is a word that was created from two words: “web log.” Blogs are usually maintained by an individual or a business with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Blogger - Blogger is a free blogging platform owned by Google that allows individuals and companies to host and publish a blog typically on a subdomain. Example: yourblogname.blogspot.com

Blog Talk Radio - Blog Talk Radio is a free web application that allows users to host live online radio shows.

BoardReader - BoardReader is a free search engine that allows users to search for keywords only in posts and titles of online forums, a popular form of social networking.

Boxee - Boxee is a social video application that allows users to watch online videos on their TVs and computers. Users can share and watch videos from a variety of online videos sources for free.

Bookmarking - Bookmarking online follows the same idea of placing a bookmark in a physical publication--you're simply marking something you found important, enjoyed, or where you left off to continue reading later. The only difference online is that it's happening through websites using one of the various bookmarking services available, such as Delicious.

C

Chat - Chat can refer to any kind of communication over the internet but traditionally refers to one-to-one communication through a text-based chat application commonly referred to as instant messaging applications.

Circles - Circles are clusters of a user's friends on Google+, meaning you can group certain people you choose to connect with on your Google+ into a certain Circle--such as colleagues, college connections, family, etc. When you want to share content with only these individuals, you include that specific Circle in your post's sharing options.

Collecta - Collecta is a real-time search engine that includes results from blogs, microblogs, news feeds, and photo sharing services as they are published.

Collective Intelligence - Collective intelligence is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals and appears in consensus decision-making in social networks.

Comment - A comment is a response that is often provided as an answer or reaction to a blog post or message on a social network. Comments are a primary form of two-way communication on the social web.

Compete - Compete is a web-based application that offers users and businesses web analytics and enables people to compare and contrast the statistics for different websites over time.

Connections - The LinkedIn equivalent of a Facebook 'friend' is a 'connection.' Because LinkedIn is a social networking site, the people you are connecting with are not necessarily people you are friends with, but rather you met in brief, heard speak, or know through another connection.

Craigslist - Craigslist is a popular online commerce site in which users sell a variety of goods and services to other users. The service has been credited for causing the reduction of classified advertising in newspapers across the United States.

Creative Commons - Creative Commons is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to making it easier for people to share and build upon the work of others, consistent with the rules of copyright. It provides free licenses and other legal tools to mark creative work with the freedom the creator wants it to carry, so others can share, remix, use commercially, or any combination thereof.

D

Delicious - Delicious is a free online bookmarking service that lets users save website addresses publicly and privately online so they can be accessed from any device connected to the internet and shared with friends.

Digg - Digg is a social news website that allows members to submit and vote for articles. Articles with the most votes appear on the homepage of the site and subsequently are seen by the largest portion of the site’s membership, as well as other visitors.

Disqus - Disqus is a comment system and moderation tool for your site. This service lets you add next-gen community management and social web integration to any site on any platform.

E

Ebook - An ebook is an electronic version of a printed book. However, most ebooks are not actually available in print (unless you print them). These are typically published in PDF form.

Eventbrite - Eventbrite is a provider of online event management and ticketing services. Eventbrite is free if your event is free. If you sell tickets to your event, Eventbrite collects a fee per ticket.

F

Facebook - Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study, and live around them. Facebook is the largest social network in the world with more than 800 million users.

Firefox - Firefox is an open-source web browser. It has emerged as one of the most popular web browsers on the internet and allows users to customize their browser through the use of third-party extensions.

Flash Mob - A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails.

Flickr - Flickr is a social network based around online picture sharing. The service allows users to store photos online and then share them with others through profiles, groups, sets, and other methods.

Forums - Also known as a message board, a forum is an online discussion site. It originated as the modern equivalent of a traditional bulletin board, and a technological evolution of the dialup bulletin board system.

Follow Friday (#ff) - Follow friday is a trend via the hashtag #ff every Friday on Twitter. Users select other usernames and tweet them with #ff in their post, meaning they recommend following those Twitter users. People tweet at their favorite brands, colleagues, celebrities--you name it!

Foursquare - Foursquare is a social network in which friends share their locations and connect with others in close physical proximity to each other. The service uses a system of digital badges to reward players who “check in” to different types of locations.

Friends - No, not your pals you play poker with on the weekends. We're talking Facebook friends. These are individuals you consider to be friendly enough with you to see your Facebook profile and engage with you.

G

Google Chrome - Google Chrome is a free web browser produced by Google that fully integrates into its online search system as well as other applications.

Google Documents - Google Documents is a group of web-based office applications that includes tools for word processing, presentations, and spreadsheet analysis. All documents are stored and edited online and allow multiple people to collaborate on a document in real-time.

Google+ - Google+ is Google's new social network. It differs in that it promotes social sharing that is more similar to how people share in real life by providing features such as one that limits who you are talking to, creating 1-on-1 conversation.

Google Reader - Google Reader is an RSS reader that allows you to aggregate various blogs and sites and collect updates to new content in one location. You can log on whenever you choose, and the latest content from multiple blogs will be in one stream so you don't have to navigate to each site individually.

Gowalla - Gowalla is a social network in which friends share their locations and connect with others in close psychical proximity to each other.

Groundswell - A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations. (Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Groundswell, pg. 9)

H

Hangout - A Hangout is a video service on Google+ that allows you to video chat with up to 10 Google+ users are a time. You can name these chats, watch YouTube videos during them, open a Google Doc with colleagues, and much more.

Hashtag - A hashtag is a tag used on the social network Twitter as a way to annotate a message. A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a “#.” Example: #yourhashtag. Hashtags are commonly used to show that a tweet, a Twitter message, is related to an event or conference, online or offline.

hi5 - hi5 is a social network focused on the youth market. It is a social entertainment destination, with a focus on delivering a fun and entertainment-driven social experience online to users around the world.

HootSuite - HootSuite is a web-based Twitter client. With HootSuite, you can manage multiple Twitter profiles, pre-schedule tweets, and view metrics.

HTML - HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is a programing language for web pages. Think of HTML as the brick-and-mortar of pages on the web. It provides content and structure while CSS supplies style. HTML has changed over the years, and it is on the cusp of its next version: HTML5.

I

Inbound Marketing - Inbound marketing is a style of marketing that essentially focuses permission-based marketing techniques that businesses can use to get found by potential customers, convert those prospects into leads and customers, and analyze the process along the way. Inbound marketing leverages tactics such as SEO, blogging, social media, lead generation, email marketing, lead nurturing, and analytics. It is in direct contrast to outbound marketing, which utilizes traditional interruptive marketing tactics such as direct mail, trade shows, print and TV advertising, and cold calling.

Instagram - Instagram is a photo sharing application that lets users take photos, apply filters to their images, and share the photos instantly on the Instagram network and other social networks like Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and Foursquare. The app is targeted toward mobile social sharing, and in just over one year, it has gained almost 15 million users. Currently, it is only available for iPhone devices.

Instant Messaging - Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time, direct text-based communication between two or more people. More advanced instant messaging software clients also allow enhanced modes of communication, such as live voice or video calling.

J

Joomla - Joomla is a content management system (CMS) that enables users to build websites and online applications.

K

Klout - Klout is a measure of social influence. The service allows users to connect various social accounts such as Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, etc., and then provides every user with his or her Klout score. The score is out of 100--the higher the score, the more inlfuence you have on the social world.

L

Lifecasting - Lifecasting is a continual broadcast of events in a person's life through digital media. Typically, lifecasting is transmitted through the internet and can involve wearable technology.

Like - A “Like” is an action that can be made by a Facebook user. Instead of writing a comment for a message or a status update, a Facebook user can click the "Like" button as a quick way to show approval and share the message.

Link Building - Link building is an aspect of search engine optimization in which website owners develop strategies to generate links to their site from other websites with the hopes of improving their search engine ranking. Blogging has emerged as a popular method of link building.

LinkedIn - LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. As of June 2010, LinkedIn had more than 70 million registered users, spanning more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

LinkedIn Today - LinkedIn Today is LinkedIn's own version of a social news service. Every industry on LinkedIn (marketing, journalism, technology, etc.) has its own LinkedIn Today. Stories are selected based off which ones are posted and shared the most by users of LinkedIn.

Lurker - A lurker online is a person who reads discussions on a message board, newsgroup, social network, or other interactive system, but rarely or never participates in the discussion.

M

Mashup - A content mashup contains multiple types of media drawn from pre-existing sources to create a new work. Digital mashups allow individuals or businesses to create new pieces of content by combining multiple online content sources.

Meme - A meme on the internet is used to describe a thought, idea, joke, or concept to be shared online. It is typically an image with text above and below it, but can also come in video and link form. A popular example is the "I Can Has Cheezburger?" cat meme that turned into an entire site of memes.

MySpace - MySpace is a social networking website owned by News Corporation. MySpace became the most popular social networking site in the United States in June 2006 and was overtaken internationally by its main competitor, Facebook, in April 2008.

MyPunchbowl - MyPunchbowl.com is a social network that facilitates party planning and provides members with ideas, invitations, favors, gift registries, photo/video sharing, and more.

N

News Feed - A news feed is literally a feed full of news. On Facebook, the News Feed is the homepage of users' accounts where they can see all the latest updates from their friends. The news feed on Twitter is called Timeline (not to get confused with Facebook's new look, also called Timeline).

O

Opera - Opera is an open-source web browser. While not as popular as Firefox, Opera is used as the default browser on some gaming systems and mobile devices.

Orkut - Orkut is a social networking website that is owned and operated by Google. The website is named after its creator, Google employee Orkut Büyükkökten. Although Orkut is less popular in the United States than competitors Facebook and MySpace, it is one of the most visited websites in India and Brazil.

P

Pandora - Pandora is a social online radio station that allows users to create stations based on their favorite artists and types of music.

Permalink - A permalink is an address or URL of a particular post within a blog or website.

Podcast - A podcast, or non-streamed webcast, is a series of digital media files, either audio or video, that are released episodically and often downloaded through an RSS feed.

Posterous - Posterous is a blogging and content syndication platform that allows users to post content from any computer or mobile device by sending an e-mail.

PostRank - PostRank monitors and collects social engagement related to content around the web. Essentially it helps publishers understand which type of content promotes sharing on the social web.

Q

Qik - Qik is an online video streaming service that lets users stream video live from their mobile phones to the web.

Quantcast - Quantcast provides website traffic and demographics for websites. The tool is primarily used by online advertisers looking to target specific demographics.

R

Real-Time Search - Real-time search is the method of indexing content being published online into search engine results with virtually no delay.

Reddit - Reddit is similar to Digg. It is a social news site that is built upon a community of users who share and comment on stories.

Retweet - A retweet is when someone on Twitter sees your message and decides to re-share it with his/her followers. A retweet button allows them to quickly resend the message with attribution to the original sharer's name.

RSS Feed - RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a family of  web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blogs and videos in a standardized format. Content publishers can syndicate a feed, which allows users to subscribe to the content and read it when they please, and from a location other than the website (such as reader services like Google Reader).

RSS Reader - An RSS reader allows users to aggregate articles from multiple websites into one place using RSS feeds. The purpose of these aggregators is to allow for a faster and more efficient consumption of information. An example of an RSS Reader is Google Reader.

S

Scribd - Scribd turns document formats such as PDF, Word, and PowerPoint into a web document for viewing and sharing online.

Search Engine Optimization - Search engine optimization is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines via unpaid or organic search traffic.

Second Life - Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab that was launched on June 23, 2003. Users are called "residents," and they interact with each other through avatars. Residents can explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade virtual property and services with one another, and travel throughout the world.

Seesmic - Seesmic is a popular desktop and mobile social application. Using APIs, Seesmic allows users to share content on social networks such as Twitter and Google Buzz from the same application.

Sentiment - Sentiment is normally referred to as the attitude of user comments related to a brand online. Some social media monitoring tools measure sentiment.

SlideShare - SlideShare is an online social network for sharing presentations and documents. Users can favorite and embed presentations as well as share them on other social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

Skype - Skype is a free program that allows for text, audio, and video chats between users. Additionally, users can purchase plans to receive phone calls through their Skype account.

Social Media - Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques.

Social Media Monitoring - Social media monitoring is a process of monitoring and responding to mentions related to a business that occur in social media.

StumbleUpon - StumbleUpon is a free web-browser extension that acts as an intelligent browsing tool for discovering and sharing web sites.

T

Tag Cloud - A tag cloud is a visual depiction of user-generated tags, or simply the word content of a site, typically used to describe the content of web sites.

Technorati - Technorati is a popular blog search engine that also provides categories and authority rankings for blogs.

Timeline - Timeline is the new Facebook format for personal profiles. It is essentially a digital scrapbook of a user's life, displaying their profile in an actual timeline format so they can see at exactly what point in time something a story occurred.

Trend - A trend is seen on every social network. Facebook shows what is trending when multiple users are sharing the same link or discussing the same topic. Google+ highlights trending topic when a user conducts a search. Twitter has a section to the bottom right of its home feed which clearly shows what topics and hashtags are trending in tweets. And LinkedIn shows what industries (in LinkedIn Today) that a certain story is popular.

Tumblr - Tumblr lets users share content in the form of a blog. Users can post text, photos, quotes, links, music, and videos from your browser, phone, desktop, or email.

TweetDeck - TweetDeck is an application that connects users with contacts across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and more.

Tweetup - A tweetup is an organized or impromptu gathering of people that use Twitter.

Twitter - Twitter is a platform that allows users to share 140-character-long messages publicly. User can “follow” each other as a way of subscribing to each others' messages. Additionally, users can use the @username command to direct a message toward another Twitter user.

Twitter Chat - A Twitter Chat is a chat or discussion that is held on Twitter and is open to all users. Questions are prompted from the user hosting the chat, while anyone else can respond using a particular hashtag. The hashtag is the marker for someone participating in the chat. HubSpot has its own chats hosted every other Tuesday via the hashtag #inboundchat.

Twitter Search - Twitter Search is a search engine operated by Twitter to search for Twitter messages and users in real time.

TypePad - TypePad is a free and paid blogging platform similar to Blogger. It allows users to host and publish their own blogs.

U

Unconference - An unconference is a facilitated, participant-driven conference centered on a theme or purpose. The term "unconference" has been applied, or self-applied, to a wide range of gatherings that try to avoid one or more aspects of a conventional conference, such as high fees and sponsored presentations.

USTREAM - USTREAM is a live interactive broadcast platform that enables anyone with an internet connection and a camera to engage and stream video online.

URL - A URL is most popularly known as the "address" of a web page on the web (e.g. http://www.example.com)

V

Video Blog - A video blog is a blog the produces regular video content often around the same theme on a daily or weekly basis. An example of a successful video blog is Wine Library TV.

Viddler - Viddler is a popular video sharing site similar to YouTube and Vimeo in which users can upload videos to be hosted online and shared and watched by others.

Vimeo - Vimeo is a popular video sharing service in which users can upload videos to be hosted online and shared and watched by others. Vimeo user videos are often more artistic, and the service does not allow commercial video content.

Viral Marketing - Viral marketing refers to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes.

W

Web Analytics - Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage.

Webinar - A webinar is used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the internet.

Widget - A widget is an element of a graphical user interface that displays an information arrangement changeable by the user, such as a window or text box.

Wiki - A wiki is a website that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser, allowing for collaboration between users.

Wikipedia - Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its millions of articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site.

WordPress - WordPress is a content management system and contains blog publishing tools that allow users to host and publish blogs.

Y

Yammer - Yammer is a business communication tool that operates as an internal Twitter-like messaging system for employees within an organization. It is used to provide real-time communication and reduce the need for e-mail.

Yelp - Yelp is a social network and local search website that provides users with a platform to review, rate, and discuss local businesses.

YouTube - YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google. YouTube is the largest video sharing site in the world.

Z 

Zoho - Zoho is a suite of online web applications geared toward business productivity and collaboration.

Zooomr - Zooomr is a online photo sharing service similar to Flickr.

7 Ways to Train Your Brain to Be Happy

 I want you to bet on a really sure thing: training your brain to be happier. The payoff ? Huge. You'll be better able to cope with stress or pain and to fight colds, flu, heart disease, and even cancer. Plus you'll be happier!

1. Talk nice to yourself. Is your inner voice quick to snap out things like, "How could you forget that, you idiot?" Trade put-downs for encouraging words; they set you up for success.
2. Connect. Talk -- really talk -- to people you care about; you'll both benefit by connecting. Get physical, too; hugs stimulate oxytocin, the "cuddle hormone," spreading a feel-good boost. Lovemaking does, too, in steady relationships (those couples report the highest happiness levels).
3. Keep a gratitude journal. Simply writing down what you're thankful for makes you healthier and more optimistic. (Don't miss these other tips for showing gratitude and feeling better for it!)
4. Don't sit around. Physical activity is a significant happiness booster. Get moving for 30 minutes a day -- you'll also make your RealAge more than 7 years younger. 
5. Meditate. We do. It eases stress, improves sleep, strengthens immunity, and measurably increases happiness (in one study, by 20 points on a scale of 100). 
6. Help others. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, hospital, or shelter. Giving back adds more meaning which is essential to happiness in your life.
7. Go outside. Spending time with awesome Mom Nature makes you feel alert, enthusiastic, energetic, and, simply happy.

The Surprising Power of Happiness

If you had to choose a theme song for your life, would it be, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" or "Don't Worry, Be Happy"? Great news if you picked the latter: You're less likely to have a heart attack.

New British research has found that the more satisfied you are with your life, the lower your danger of coronary heart disease. If you stay positive and increase your happiness, you will have a healthy heart.

Happy Life, Happy Heart
While it's long been known that negative emotions, such as depression and anxiety, put you at risk for heart disease, there's been surprisingly little research on whether positive emotions prevent coronary trouble. To find out, scientists asked nearly 8,000 people to rate their satisfaction in seven key areas of life: jobs, family, love, leisure, standard of living, sex, and self. Those who scored higher-than-average satisfaction in all categories had up to 13 percent less risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and angina That's major.

People who were happier in four areas -- jobs, families, sex lives, and selves -- also had healthier hearts. But feeling content in just the other three areas -- leisure activities, love relationships, and standard of living -- didn't have a significant impact. 

C'mon, Get Happy
While it's not yet clear exactly how feeling good about your life helps your heart, it's well established that happiness is vital to your health. Studies have repeatedly found that happy people produce fewer stress-related hormones, have stronger immune systems, and live longer.

Ready to turn that frown upside down?