All of us in midst of our career are eagerly anticipating the carefree days of our retirement. But to avoid disappointment, it's important to take certain steps to make sure that you're retirement goes smoothly. Here are some tips courtesy of Health Day:

• Make a list of what you want to accomplish
• Try new things. Hey, now that you have the time, why not? Take up a hobby you've always wanted to try but never had time to.
  
• Set aside 30 minutes a day for physical activity to make sure you have many more years to enjoy your retirement
  
• Get involved in your community. Keep yourself busy with volunteer work
  
• Work on friendships that have come second to work and family in the past. Establish new ones
• Get a pet. But only if you don't want to travel

I think these are great suggestions -- if you have time. Most retired people I know claim to be busier than ever before ... do you agree? Make sure to put your health first though. You'll miss it once it's gone.

Office smoking areas are notoriously drab and plain -- purely functional, with little decor besides places to stand and sit, and of course ashtrays everywhere. And the walls always have that yellowish hue and there's usually a token air freshener in the corner pathetically battling the noxious fumes.

I sympathize with smokers because it is a really tough habit to break, but maybe this paint job on the walls and ceiling would help. There's nothing like being reminded of the consequences of such a bad habit by feeling like you're buried alive every time you light up! And while you're remodeling it might be fun to replace the regular ashtrays with these that cough and scream every time they get used. That smoking area will be fun times! (Sorry smokers, it's for your own good!)

Finding a balance between work and working out is one of the great American struggles these days. We have so much going on, it's nearly impossible to fit in activity. So here's a solution I never thought I would see ... the work-while-you-workout exercise station. Really, I guess it was only a matter of time before they developed something like this, but I think it's ridiculous. How can you type and run? Or make a conference call while you're trying to catch your breath? And even if you could, why would you want to? My time on the treadmill is the precious break I get from my computer, which I seem to be on all the time now thanks for facebook. And exercise is supposed to be stress relieving, not stress inducing.

Seriously folks, if you feel like you need to work while you work out, you need a break. The office will survive without you for an hour. Working out is so important but so is taking the time off work to do something for yourself.

What do you think?

Feeling slighted these days? Like your boss just doesn't notice or appreciate your hard work? Well, my only suggestion is to either start looking for a new job, or do your best to not let it get to you. Or else.

British researchers found that people who feel as though they are always being treated unfairly at work or at home are at an increased risk of heart attack. By asking a few thousand civil service workers to rate how they feel in response to the following statement: "I often have the feeling that I am being treated unfairly," the researchers discovered that feeling unappreciated has a significant effect on a person's risk of heart attack.

In the study, the participants were asked to rate how they felt they were treated at work; based on a scale of 1 through 6 (1 being treated the most fairly and 6 being treated the least). After tracking these participants for 11 years, the results revealed a much greater incidence of heart attack in the people who believed they were treated unfairly at work than the results expressed by those who felt as though they were treated fairly.

The Japanese Karoshi, or sudden death from overwork, isn't an isolated syndrome specific to the Japanese work culture anymore. Based on a new study, University of California researchers say that Americans now work longer hours than the Japanese. Not surprising, considering that the US is the only industrialized country that allows its workers to overwork. Most other countries have a mandatory limit on the amount of time a worker can work, and the required amount of vacation needed to be taken each year.

Although we might take pride in the hardworking ethic of working long hours without much reprieve, it takes a toll on our heart in the form of high blood pressure. According to the researchers, people who worked 40 hours per week were 14 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than people who worked 39 hours or less. The risk was 17 percent greater in those working 41 to 50 hours weekly, and 29 percent higher in those working 51 hours or more.

In the US, we could call this dying to get ahead or trying to stay afloat. For heart health, maybe we need to restructure our work day. Power nap anyone?

Tai Chi is an ancient martial art that has become popular in the West, much like yoga and Pilates. Consisting of slow, graceful movements, Tai Chi has been found to help lower blood pressure, according to Mayo Clinic studies.

In addition, the Mayo Clinic states that Tai Chi appears to offer benefits in reducing stress; increasing flexibility; improving muscle strength and definition; increasing energy, stamina and agility and in generalized increased feelings of well-being.

New research studies show that older adults practicing the art of exercise known as Tai Chi might expect to experience these benefits:

• Reduction of anxiety and depression
• Improvement of balance and coordination
• Improvement of sleep quality
• Slowed bone loss in women following menopause
• Reduction in high blood pressure
• Improvement of cardiovascular fitness
• Reduction in chronic pain

Centered on harnessing the power of breath or energy using movement, Tai Chi is a no-impact workout.

Tai Chi is founded on another Eastern practice called Qigong (chee-gong) -- meaning energy or breath (Qi) work or cultivation (gong). Qigong uses deep slow breathing combined with still postures. Tai Chi adds movement. Gentle, yet powerful and effective, Tai Chi is a healthy fitness option for those looking for a relaxing activity.

Everyday Tai Chi offers online instructional step-by-step photos of Tai Chi exercises including Awaken the Chi; Bridge over Water; Wild Goose Looks for Food; Rolling the Arms; and Quitening the Chi. When you finish your Tai Chi exercises, they suggest going for coffee and a chat with friends.

Inadequate sleep has been found to contribute to increased stress levels, which effect heart condition. Recently, a study from the University of Florida found that lack of sleep can create job dissatisfaction, especially in women.

Women frequently lose sleep because of stress, and reported a higher level of fatigue, hostility and difficulty concentrating than their male co-workers. One of the possible causes may be the difference in expectation and treatment of female workers -- as they are encouraged to express themselves emotionally, while men are conditioned to restrain their emotional reactions, researchers theorize. Employer demands, such as the rise in task requirement and time spent at work also contributes greatly to stress.

Recent studies on the effects of work stress on women have also shown that it causes coping behaviors such as eating unhealthy food and smoking, both of which contribute greatly to the development of heart disease. Perhaps if women got adequate amounts of sleep, they wouldn't stress as much at work, causing them to participate in unhealthy behaviors which lead to heart problems. For tips on how to develop better sleep patterns, click here.

The belief held by many, including some doctors, that older stroke victims have less chance of recovery has been found to be a misconception by a recent Hong Kong study.

Patients 80 years and older should not be excluded from intensive rehabilitation, as these seniors recover as effectively as younger stroke victims.

The World Health Organization estimates five million stroke victims die a year, and another five million become permanently disabled.

According to researchers, the study sought to correct the misconception established by published medical literature claiming that old age prevents recovery for stroke patients.

The study found that age had no effect on how well a stroke patient recovered during the two-year rehabilitation program. Patients of every age were able to be discharged from the hospital with improved abilities -- such as independently getting in and out of a wheelchair and taking a shower, as well as communicating. It was also noted that those stroke patients who were employed before their illness and who lived with their families responded best to rehabilitation.

According to a Leeds University study in Britain, women who work long hours are more likely to react negatively to stress than their male counterparts. Work stress causes women to eat unhealthy food, drink coffee and smoke more.

Researchers claim that women are more vulnerable to work stress and thus become 'emotional eaters'-- reasoning that women try to escape themselves and their experience of stress by turning their attention to food. Male workers intake of caffeine, nicotine and calories are apparently not affected by working long hours. Perhaps some form of self-stress-management technique could help these women avoid the consumptive disturbance caused by overwork-- so they can avoid the contribution the extra calories and stress hormones make toward heart disease.

New research has revealed information as to why shift workers; people who suffer jet-lag; people with sleep disorders or people advancing in age seem to have more heart disease compared to people in other groups.

Researchers have discovered there is an internal body clock that regulates enzyme production in the liver. These enzymes determine how the liver handles the food we eat and potentially toxic metabolites. The problem is the enzymes function at different levels depending on the time of day.

According to Dr Michael Hastings, who led the research, "Circadian rhythms or our internal body clock adapt us to the solar and social 24 hour world by driving our daily rhythms of behaviour, physiology and metabolism. When these natural cycles go awry we perform less well and feel dreadful. In particular, when our body clocks are disturbed so as to cause a mismatch between when and what we eat and what the body is able to process at meal times, nutrients are handled less effectively, for example fats will not be cleared from the blood stream and blood sugar levels will not be regulated appropriately." This research is published in the journal Current Biology.

In a 1949 'Conference on Life and Stress and Heart Disease', health practitioners formally recognized that stress contributes to chronic disease. They issued a definition of stress as: "A force which induces distress or strain upon both the emotional and physical makeup."

However, not all stress is negative in nature-- good stress is called 'eustress'. The difference is basically that eustress taxes the physical and emotional systems in a rewarding way, which one finds satisfying and fulfilling-- and that 'distress', or bad stress, taxes those systems in a negative way due to boredom, under-stimulation and dissatisfaction. Another way to put it is that under eustress, one feels in control and exhilarated, while under distress one feels out of control and insecure or unsafe. It is a chronic experience of unrelenting distress that triggers heart attacks in those with pre-existing heart conditions.

It is possible to master the ability of transforming the experience of bad stress into an experience of good stress. The best prevention for stress-related disease, such as those that effect the heart, is to eliminate as much bad stress in your life as possible-- and with the rest, to change your attitude or perception of those things not in your control.

A recent Canadian study documented higher blood pressure in workers with high job strain and low levels of co-worker support. High job strain is defined as work that is high in mental and emotional demand, with little independence or feeling of authority in decision making.

Researchers followed nearly 7,000 workers for 7.5 years. More men than women had high blood pressure associated with job strain, and those that did not feel encouraged or supported by their bosses or fellow workers were particularly stressed. The authors emphasize that job strain could be lessened if employers loosened up the methods of achieving results, allowing employees to be more independent in choosing how they attained success. In addition, deadline pressure need be lessened and stimulating opportunities for employee growth could counter-balance job stress.

Second-hand smoke is a serious health threat to non-smokers, and according to Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, the best protection is a workplace-smoking ban. 

Sixty percent of non-smokers exhibit symptoms of second-hand smoke exposure in the U.S. The 2005 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report revealed that 46,000 Americans died of heart disease, 3,000 from lung cancer, and 430 babies from sudden infant death syndrome-- all caused by exposure to second-hand smoke. The Surgeon General claims it impossible to protect non-smokers even with existing precautions. A workplace ban would eliminate even designated smoking areas. "The scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke," said Carmona.

Getting laid off late in life can double the risk of heart attack or stroke, reports researchers at Yale School of Medicine. The report covered a ten year span, during which researchers found that workers over age 50 who lost their jobs were two times more likely to suffer from these cardiovascular incidences than those who continued to work or voluntarily retired. The primary reason cited for this occurrence is actually stress related and not due to the age of the unemployed. It is often harder for people over age 50 to find new employment comparable to their former standing or income because of workplace ageism, say the researchers.

A new Finish study reports that workers who can't relax on weekends away from the daily grind have a higher risk of heart related death. Researchers followed almost 800 workers for 28 years. Those that didn't regularly recover from work related stress on their days off were three times more likely to die of heart disease than those who enjoyed their weekends.

According to the report, an inability to relax during time off work may be symptomatic of atherosclerosis, or arterial plaque build-up that leads to heart attacks and strokes. Over time, an unreleased build-up of stress taxes the cardiovascular, hormonal and immune systems, eventually creating heart problems. To remedy this inability to relax away from work, the report suggests examining the potential reasons why relaxing is difficult-- including unrelenting work stress, relationship issues, or heavy drinking.