TODAY'S AJENDA #70

Hey there! After hearing from our Wellness Experiment members asking for merch, we finally made it happen. These are our first-ever Ajenda tanks—super-soft, breathable, and made for movement (or lounging, no judgment). We designed these tanks specifically with the Ajenda community in mind. 

With our members being so excited about them, we wanted to open access to Ajenda subscribers, too! These tanks are a limited run, so mark your calendar. The pop-up shop closes Sunday, July 27th at 7 PM ET. 

Get them right here. Can’t wait to see you repping Ajenda! 💪

Every year in the US, 350,000 people collapse from cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting. And in 9 out of 10 cases, the person doesn’t survive because help didn’t arrive fast enough. 

As a physician, I’ve seen firsthand how every second counts. I’ve performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in hospitals, on the street, and even at 35,000 feet during a flight. But CPR alone isn’t always enough. 

Today, I wanted to tell you about the medical device that could mean the difference between life and death during cardiac arrest: an automated external defibrillator (AED). 

What’s an Automated External Defibrillator? 

An AED is a portable device that analyzes a person’s heart rhythm and delivers an electric shock (if needed) to restore a normal heartbeat. 

• “Do I need a medical degree to operate an AED?” Nope. AEDs were designed for the lay public, with voice instructions and visual prompts that guide you step by step.

A common misconception is that AEDs are used to treat heart attacks. However, cardiac arrest and heart attacks are not the same: 

• Heart attacks happen when blood flow to the heart is blocked. The heart is still beating, but the muscle is starved of oxygen. 

• Cardiac arrest means the heart has stopped beating altogether. It’s a full system shutdown. It can happen to anyone, including people with no history of heart disease. 

Do AEDs Really Make a Difference? 

Yes. Unequivocally, yes. And the research backs this up: 

• A study found that those who receive defibrillation within the first 3 minutes after collapse had a 74% survival rate. But after the first three minutes, the survival rate dropped to 49%. 

The American Heart Association's 2020 Guidelines confirm that early defibrillation, when paired with high-quality CPR, gives you the best fighting chance at surviving cardiac arrest. 

But speed is everything. With each passing minute, the survival rate drops by 7-10%. That's a problem, because in most areas, paramedics arrive within 8-10 minutes. 

Should Every Home Have an AED? 

It depends. If you’re a young person with no known risk factors? It’s probably not necessary as cardiac arrest is rare. That said, it’s worth investing in if you: 

• Have (or someone you live with) heart disease, prior cardiac arrest, or arrhythmia like ventricular fibrillation. 

• Live far from emergency services. 

• Are frequently responsible for older adults, or are an older adult yourself. 

Out of those 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, about 70% of them occur at home, and roughly 50% happen without any warning signs. This includes seemingly healthy athletes, middle-aged women, and teenagers.

Those odds are precisely why I have one in my home and believe you should too. 

AEDs Are an Investment

Home AEDs range from $1,200 to $2,500. 

Is it a big expense? Definitely. But so is a treadmill or a home security system, and unlike those, an AED could save you or your loved one’s life. That kind of peace of mind is priceless. 

But there are options if price is a concern: 

• Some families share an AED among multiple households. 

• Use your HSA or FSA accounts to help cover the cost. 

• Check with your insurance provider. While most plans don't reimburse for home AEDs, there’s no harm in double-checking. 

The model I have at home is the Philips HeartStart Home. It’s FDA-approved for over-the-counter purchase (no prescription needed). 

Bottom Line

At the minimum, everyone should know CPR. I’d recommend signing up your whole family for a CPR course (especially a good idea if you have multiple generations together several times a year!). 

But if we’re being real, CPR alone often isn’t enough. If the heart is in a rhythm that requires electricity, no amount of chest compressions will restart it. 

So if you ask me? We should treat AEDs like smoke alarms: something we hope we never use, but that no home should be without.

Look around. Ever notice how grayscale everything is becoming? From monochromatic buildings to cars to our own homes, color is slowly being drained from our world. 

And while it might seem like a harmless design trend (some might even call it "sophisticated" or “timeless”), this color deprivation can have real consequences on our mood, energy, and health. 

The Great Graying:  

Here’s how The Great Graying affects us: 

Our brains are wired to respond to color, and those reactions extend to the limbic system, which regulates our emotions and motivation. So when we see vibrant, saturated colors, we’re stimulated and engaged. 

• Think about it: A doctor’s office painted in light blue makes you feel calm and relaxed. A discount store, on the other hand, blasts bright reds and yellows to signal urgency. 

When we’re surrounded by gray (gray pavements, gray cars, gray cubicles, the list goes on!), it can lead to lower energy, diminished focus, and overall just a…flatter emotional state. 

“Tone Down The Color” 

Listen: I'm a huge fan of grays, beige, black, and white. I’m not here to tell you to ditch your neutrals (my own closet would be half-empty without them). 

The way I see it? Color is a tool in our wellness toolkit, like movement and nutrition, and we can use it strategically to live better lives. But as we get older, we’re often told to “grow up,” “tone it down,” and to phase color out. 

I call B.S. These are precisely the decades when we should be turning the volume up. So, let’s put this in your toolkit. Here’s how different colors influence us: 

The Science of Colors 

Warm Colors (Red, Orange, Yellow) 

In a nutshell? Warm colors invigorate us. 

• Athletes wearing red uniforms were found to perform better in competitive sports, possibly because of red’s association with dominance. 

• Red grabs our attention and screams, “This is urgent.” That’s why you’ll find red on sale signs, fast food logos, social media notifications, and more. 

• We associate yellow with happiness, warmth, and can-do energy. Emergency workers even wear yellow not just to stand out, but to signal optimism and safety.

Cool Colors (Blue, Green, Purple) 

Cool colors chill us out: 

• Blue (specifically purple-blue tones) promotes a sense of calm and puts us visually at ease, making it a great pick for a focused and comfortable workspace. 

• Blue light can lower your blood pressure and improve circulation by helping your body release nitric oxide, a compound that relaxes blood vessels.  

• Green packs a creative punch. Researchers found that just a two-second glance at the color green before starting a task can boost creative performance more than any other color. 

How to Color Your Life 

We can’t control The Great Graying, but we can control color in the two places we’re in almost every day: our homes and wardrobes. But where do you start? How do you infuse color without it looking like a Crayola box vomited on your clothes and furniture? 

My close friend Moll Anderson cracked this code in her New York Times bestselling book Change Your Home, Change Your Life with Color. From the throw pillows in your living room to the polish on your toes, Moll shows how color can shift your mood in seconds. 

I’ve tested this personally. Every time I walk into Moll’s home, I feel different. Immediately. She uses a foundation of black (black floors, black stone, etc) but strategically layers in color everywhere. The effect is incredible.  

Moll’s also been encouraging me to wear more color for the past 10 years. There’s even a term for it, dopamine dressing: using color to boost your happiness through what you wear.

Moll’s book comes with guided journal pages to help you discover your color connections and advice on how to (tastefully) infuse more color into your surroundings. 

If you want to fight against The Great Graying and inject more energy into your life, Moll’s book will show you exactly how to do it.

A few days ago, I announced my appointment to the Board of the American Heart Association. It’s an incredible honor, and only deepens my mission to equip women with the knowledge to protect their hearts! 

This brings me to today’s topic: A heart health test that could help you avoid unnecessary medication (or catch risk early enough to act). And yet, many women aren’t familiar with it. 

Does This Sound Familiar? 

Let me set the scene: 

During a routine physical, your doctor mentions that your LDL cholesterol is a little elevated. Not sky-high, but not ideal either. Maybe your total cholesterol is 220, your LDL lands in the 130s or 140s, and to top it off, you’ve got a family history of heart disease. 

Now what? 

Sure, statins are an option. But statins aren’t like popping an Advil. There’s a lot you need to consider, from potential side effects (muscle pain, brain fog, increased risk of diabetes, just to name a few) to the fact that it’s a lifelong medication. 

Fortunately, there’s a way to get a clearer picture of your actual heart disease risk. Enter: the coronary artery calcium (CAC) test. 

What’s a CAC Test? 

A CAC test is a low-dose CT scan that looks for calcium deposits in the coronary arteries, which are the vessels that supply blood to your heart. 

• The higher the calcium score, the more calcified plaque has built up, which means a higher risk of future heart events (such as a heart attack or stroke). 

• A score of zero is a good thing. It suggests a low risk of cardiovascular events in the near future, even if your cholesterol is elevated.

If you’re unsure on whether to start statins, the CAC test can be a gamechanger. The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology even updated their guidelines in 2018 to recommend CAC testing as a “tie-breaker” for exactly these gray-area cases. 

How to Decode a CAC Score 

Here’s how to read a CAC test: 

• A CAC score of 0 = your risk of a heart event is low over the next 5 to 10 years. In many cases, you won’t need a statin right now, especially if you’re otherwise healthy.

• A CAC score between 1-99 = your risk is moderate. Statins may be appropriate depending on other factors like age, family history, or diabetes. 

• A CAC score of 100 or higher = your risk is high, and statins are usually recommended to reduce your risk of cardiovascular events.

The Downsides of a Coronary Artery Calcium Test 

A few important caveats:

• This test isn’t for everyone. The CAC test is meant to be a decision-making tool for people who fall in the intermediate risk category (10-year risk of 7.5-20% based on the ASCVD Risk Calculator). 

• A CAC scan is a CT scan. That means low-dose radiation. While it’s less than a mammogram, it’s not something you do casually or repeatedly. 

• Insurance doesn’t always cover it. The out-of-pocket cost can range from $100 to $150 or more.

• A CAC scan only picks up on calcified plaque. It can’t see soft (non-calcified) plaque, which may still contribute to risk. So a CAC score of zero doesn’t guarantee you’re in the clear. 

My Doctorly Advice 

Would I still recommend a CAC test? Absolutely, if you’re the right type of candidate. That means you’re likely: 

• Over 50 

• Have borderline or mildly elevated cholesterol 

• Are trying to avoid unnecessary medications but don’t want to miss early signs of heart disease

…then a CAC test is the smart next step. 

What I love about the CAC test is that it brings personalization into heart care. For too long, women have been underdiagnosed and undertreated for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. This test gives us concrete evidence to make smarter health decisions and ensure we're taken seriously. 

It’s about time.

(P.S. I wrote this section after an enthusiastic member of Ajenda’s Wellness Experiment suggested I cover it in more depth! If you’d like to get your health questions answered [and get direct access to me and trainer Korey Rowe!] you can learn more here).  

Enjoy the garlicky, savory stir-fry solo or over quinoa, rice, or even a warmed tortilla if you have one on hand.

Nutritional info per serving: 340 cal / 25g protein / 6g fiber / 25g carbs

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil, divided

• 14 oz firm tofu, pressed and cubed

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

• 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

• 1 cup sliced mushrooms (any kind)

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned)

• 2 cups fresh baby spinach

• Chopped cilantro (optional)

• Sriracha hot sauce (optional)

Directions: 

1. HEAT 1 1/2 tsp of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add tofu and sauté until golden on all sides, 7-8 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika, cumin, pepper flakes, if desired, salt and pepper, and soy sauce and toss to coat. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2. HEAT remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil in the skillet over medium-high. Add onion and mushrooms and sauté until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in corn and spinach. Cook just until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. RETURN tofu to pan. Cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes, tossing gently to combine.

4. DIVIDE stir-fry evenly between 2 bowls. Top with cilantro and hot sauce, if desired.

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ABOUT DR. JEN

In her former roles as chief medical correspondent for ABC News and on-air cohost of “GMA3: What You Need to Know,” Dr. Jennifer Ashton—”Dr. Jen”—has shared the latest health news and information with millions of viewers nationwide. As an OB-GYN, nutritionist, and board-certified obesity medicine specialist, she is passionate about promoting optimal health for “the whole woman.” She has authored several books, including the national best-seller, The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier & Fitter—One Month at a Time. And she has gone through menopause…

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