Wellness Wednesdays
Finding Inspiration in the Journey
Bridge Street Health is launching a weekly journal about health with a special focus on heart health. Each week you will hear from Rebecca Hendrixson, a heart surgery survivor, and her husband and Bridge Street Health primary care physician, Dr. Michael Hendrixson. Each week they will post a fact, tip, or an encouragement.
Your are invited to join us on this journey of Wellness Wednesdays.
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Here's the backstory about Rebecca and her heart that is motivating us to inform women about the importance of taking care of their hearts.
Message from Bridge Street Health -- Health is amazing gift that we generally take for granted, until we don't have it. As we have followed Rebecca's journey, two important lessons we have learned.
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Be in the best health possible. Dr. Hendrixson preaches; "you want to be more than average, you want to be in the best health possible". Your body is much more resilient to unexpected health challenges and more likely to recover more quickly and more completely if you are in the best health possible. That requires intentionality. ​
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Have a doctor who is truly your partner in health. Someone who is doing more than just pulling for you. Someone who knows you personally and is the game with you. Someone who is able to map out a game plan to restore health, and quickly access whatever expertise that is needed to support that plan. We are blessed to have an amazingly talented, caring doctor in Michael Hendrixson. There's no doubt that his insights have enabled Rebecca this opportunity to tell her story.
Week 1
March 4, 2026
March Forth!
March fourth is more than a date. It is a call to action - March forth!
For starters, your heart is amazing. With each beat, the heart sends blood throughout our bodies, carrying oxygen to every cell. The blood returns to the heart. The heart then sends the blood to the lungs to pick up more oxygen. This cycle repeats over and over and over again. What a faithful friend your heart is. It does what it is designed to do, every minute, every day, every month, year after year, until one day it doesn’t. We have much to talk about.
There is a lot of information to sort through when it comes to wellness. At Bridge Street Health we are doing just that - understanding the very latest medical updates and studies. We love the research. Our goal for ourselves as well as our patients is to find ways to have optimal health, not just normal health. Stay tuned. If you have specific question or subject you would like us to address, feel free to send an email to info@bridgestreethealth.com.
Week 2
March 11, 2026
Every Day We Have Choices
When I was recovering in the hospital, I remember thinking to myself “I will not eat another doughnut for the rest of my life.” I didn’t eat doughnuts very often pre-surgery, but I felt determined to put nothing into my body that was not good for my fragile heart. Seven weeks post-op, I feel the same. I will continue to eat well. Yet, as my friend says “You gotta live.” I have birthdays and anniversaries and victories to celebrate, and I will eat cake. Those occasions need to feel special; like an event, not a regular part of my diet.
Every day we have choices to make and those choices add up to big results. Small daily choices over time; weeks, months, years, decades, are truly what will make the difference in your current and future health.
Eat the burger, but skip the cheese. Add avocado slices or red pepper strips. Go a step further and forgo the bun and use a lettuce wrap. It’s certainly a bit messier, but grab more napkins.
Opt for grainy/sprouty breads with no added sugar. A favorite quick breakfast for me is a toasted piece of that bread with organic peanut butter or a mixed nut butter (low or no sugar added) with smushed raspberries on top. Pass on the sugary jellies and jams.
And…I will indeed eat a doughnut. A hot cup of coffee + doughnut is a hard-to-beat combo. But, it will be a treat and it will be an exception, not an expectation.
We will revisit the food subject multiple times in future posts. Stay tuned.
Week 3
March 18, 2026
Let's Move
On day one after my heart surgery, two physical therapists tapped on my door and said “Okay, we are getting you up to walk.” I was a bit like, “Wait, what? I just had my chest cracked open and you want me to get up and walk?” Thankfully, I did not say this aloud. What I did say was “Okay, I’ll try.” Those first few steps were indeed shaky. PT showed up twice a day, every day. And each time, I was better.
When I was being discharged from the hospital, the surgical nurse who was in the operating room told me very clearly that my recovery is an active recovery, meaning I have to participate. She said we fixed you and now it is up to you to stay healthy.
As we mentioned last week, food is a component and exercise is another component. I had a very regimented walk schedule that I followed to a tee. I walked many laps around my house during those first few weeks of snow piled high outside my window.
I am now in cardiac rehab three days a week and they also tell me I am in active recovery. They expect me to do a hearty walk two of the days that I am not in rehab, meaning five out of seven days a week I must exercise. The onus is on me to walk, to do squats, to do calf raises, to begin lifting weights when I am released to do so.
Active recovery. It fits so many other areas of our lives as well. If we want to recover and grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, we must actively participate. The bottom line is that we are responsible for our wellbeing. It’s time to move.