Are you your heart’s worst enemy?

Do you put everything and everyone else ahead of taking yourself and your heart?

Think about it…

Do you forgo personal pleasures to get just one more thing done?

Do you feel like your backside is often glued to your desk chair or car seat?

Our busy lives often interfere with our health. Make Heart Month (February) an opportunity to become your heart’s friend instead.

Making the choice to put your health first can be difficult. The good news is that even small changes in your daily habits can reap dramatic benefits in your health now and into the future.

Here are some easy ways to fit healthy habits into your day:

Take 10 at 10: When the clock reads 10:00 a.m. take a break. Sit back, close your eyes (unless you are driving) and take 10 deep breaths. You will slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, refresh your mind and be able to return to the task at hand energized and less stressed. Find other tips to manage your stress.

Pull Your Head Out of the Sand: One of the best things you can do for your heart is to understand your own personal risk of heart disease. Visit your doctor and find out your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Discuss what these numbers mean in relationship to your family history. Don’t hide from your risk – do something about it! Find more information about risk factors and heart disease in Eliz’s latest book.

Don’t Eat Boring Food: Put some color on your plate! Load up on fresh fruits in vegetables in smoothies, salads and soups and avoid overly processed foods (if it’s beige or brown, put it down!). Get more tips on eating better.

Move Your Booty: Your body was built to move, not sit in one position all day. An active lifestyle doesn’t have to mean a trip to the gym. Find ways to fit two or three short walks (10 minutes) into your day or use a pedometer to count your steps. Make it fun by dancing in the kitchen while making dinner or shooting hoops with your kids. Get more active lifestyle tips.

Indulge and Don’t Feel Guilty: Time spent doing things to make yourself feel better, reduce your stress, and care for your health isn’t selfish – it is essential. Enjoy a glass of wine, take a walk with a friend, or close the door and put your feet up for a few minutes. You deserve it and your heart will thank you. Find more ideas for treating yourself well.

Be your heart’s friend this month! Leave a comment to let us know what you are doing to celebrate Heart Month and your commitment to make your health a priority and get a free copy of the Busy Woman’s Guide to an Active Lifestyle E-book!

Eliz Greene survived a massive heart attack while seven-months pregnant with twins, struggled to lose the 80 pounds gained during her pregnancy, and searched for a way to hold on to the perspective and passion she found in her near-death experience. Drawing on her background as an adaptive movement specialist, Eliz developed simple strategies and tips to help other busy women be more active, eat better and manage your stress.

As the Director of the Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative, Eliz travels the country energizing and inspiring audiences in keynotes and workshops on women’s heart health. She writes one of the top 100 health and wellness blogs. Find more at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.

This month you can hardly turn around without seeing a Valentine heart.  When you see one, take a moment to think about what you are doing to take care of yourself and your heart.  Celebrate during February by making a commitment to moving more, smoking less, eating better or managing your stress.  Little steps this month will lead you down the path to good health!

Oh – and here are some healthy Valentine’s Day tips!

Leave a comment to let us know what you are doing to celebrate Heart Month and your commitment to make your health a priority and get a free copy of the Busy Woman’s Guide to an Active Lifestyle E-book!

Would you know what to do if you had a life-threatening injury?

A man injured in the Haiti earthquake saved his own life using Pocket First Aid from the American Heart Association

Whether you’re at home, on the road, or in the woods, the American Heart Association’s Pocket First Aid & CPR application is at your fingertips with concise, clear instructions to care for you and your loved ones.

• Includes the latest up-to-date emergency information from the American Heart Association.
• Review first aid procedures anytime, anywhere. From your home, to your car, to the wilderness.
• Easy to learn, easy to use, right there when you need it.
• Manage your first aid kit checklist, to be sure you have what you need in an emergency.
• Save your medical information for quick retrieval. Look up your doctor or emergency contacts with a single click.
• Store your insurance information for easy access.

Really, just get it.  Hopefully, you’ll never need it… Seriously, download it and tell your family and friends too!

Get more valuable information in Eliz’s new book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart, or in her Award Winning Blog.

Sign up for free e-mail tips!

Eliz Greene survived a massive heart attack while seven-months pregnant with twins, struggled to lose the 80 pounds gained during her pregnancy, and searched for a way to hold on to the perspective and passion she found in her near-death experience. Drawing on her background as an adaptive movement specialist, Eliz developed simple strategies and tips to help other busy women be more active, eat better and manage your stress.

As the Director of the Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative, Eliz travels the country energizing and inspiring audiences in keynotes and workshops on women’s heart health. She writes one of the top 100 health and wellness blogs. Find more at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.

Woo Hoo!

Recently the Embrace Your Heart Blog (also known as the Busy Woman’s Guide to Health) received honors in two online listings:

Top 50 Health and Wellness Blogs to Watch in 2010

and in the

Top 100 Health and Wellness Blogs!

We are glad to know busy women are finding the information they need to live longer, feel better, and stress less.

As always, if you can’t find the information you need, just ask a question and we’ll do the research and share the answer!

Get more valuable information in Eliz’s new book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart, or in her Award Winning Blog.

Sign up for free e-mail tips!

Eliz Greene survived a massive heart attack while seven-months pregnant with twins, struggled to lose the 80 pounds gained during her pregnancy, and searched for a way to hold on to the perspective and passion she found in her near-death experience. Drawing on her background as an adaptive movement specialist, Eliz developed simple strategies and tips to help other busy women be more active, eat better and manage your stress.

As the Director of the Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative, Eliz travels the country energizing and inspiring audiences in keynotes and workshops on women’s heart health. She writes one of the top 100 health and wellness blogs. Find more at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.

Food is the fuel for life!

Is the food you eat good enough to Pay Your Body Back™ for all you ask it to do?

Your body needs protein, water, carbohydrates, and fat to function correctly. It uses what it needs for power and stores the rest as fat for later use.

The trick is figuring out what to feed your body to fuel it well and not leave too much behind.

Understanding the difference between Grow Foods, Treats, and Trash makes healthy choices simple.

Grow Foods, a term coined by Registered Dietitian Jill Fleming, are items on which the sun has recently shined. The more refined and processed something is, the farther from a “grow food” it becomes. Raw vegetables and fruits are great examples of “grow foods,” as are whole grains. These foods fuel your body; allowing young children to grow and adults to thrive.

Treats are items which may taste good, but aren’t going to help you grow or thrive. It is okay to have a cookie or some ice cream, but it should be a treat — something special and extra outside what you give your body to grow and thrive. Treats are not limited to sweets. For example, salty and fried items such as chips have no nutritional value, yet can be quite tasty. Soda, even diet soda, is a treat.

Trash are items which contain things your body doesn’t need, can’t use and may be damaging. Avoid items with trans-fat, artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors.

By choosing to fuel your body with Grow Foods at meals and snacks, and avoiding the Trash you can afford to give yourself a Treat.

Finding Grow Foods:

• Read the label. If there are ingredients with more than three syllables — it isn’t a grow food.
• Avoid canned vegetables and fruit containing added salt and sugar.
• Keep an eye out for high fructose corn syrup – this is another name for sugar.
• Partially hydrogenated oils are trans-fat should be avoided.
• Avoid “quick cooking” packaged foods such as instant rice and oatmeal. These grains are broken down to cook faster and contain much less beneficial fiber.

A salad and a smoothie each day will pack in the fresh fruits and veggies. Try adding a chopped up carrot to your smoothie in the morning!

Keeping Treats in Perspective:

• Limit treats to once a day or a few times per week.
• Pay attention to the portion size. Split the giant cookie with a friend or save half for tomorrow.
• Don’t replace meals with treats. A doughnut isn’t breakfast — it’s a treat.
• Beware of sneaky treats. Some things look like grow foods but are really treats in disguise. Yogurt with high fructose corn syrup is more like pudding than a grow food.
• Limit soda (and diet soda) to treat times. Don’t drink soda as your beverage with a meal. Give your body healthy beverages such as water, skim milk and herbal tea.

Pay Your Body Back™ with enough grow foods every day and it will pay you back with good health!

Check out these other Pay Your Body Back™ Strategies

Get more valuable information in Eliz’s new book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart, or in her Award Winning Blog.

Eliz Greene survived a massive heart attack while seven-months pregnant with twins, struggled to lose the 80 pounds gained during her pregnancy, and searched for a way to hold on to the perspective and passion she found in her near-death experience. Drawing on her background as an adaptive movement specialist, Eliz developed simple strategies and tips to help other busy women be more active, eat better and manage your stress.

As the Director of the Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative, Eliz travels the country energizing and inspiring audiences in keynotes and workshops on women’s heart health. She writes one of the top 100 health and wellness blogs. Find more at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.

Your body was built to move, not sit.

Make sure you Pay Your Body Back™ with enough activity every day to keep it working properly.

Getting enough activity can be difficult when you spend your day at a desk or behind the wheel. The good news is a small amount of activity can make a difference in your health.

A study at Duke University Medical Center found walking just 30 minutes per day, six days per week, was enough to cut the risk of metabolic syndrome.

“The results of our study underscore what we have known for a long time,” said Duke cardiologist William Kraus. “Some exercise is better than none; more exercise is generally better than less, and no exercise can be disastrous.”

A trip to the gym is great, but the trick is finding ways to be more active without a special trip. Making it easy to do every day.

So, how do you fit activity into your daily life?

• Use your steps: If you take 10,000 steps in a day you have done the equivalent of 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise.  A pedometer is a great tool to keep track.  Don’t think your steps are limited to walking, wiggling your hips while standing in line at the grocery store, pacing while on the phone or dancing in the kitchen while making dinner are great ways to increase your steps.
• Use your chores: Simple household chores like vacuuming, sweeping, washing dishes, folding and carrying laundry can be use to build you active lifestyle. An hour of house-cleaning is equivalent to 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise.  Outdoor chores such as raking are more intense and provide the same benefit in just 20 minutes.
• Use chunks: Taking Fido for a 15-minute walk twice per day can fulfill your bodies need for activity.  Breaking your activity into 10 or 15 minute chunks may be more convienient on busy days.  It is also a great tool while traveling.  If you can walk 15 minutes to your gate and 15 minutes to baggage claim when you reach your destination, you’ve done well for
yourself that day. Here are some other examples:
  • Park farther away or take a lap around your building before you start work.
  • Walk the halls at break time or at lunch. (However,  you must keep going – don’t stop to chat.  Pretend you are on the West Wing and walk & talk)
  • Settle into the evening with a quick walk around your neighborhood.
  • Extend activities such as unloading groceries by carrying one bag at a time.
  • Take a “victory lap” around the office at the end of the day.  Wishing everyone a good evening might buy you some good will as well!

• Give yourself credit: Building an active lifestyle is easier if you reward your efforts.  Set a goal of getting the equivalent of 30 minutes of exercise every day for a week and give yourself a reward when you get there.
• Give yourself a break: Some days it is easier to be active than others.  If you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up.  Move on and do better tomorrow.  Go back to the gym.  Find a new class at the health club.  Get excited about what you are doing for yourself!

For more tips check out the Busy Woman’s Guide to an Active Lifestyle e-book

If you don’t give your body enough activity each day, your body will pay you back increased risk heart disease, stroke, cancer and all other major diseases.

Pay Your Body Back™ with enough activity every day and it will pay you back with good health!

Check out these other Pay Your Body Back™ Strategies

Get more valuable information in Eliz’s new book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart, or in her Award Winning Blog.

Eliz Greene survived a massive heart attack while seven-months pregnant with twins, struggled to lose the 80 pounds gained during her pregnancy, and searched for a way to hold on to the perspective and passion she found in her near-death experience. Drawing on her background as an adaptive movement specialist, Eliz developed simple strategies and tips to help other busy women be more active, eat better and manage your stress.

As the Director of the Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative, Eliz travels the country energizing and inspiring audiences in keynotes and workshops on women’s heart health. She writes one of the top 100 health and wellness blogs. Find more at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.

Is your body too tired to be health?

Make sure you Pay Your Body Back™ with enough sleep every day to keep it working properly.

Busy women eat away at the edges of our days.  We get up a little earlier to make sure everyone has what they need.  We stay up a bit later to get it all done.

Are you getting enough sleep? Here are some clues that you may be asking too much from your body:

• Do you find your mind wandering when reading a magazine article?
• Do you have trouble focusing your eyes when you are driving?
• Do you hit the snooze button several times each morning?
• Do you feel like the volume is turned up on your emotions?
• Do you forget appointments or important dates?
• Do you carry extra weight around your middle, no matter how much you count calories or exercise?

Lack of sleep has significant health consequences now and into the future. Without enough good quality sleep your body will pay you back with increased cortizol levels and more belly fat.

Even energetic 30-somethings are laying the foundation of their future health. Lack of sleep can mean they are laying calcium deposits in their arteries as well. A recent study concluded people who consistently sleep five hours per night or less have a much more likely to develop the “hardening of the arteries” type of heart disease than people who slept seven to eight hours per night. The damage begins in your 20s and 30s.

If you don’t get enough sleep your body will pay you back with increased risk of cancer, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and depression. In addition lack of sleep decreases your mental agility, alertness and impairs your immune system.

How can you get a better night’s sleep?

• Get some exercise. Moving around during the day will wear you out and help you sleep. However, avoid exercise (except for gentle stretching) within two hours of bed time. Exercise revs you up and will make it difficult to fall asleep.
• Get some light. Help your body figure out when it is time to be awake and time to sleep. Get some natural light during the day and then dim the lights as you head to bed.
• Get on schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Allow your body to get into a routine. Napping and sleeping in mess up you body’s schedule and should be limited.
• Get comfy. Set yourself up for success with a bed and bedroom designed just for sleep. Avoid watching television, working, eating, or writing out your list of things to do while on your bed. Allow your brain and body to association your bed with sleep — and well … sex only.
• Get quiet. Spend the last 30 minutes before you turn out the light in calm and peace. Read something light and entertaining, listen to calming music, or meditate. Often laying out clothes for the morning or writing a list of things to do before you start the quiet time can help you let go of worries and relax.
• Get help. Talk to your doctor if you regularly have trouble sleeping.

Many studies have found seven to eight hours of sleep per night is essential to good health. There is some evidence that sleeping more than 9 hours per night can be detrimental, but is too much sleep a problem most busy women have?

Pay Your Body Back™ with enough sleep every day and it will pay you back with good health!

Check out these other Pay Your Body Back™ Strategies

Get more valuable information in Eliz’s new book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart, or in her Award Winning Blog.

Eliz Greene survived a massive heart attack while seven-months pregnant with twins, struggled to lose the 80 pounds gained during her pregnancy, and searched for a way to hold on to the perspective and passion she found in her near-death experience. Drawing on her background as an adaptive movement specialist, Eliz developed simple strategies and tips to help other busy women be more active, eat better and manage your stress.

As the Director of the Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative, Eliz travels the country energizing and inspiring audiences in keynotes and workshops on women’s heart health. She writes one of the top 100 health and wellness blogs. Find more at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.

Allowing your body to catch up with all you ask it to do is important!

Make sure you Pay Your Body Back™ with some Me Time!

How often do you set aside time to do something just for yourself? Daily life is busy and there is always another load of laundry waiting to be done… but, all work and no play, is dangerous for your heart and your body! If you live life on high alert – always doing and never resting the cortisol in your body rises and rises – eventually attacking your heart.

Make sure you set aside time each day to take a break and let your body catch up.
What would Me Time look like?  Check out these examples:

• Take 10 at 10: When the clock reads 10:00 a.m. — take a break and lower your stress. Do yourself and your heart a favor. Sometime during the 10:00 a.m. hour, stop what you are doing, close your eyes, and take ten deep breaths.
  • That’s it, just ten deep breaths, in and out.
  • Count to five on the way in and to ten on the way out. Focus on the sound of your breath, the feeling in your lungs, and the count.
  • This simple strategy will:
    • allow your brain to get more oxygen (you’ll feel smarter)
    • lower your blood pressure
    • allow you to disengage from what you are doing (you’ll be more focused)
    • allow your eyes to rest (and cut down on eye strain)
    • lower your heart rate
    • brighten your mood
    • make you feel better (maybe even a bit tingly)
  • This strategy is also helpful at the end of the day, to help make the transition between work and home (especially before picking up the kids) and at bed time.

• Enjoy some wine and Chocolate:
  • Take a bite of the chocolate and let it melt on your tongue, swirl in a sip of wine.
  • Let the flavors mingle and savor the taste.
  • Heave wonderful sigh – “ahhhh” to release the tension of the day and focus on what is good. Just indulge yourself – you deserve it.

• Tea at Three:
  • Make a cup of herbal tea during the 3:00 p.m. hour.
  • Hold the warm cup in your hands, breathe in the aroma, and enjoy.
  • This strategies are also helpful at the end of the day, to help make the transition between work and home (especially before picking up the kids) and at bed time.

• Watch something delightful:
  • Sit back, relax, and watch something which will make you laugh!
  • Laughter is a great way to reduce your cortisol level.
  • Watch a clever sitcom or a YouTube video – a little laughter will leave you feeling refreshed and energized, reduce your blood pressure and heart rate and could put a positive spin on your day.

• Rock out:You know the song. You know every word. You hear it and your body just starts to move.
  • Play it loud, sing along – dance around, let the joy out!
  • Use the endorphins to raise your mood and lighten your load.
  • Moving your body – being active is a great way to lower your blood pressure, improve your glucose metabolism, manage your weight – and  reduce your stress.

• Read a good book.
  • Be still and allow your body to wind down.
  • Distract your brain and allow it to calm down.

Pay Your Body Back™ with Me Time every day and it will pay you back with good health!

Check out these other Pay Your Body Back™ Strategies

Get more valuable information in Eliz’s new book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart, or in her Award Winning Blog.

Eliz Greene survived a massive heart attack while seven-months pregnant with twins, struggled to lose the 80 pounds gained during her pregnancy, and searched for a way to hold on to the perspective and passion she found in her near-death experience. Drawing on her background as an adaptive movement specialist, Eliz developed simple strategies and tips to help other busy women be more active, eat better and manage your stress.

As the Director of the Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative, Eliz travels the country energizing and inspiring audiences in keynotes and workshops on women’s heart health. She writes one of the top 100 health and wellness blogs. Find more at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.

You ask so much of your body… why not start 2010 with a resolution to treat it better?

Pay Your Body Back™ before it pays you back in ways you won’t like!

New Years can be a great opportunity to make positive changes in your habits to benefit your health. Resolutions, however, can set you up for disappointment if you aren’t clear and reasonable about your goals.

Think about it. How long do your New Year’s resolutions last?

A few weeks? A few months? It is often hard to keep a resolution – sometimes because we defeat ourselves from the start by making too large of a commitment.

Resolutions are really commitments to ourselves. Things we choose to change or do to improve our lives. Yet, making too large of a commitment can be far too difficult. Making a smaller commitment you can keep on a daily basis may be much more successful.

For example resolving to lose 50 pounds may be too large of a commitment. However, resolving to cut out fast food lunches and make healthier choices at that meal is something you can do on a daily basis.

Making one small commitment and keeping it every day can make a large difference in your health and the way you feel about yourself. Success feels good. Remember, though, it is about building up days and reaching the end of the year. If you slip up – don’t get discouraged. Start again and keep building up the days.

Also, don’t forget to celebrate your success; it will help keep you motivated. When you reach a week, do something nice for yourself. After a month, make sure to reward your good work.

Here are some ideas for resolutions, which can make a difference in your health

• Eat a healthy breakfast everyday
• Eat fish once a week
• Drink more water
• Get 30 minutes of exercise or 10,000 steps every day
• Have a glass of red wine (just one) with dinner
• Take 5 minutes each day to relax, breathe and think about the good things in your life
• Smoke 1 less cigarette than the day before

Celebrate the success of your small commitment to yourself!

I wish you low stress and great success in 2010!

Get more valuable information in Eliz’s new book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart, or in her Award Winning Blog.

Eliz Greene survived a massive heart attack while seven-months pregnant with twins, struggled to lose the 80 pounds gained during her pregnancy, and searched for a way to hold on to the perspective and passion she found in her near-death experience. Drawing on her background as an adaptive movement specialist, Eliz developed simple strategies and tips to help other busy women be more active, eat better and manage your stress.

As the Director of the Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative, Eliz travels the country energizing and inspiring audiences in keynotes and workshops on women’s heart health. She writes one of the top 100 health and wellness blogs. Find more at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.

Take advantage of a few days off from your regular routine to unplug and let your body catch up with all you ask it to do!

Most of us use some sort of electronic devices to stay connected. These days one hand-held device can allow you to take calls, send e-mail, update your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter status, surf the net and text you pals.

But I ask you this… Do you NEED to be that connected all the time?

Dr. Joanne Cantor, author of Conquer CyberOverload has spent years researching the brain and tells us constant connection squashes our creativity and increases our stress. Dr. Cantor’s book has fascinating information and concrete example why your brain can’t really multitask. I strongly suggest you get her book and find out how to reduce your stress and increase your productivity by managing your connection to the cyber-world.

In the meantime, why not take advantage of the break in your routine to unplug a bit? You may be surprised how calm and focused you’ll feel! It is a great way to Pay Your Body Back™ for a year of crazy connectivity!

How to unplug:

Wear real jewelry in place of your Blue-Tooth: While it may feel like a part of your ear, remove it. It may be pretty, it may be expensive, but it isn’t jewelry and doesn’t belong at the holiday dinner table or family gathering.

Replace “Facebook” with face-time: As tempting as it may be, when you sit down to a meal or a conversation, don’t engage you gadgets.  You may think you can participate in a conversation or meal and text at the same time – but you can’t. Unless you are on-call, leave your gadgets in your pocket – or better yet, turn them off.  Your digestive system and dining companions will thank you. Social interaction is essential to good health, as is paying attention to what you eat.

Do something with your hands: Finding it hard to disengage? Find a way to distract yourself. Bake cookies, help set the table, make a craft, read a book, hold a child, play a board game… anything to keep your hands off the gadget! Refrain from texting, updating your status or sending emails.

Get outside: Interacting with nature – even for 10 minutes lowers stress and calms the body. Go out notice the sounds, sights, and smells.

Choose the time you connect: Allow your body to wake and drift off to sleep without electronic interruption. Read, listen to music, talk to your spouse, or have a cup of tea for the first and last 30 minutes you are awake. Ban the television from the bedroom, turn off your cell phone, and walk past the computer or hand-held device without checking for messages. Choose one or two times during the day to check in (if you must) with messages and social media.

Enjoy the break in your normal routine. Perhaps you’ll find you like the unplugged you so much you’ll want to incorporate unplugged time into your life more often.  I hope so!

Wishing you low stress and great success.

Get more valuable information in Eliz’s new book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart, or in her Award Winning Blog.

Eliz Greene survived a massive heart attack while seven-months pregnant with twins, struggled to lose the 80 pounds gained during her pregnancy, and searched for a way to hold on to the perspective and passion she found in her near-death experience. Drawing on her background as an adaptive movement specialist, Eliz developed simple strategies and tips to help other busy women be more active, eat better and manage your stress.

As the Director of the Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative, Eliz travels the country energizing and inspiring audiences in keynotes and workshops on women’s heart health. She writes one of the top 100 health and wellness blogs. Find more at www.EmbraceYourHeart.com.