Should kids be on a diet?

This week’s Everyday Health video with fitness expert Jillian Michaels really got me thinking.  She discusses Vogue magazine’s April edition article about a mom who put her 7-year-old daughter on a restrictive diet and derided her about what she ate and how she looked.  Jillian sought the opinion of psychologist Dr. Susan Bartell in this very enlightening and responsible discussion of childhood obesity issues.

I especially appreciate the discussion about judgement. Obesity isn’t a character flaw and no one should be ridiculed because of how they look.  Body image issues start young – surprisingly young.  My twin daughters have vastly different body types and metabolisms.  One could eat anything she wants, the other really does have to be careful.  One has more “meat on her bones” while the other struggles to gain enough muscle to open a pickle jar.  This sets up opportunity for unhealthy comparisons. One of the most important things we can do as parents is to show our kids love for the people they are regardless of the package they are in.

So, should you put your kid on a diet? As I’ve written in the past, I don’t really believe in diets as most people think about them.  Plans that include starvation, “nevers”, magic foods, or prepackaged food are doomed to fail in the long run because they don’t function in the real world.  The best bet is create an environment where the kids can learn healthy habits and not have to make choices they aren’t mature enough to grasp.

For example, every food choice at home (and at school) should be a healthy choice.  We are still working on this one, especially at school.  If a kid is given the choice between an apple and a pop-tart – the pop-tart wins.  Focusing on what is really food (the apple) and what isn’t (the pop-tart) can help a child understand what is the healthy choice, but it is still difficult to make that choice. As an adult I still struggle with the same choices.   There are certain things, like Girl Scout Cookies, that are difficult for me to resist.  An open box will call to me from the cupboard, “Eat me!”  I can’t have those things in the house on a regular basis.  We discovered whipped butter in a tub is something my daughter can’t resist.  She will sneak scoops out with her finger. That is something we simply can’t have in the refrigerator.  It is too tempting and it is unfair to think she should have more willpower than me! Filling the fridge with tasty and healthy foods (real foods – not junk) seems to be a key.

The other piece of the equation is physical activity.  My 5th grade Girl Scout troop is completing their Bronze Award and as part of it they were asked to observe the world around them and find a problem they could fix.  One of the things they observed was a lack of activity during recess.  The girls especially were more likely to sit and talk with their friends rather than engage in a game or other physical activity.  The troop decided to make this their project because they recognized physical activity is important for your health as well as being essential to learning.  After some observation of activity levels, and a survey, they made a plan.  First they brought in balls, bats, and other equipment to entice kids to play.  Then they created “Funtabulously Fit Fridays.”  Each Friday the girls plan a group activity, such as wacky track and field or capture the flag, with a goal of having 100% of the kids active during recess.  It has been interesting to see more kids engaged and it may be something that changes the school culture for the better.

Teaching healthy habits to our kids, and maintaining them for ourselves, is a journey.  There will be missteps and it is important to avoid deriding your kid (or yourself) for stepping off the path.  Just get back on and keep heading in the right direction!

Be kind to yourself, and your kids!

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.

Stress Makes Sticky Platelets

Most of us know stress causes your body to react in a “Fright or Flight” manner.  Your heart rate increases, cortisol is produced, and – you might be surprise to learn – your blood gets more sticky.

One of the body’s more ingenious reactions to a threatening situation is to make blood clot faster – so if you are injured you are less likely to bleed to death.  Sticky platelets are good in an emergency, but risky on a constant basis.  Sticky blood is harder to pump, making your blood pressure rise.  Clotting more quickly puts you at a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, and migraine as well.  Constant stress creates a sticky situation for your health.

So what should you do to stay out of a “sticky situation?”

• Monitor your blood pressure. Keep it within normal levels with healthy habits or medication if needed.
• Decompress. Let off some of the pressure and stress by taking 10 deep breaths (count 4 in, 6 out).  Practicing deep breathing 3 times per day can allow you to release some of the stress, slow your heart rate, and lower your blood pressure.  Over time it should help your blood become more slippery too.
• Talk to your doctor. Sticky platelets are just one factor in addressing heart disease risk.  Have a candid conversation with your doctor about your family history, habits, and stress level.
• Get outside. Seeing nature – even in photos – decreases your stress level.  Find ways to bring a little peace to your day.

Do something every day to manage your stress – and your sticky platelets!

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.

Swedish or Deep Tissue? Which massage is right for you?

Massage is a great stress reliever and an excellent way to find your Moment of Ahhh…, but which type should you choose? Need help deciding? Check out this new video from Jillian Michaels -  one of the leading health and wellness experts in the country.    Jillian’s massage therapist Kelly Youngblood discusses the five types of massage and demonstrates them on Janice. She explains the difference between a nice, relaxing Swedish massage, a sometimes painful deep tissue, sports massage, Thai bodywork and Shiatsu. Really, watch it – you’ll get a stress relieving giggle out of it too!

As Jillian says, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to do something good for your body!

Do yourself a favor, schedule a massage – and let us know which kind is your favorite!

Find more great tips and videos on the Everyday Health’s YouTube Channel.

Eliz Greene

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.

Take time to relax and let your body recover!

When was the last time you allowed yourself to relax to the point you said, “Ahhhh…”?

Hectic schedules, demands of work and home, and the never-ending barrage of information creates stress.  One of the best ways to reduce stress, and decrease the amount of cortisol in your body, is to relax.  But who has the time? Yet, finding even 5 minutes in your day to take some deep breaths, calm your body and your mind can go a long way to making you feel better and improving your health.

So, how do you fit it in?

Here are a couple of tips:

• Get a velvet rope! Just like a fancy nightclub, be selective about who, and what, you let in.  Designate time for yourself and then draw the line – this is just for me!
• Bar the guilt: There is always something else you COULD be doing – don’t give into the guilt about taking time for yourself.  Remember a stressed-out, sick you isn’t doing the best job.  Give the world a calm, centered, healthy you.
• Take baby steps: Maybe you don’t have time for a bubble bath, a trip to the lake, or a massage.  That’s okay.  Find small moments in the day to relax.  Set your alarm for 10 am and 3 pm.  Stop what you are doing a take 5 to 10 deep breaths.  Have a cup of tea. Take a walk outside.  Do something to break your schedule and have a moment of “Ahhh.”

Reserve time for yourself, search out the “Ahhh”, and reduce your stress.  Be kind to yourself and Pay Your Body Back for all you ask of it every day.

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.

Are you your own worst enemy when it comes to your health?

You may be struggling with Female-itis.

Today I have the honor of presenting to the Circle of Red women prior to my keynot at the Cincinnati Go Red For Women Luncheon.  We are discussing the real world issue women face in taking care of their own health – Female-itis.

Women often put everyone, and everything else ahead of their own needs – and our health suffers for it.  Whether that means putting off the appointment with your doctor, failing to make time to eat healthy or exercise – or even more commonly living at such a high level of stress that it puts you at risk.

Find some strategies to deal with Female-itis here and take a moment today for yourself.  Take a breath, take a walk, take time to truly connect with someone.  Be kind to yourself and make your health a priority.

Were you at the Go Red Luncheon today?  Please leave a comment and share your take “I will” statements.

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.

Wellness is like Karma – you get what you give!

Yesterday my girls asked me to explain Karma.  I explained it was a concept in which good actions caused good results and bad actions caused bad results.  Grace stated that this seemed like our parenting style (yes, very true) and Callie said,

“It’s kind of like being healthy then, right.  If you do good things for your body, you’ll be healthy.  If you do bad things, then you won’t.”

Smart kid.

Think about it.

By making healthy choices (eating well, sleeping well, moving around) we improve our wellness karma. By making unhealthy choices (smoking, eating junk, burning the candle at both ends, etc) we destroy our wellness karma.

So, how is your wellness karma?

Last night I had a six hour school board meeting and returned home after midnight – not good for my wellness karma! Today I’m going to have to do something to improve it.  As I discuss in Pay Your Body Back, taking the time to repay yourself for the stresses, challenges, and sometimes mistreatment of daily life is important to your health.  There is a nap in my future.

What are you doing to improve your wellness karma today?

Get tips to Pay Your Body Back.

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.

Productivity is about deletion… not addition!

An article from International Productivity Expert Neen James sparked my interest this week.  She contends the key to being more productive is saying no more often.  In my stress management programs I always share the importance of saying no as a key to focusing on the things you determine are important. In fact…

Saying NO to one thing means saying emphatically YES to what is important!

Think about it.

If you clearly define the three most important things in your life – wouldn’t it be easier to determine whether a task, project, opportunity, or outside demand fits?  Productivity, and stress management, isn’t about figuring out how to do more – it’s about choosing what fits with your priorities, and deleting what doesn’t.  Read Neen’s tips for saying no – my favorite is:

No is a complete sentence.

Why are we so compelled to explain why we are saying no?  Just say it and be done.  Good advice!

Today, spend some time thinking about what is really important to you and deleting what doesn’t fit. Because no is the new yes!

Wishing you low stress and great success!

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.

Neen James

Neen James is an International Productivity Expert. She demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing results. She is a dynamic keynote speaker, author and executive coach and business mentor with a unique voice, high energy, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense. Find out more at www.neenjames.com – P.O. Box 1764 • Doylestown, PA 18901 • 215-230-0835

Being happy makes your heart healthier!

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that positive psychological well-being appears to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events.

Which means an optimistic outlook could keep your heart healthy!

“The absence of the negative is not the same thing as the presence of the positive. We found that factors such as optimism, life satisfaction, and happiness are associated with reduced risk of CVD regardless of such factors as a person’s age, socioeconomic status, smoking status, or body weight,” said lead author Julia Boehm, research fellow in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at HSPH. “For example, the most optimistic individuals had an approximately 50% reduced risk of experiencing an initial cardiovascular event compared to their less optimistic peers,” she said.

How can you be more optimistic?

Optimistic people don’t walk around viewing the world through rose colored glasses, but rather have an outlook that assumes things will work in their favor if given a chance.

One of the ways I feed my optimism is to remind myself to:

Focus on what is possible rather than dwelling on what is difficult.

Oftentimes, life is full of challenges and we get caught up in dealing with the tough stuff – many times things we ultimately can’t change.  Stepping back, taking a breath and focusing what is really achievable can allow you to spend energy on the things in which you can find satisfaction.

Of course another great strategy is to Woo Hoo!  A Woo Hoo is a simple expression of something positive.  You can share a Woo Hoo in person, on the phone, in an email, on Facebook or Twitter – wherever.  It’s not bragging, but rather a way of shining a light on the good things in life.  It doesn’t have to be a big thing.  It could be simply, “Woo Hoo!  I got my taxes in on time!”  Celebrating the positives in life, big and small, can go a long way in increasing your happiness – and decreasing your risk of heart disease.

Wishing you a happy – and healthy- heart!

Eliz Greene

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.

When was the last time you celebrated being done?

There aren’t many finish lines in adult life.  Parenting, household chores, work projects – most of the things we do are on-going, without a clear end. Plus, most of us juggle multiple responsibilities, leaving little time to celebrate finishing one thing before having to move on to the next.

Where is the Woo Hoo?

Where is the moment to stand back and say, “Look what I did!”?

Eliz in sanding gear - the suit started out white and the gloves yellow!

Finding something, big or small, you can actually complete is a great way to add some joy to your life, and reduce your stress.  Rather than feeling stressed and frustrated by the treadmill of daily life, you have the chance to focus – and finish.

My husband, Clay, and I spend the spring in the boatyard getting our 23-year-old sailboat ready for the season.  Now, to many sanding, scrubbing, greasing, and polishing would seem like a lousy way to spend a season, but for us it is joy – because at the end we are rewarded with a boat to sail for the summer!

Last weekend I sanded the bottom of the boat – the dirtiest job.  I wear a full Tyvek suit, gloves, ventilator, and goggles to keep the toxic dust off of me (which works only so well) and I get covered!  It is a bit of an ordeal – but in the end, I am finished, ready to paint, and done for another year!  Woo Hoo!

Hobbies are a great way to get that feeling of the finish.  What do you do?  What did you used to do?  Whether it’s a sewing project, knitting, carpentry, a 5K race, repairing the lawn mower, or sanding the bottom of a boat – make time for activities you can complete… and then celebrate being finished!

Woo Hoo!

Please share your ideas and insights in a comment below.  Thanks!

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.

Spring Is Here! Are you cultivating your own health?

The weather is warmer, flowers are blooming, and the promise of a vibrant summer is in the air.  What are you doing to prepare for your own vibrant, and healthy, summer?

Spring is a great time to reinvigorate your healthy habits.  With the days getting longer, we have more energy and can fit in a bit more activity.  There are seven weeks before Memorial Day (and the start of summer), what will you do to be more healthy?

Here are some suggestions to sow your seeds of good health:

• Take a walk outside: Double your benefits by not only getting exercise, but also lowering your stress by enjoying nature. Don’t worry, even a 5 minute walk can make a difference. Here are some ideas:
• Take Fido for a quick sniff and trot.
• Park farther away or take a lap around your building before you start work.
• Take your coffee break outside.
• Make that 3 pm meeting a walk & talk.
• Listen to that conference call as you stroll.
• Digest your dinner and the day with a evening walk with someone you enjoy.
• Clear the Air: Make this the summer you quit smoking! Ridding your life of tobacco is the biggest gift you can give yourself (and the people who love you) – and the best part is you start reaping the benefits – increased lung capacity, improved sense of smell and taste, decrease risk of illness – right away!  Check here for resources.
• Add Some Crunch: Eat something crunchy – no, I don’t mean chips!  Spring is a great time to load up on fresh fruits and veggies.  Enjoy salads, stir fries, and fresh soups at lunch and dinner to bump up your fruit and veggie intake.
• Drink Up: With the weather getting warmer, it is important to stay hydrated! Grab a water bottle and drink up!
• Check It Out: If it has been a while, Spring is a great time to check in with your doctor and have your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol checked.  Make sure everything looks good for a great, and healthy, summer!

Make a commitment to better health in the next seven weeks.  Pick something to do every day and sow the seeds of your own good health!

Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.

She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after heart health, stress management, & wellness speaker.

If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.