Every year, over 40,000 American women die from breast cancer ? and another 267,000 die from heart attacks. You don?t want to be one of them!
February is Heart Health Month. Self-care expert BJ Gallagher offers five simple ways to enhance women?s heart health ? while having fun, too!
1.????Jimmy Choo is not your friend. Neither are Dolce and Gabbana or Manolo Blahnik. Get some comfy shoes you can walk in ? and an uplifting jogging bra and a cute outfit ? then get moving! Start where you are ? 5 minutes ? 10 or 20 minutes ? or 60 minutes. Time doesn?t matter ? just do it.
2.????It?s not what you?re eating ? it?s what?s eating you. Those extra pounds you?re carrying are as much emotional baggage and physical. Deal with resentments then move on; resolve unfinished business; take care of old issues. Try journaling; work with a therapist; move beyond those toxic feelings. It?s the only way you?ll stop eating over emotional problems.
3.????Laughter is inner jogging. It releases feel-good endorphins. Go for the guffaw or the giggle or the grin. Spend time with people who make you laugh. Rent and watch funny movies (with air-popped popcorn, of course). Watch hysterical YouTube clips. Go to the zoo and visit the monkeys.
4.????Hug your dog or cat ? often. Research has shown that stroking your pet?s fur is good for you ? it actually lowers blood pressure better than ACE inhibitor drugs! So cuddle, stroke, pet and play with your furry, four-legged friend every chance you get. Who knows? It might even be good for the dogs and cats, too!
5.????Call a friend. Research out of UCLA tells us that the old ?fight or flight? response to stress is based on studies of men. Women respond very differently to stress ? by ?tending and befriending.? When the going gets tough, call a girlfriend for a good heart to heart ? literally.
For more tips on habits that are good for your heart ? and the rest of you, too ? check out BJ Gallagher?s new book, WHY DON?T I DO THE THINGS I KNOW ARE GOOD FOR ME? Taking Small Steps to Improve the Big Picture (Berkley; 2009)
About BJ Gallagher
BJ Gallagher is an inspirational author and speaker. She writes business books that educate and empower, women's books that enlighten and entertain, gift books that inspire and inform, and kids' books that charm and delight. Whether her audience is corporate executives, working women, or a group of giggling youngsters, her message is powerful, positive, and practical. She motivates and teaches with empathy, understanding, and more than a little humor.
BJ's international best-seller, A Peacock in the Land of Penguins (Berrett-Koehler; third edition 2001), has sold over 300,000 copies in 21 languages. Her new books include: It's Never Too Late to Be What You Might Have Been (Viva Editions; 2009) and Why Don't I Do the Things I Know Are Good For Me? (Berkley; 2009).
Contact BJ Gallagher at (323) 227-6205 or email bbjjgallagher(at)aol(dot)com.
Web site: http://www.womenneed2know.com
Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bj-gallagher
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