A Healthy Heart

Given the right kind of care and attention, and a healthy heart can do some amazing things.

When you exercise regularly and keep your heart pumping strong, you feel more energized. Your body remains fit and ready to fight-off illness whenever it strikes. You feel more motivated and eager to get involved in even the most challenging activities.

When you eat the right foods and avoid toxins, your heart functions perfectly, distributing needed nutrients throughout the body and into the brain, keeping your mind alert and your memory sharp.

Your heart also lets you know when you're over-stressed and it's time to take a deep breath and relax.

And, as everybody knows, a heart nourished with love and affection makes you feel good about yourself, more connected with others, and more optimistic about the future.

In short, when you embrace a healthy heart as a primary focus in your life, you're more likely to stay well, live longer, and remain meaningfully engaged in the world around you.

Unfortunately, most people have difficulty giving their heart the care and attention it deserves. Just look at the numbers:

• Heart disease remains the #1 cause of death in the U.S.
• More than 2,400 Americans will die today from the disease

The causes of heart disease are well-known. Most are related to behavioral choices we make, like high cholesterol diets, lack of exercise and stressful lifestyles. Reducing these risk factors, however, isn't easy for most people, even when their life is at stake.

A recent study showed that when doctors tell their heart patients they will die if they don't change their lifestyle habits, only one in seven were able to do it!

The good news is that research has also shown that when we embrace a heart-healthy lifestyle, we can prevent, halt and even reverse the symptoms of heart disease.

If you have heart disease, or struggle with associated risk factors, it's time to make changes in your lifestyle. It's time for a HeartCoach!