If you answered yes to any of these questions, it may be time for a lifestyle makeover, says author and fitness coach Bridgette Collins. Bridgette started MAC Fitness (Making-A-Commitment to Fitness) in 2002 to educate, coach, and motivate individuals who struggle with implementing healthier lifestyle habits.

During our interview, Bridgette shared her thoughts on the importance of taking steps today to start living the life you deserve.

What are the three areas that a woman should look at when considering a lifestyle makeover.
Today’s woman wants to live a life that’s fun and exciting, simplified, healthy, and offers a sense of purpose. A lifestyle makeover occurs when you strategically plan, pursue, and achieve the lifestyle that suits your desires as they relate to your mind, body and soul. For example:

• Your Mind – the way you think about your life, career, relationships, and purpose
• Your Body – the choices you make relative to exercising and eating better
• Your Soul – the way you feel and believe about your whole being

Is a lifestyle makeover something I could do myself or do I need the help of a lifestyle coach or personal trainer?
A lifestyle or fitness coach can propel you forward beyond the point of uncertainty or the point where you tend to get stuck. If you want to implement healthier lifestyle habits, but don’t know where to start, a fitness coach may be your best option. A coach will help you figure out a strategy for developing, implementing and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Your coach will design a program (how to eat healthier and how to incorporate fitness activities into your daily routine) that suits your lifestyle and allows you to make positive behavioral changes. His/her role can be expanded to include adjusting your program when the roadblocks and detours of life affect your progress.

You write about choice, faith, determination, and perseverance playing an important role in living a healthy life? Please explain.
Knowing that poor lifestyle choices will eventually evolve into health concerns like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, it’s important that women realize the one thing they have to their advantage is the power of choice. Taking responsibility for your actions and learning that faith, determination, and perseverance are necessary for rearranging your priorities and embracing healthier habits.

What are three of the biggest challenges that your female clients face when trying to make healthy lifestyle changes? What’s your advice for overcoming those challenges?
The “Biggest Challenges” are:

1. Challenge One – Balancing obligations, ambitions, and values surrounding their faith, family, career, finances, and relationships;
2. Challenge Two – Eating the right foods, prepared the right way, in the right quantity, and at the right time; and
3. Challenge Three – Finding or blocking out time to exercise (time management).

My advice to women is to make their health and fitness a priority. Evaluate all the things vying for your attention, weed out those things that add no value, prioritize those things that are essential (faith, health, family, etc.), and explore your options for making small, healthy changes. For example, if you’re a breakfast skipper, try to incorporate breakfast into your daily morning routine. That’s a small change that could easily include a slice of whole grain toast, a piece of fruit, and a low-fat dairy product.

The one thing you have to your advantage is the power of choice. You choose whether you eat breakfast or not. You choose whether you’ll exercise for 30 minutes, three to five times a week. You choose whether you’ll eat an orange or a slice of pie. The power of choice is yours.

Bridgette Collins’ new book, Destined to Live Healthier: Mind, Body and Soul – www.destinedtolivehealthier.com, will be available the end of August 2008.

Kina won Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl singing contest and now has a record deal. In his words, “since you’re all about the heart you might want to check that song out.” So it wasn’t a ringing endorsement, but it was enough to get me googling the song the next day. The lyrics to this song are absolutely beautiful. Naturally, I am attracted to this song because it’s all about honoring “your most devoted body part” that is always “taking blood and making art.” Kina offers a heart health message we all need hear. Please take a few minutes to view the video. This song will inspire your heart!  

While most of us recognize that there’s more to health than just our physical wellbeing, the emotional link to our heart health is often overlooked. But the reality is that our emotions have plenty to do with keeping our hearts in tip-top shape. The connection between the heart and our emotions isn’t a head in the cloud notion or fodder for romance novels. There is solid scientific research that the heart continuously sends signals to the brain that affect our perceptions, thinking and emotional processing.

Check yes if you’ve ever felt:

- Depressed
- Worried
- Anxious
- Frustrated
- Stressed

 It has been well documented that anxiety, depression, worry and loneliness are all linked to an increased risk of having a heart attack or dying early of heart disease. But don’t panic if you’ve checked the “yes” box next to any of these emotional states. Besides, who hasn’t worried, felt a bit anxious or depressed at some point in their lives? It’s human nature. The concern grows when we move from short periods of not-so happy emotional experiences to a chronic state of anxiety or depression.

The good news is that we have more power over our emotions and health than we often give ourselves credit. The new science of happiness is showing us that happiness is often a choice and even a muscle that can be flexed and developed by focusing on the positive things in life.

How does this all translate to a healthy heart? Researchers at The Institute of Heart Math have found that when we are anxious, angry or worried, the heart’s rhythm becomes erratic and contributes to the tension and tightness that we often feel in our chest area and other parts of the body when we’re stressed. But when we experience positive emotions, the reverse is true. Heart rhythms are more harmonious and balanced when we feel emotions such as love, gratitude and compassion.

So are you ready to start experiencing more of those warm and fuzzy feelings? Here are five tips from my book, The Heart of Living Well, to help you flex those happiness muscles and keep your precious heart in good shape.

1. Stop Worrying. Chronic worriers are two to five times more likely to have a heart attack. Anxious and fear-based thoughts and emotions also trigger stress hormones that weaken the immune system and sap our energy.

Tip: Instead of being swept away by your worries, try scheduling a time to worry. Write down your thoughts, doubts and fears and then determine what you can do about them. Acknowledging your worries in this way can stop the repetitive thoughts about them. Move toward the resolution of the ones you can take action on. The longer you remain in a state of inaction, the more you will worry. If the situation is beyond your control, move toward acceptance.
 

2. Be grateful. People who regularly appreciate the good things in life are happier and more resilient, sleep better and even spend more time exercising.

Tip: Make gratitude a habit. Keep a gratitude journal, say a prayer of thanks each morning, or reflect on three good things that occurred during the day every evening before you go to bed.

3. Think positively. In a Yale University study researchers found that people with an optimistic outlook on life live seven and half years longer than their more gloomy counterparts. In the study, the tendency toward positive thinking had more influence than blood pressure and cholesterol levels on an individual’s health and longevity.

Tip: Choose to see the opportunity when facing a challenging situation. Focus on the solution rather than the problem. Ask yourself: Is there a lesson here for me? How can I make the best of my present situation?

4. Forgive and Let go. Holding on to past hurts is detrimental to our health. The various emotions that block forgiveness, including anger, hostility, and fear, have all been linked to increased blood pressure, disruptive hormonal changes, impaired immune function and a higher risk of heart disease.

Tip: Develop a forgiving personality. Practice letting go of everyday gaffes (such as a friend showing up late or a stranger maneuvering into a parking spot at the mall despite the fact that you were there first). If you make a mistake, accept it as such, instead of beating yourself up about it. If you have been deeply hurt by someone else’s actions, take time to process the experience and your emotions. Be patient and compassionate with yourself. Remember, to err is human, but to forgive, divine.

5. Manage Stress. Chronic stress can pose a serious risk to your heart. Stress contributes to weight gain, lowers estrogen levels, increases the likelihood of developing depression and increases blood pressure.

Tip: Make self-care a priority. Commit to giving yourself a minimum of thirty minutes each day to connect with yourself through meditation, journaling, yoga or other forms physical activity. Create and honor your boundaries. Friends and family will be more likely to take your commitment to self-care seriously if you do. If guilt or feelings of selfishness creep up, remind yourself that self-care and stress management is about your health and livelihood.

Judy Lubin, MPH
Adapted from The Heart of Living Well: Six Principles for a Life of Health, Beauty, and Balance

I still write down my goals or intentions every New Year’s eve, but in a different way. You see, my list takes shape in the form of a letter to God. It’s an admission if you will, that I need help. We all do. Support and inspiration, wherever you draw them from, are essential ingredients for success.

There is an added benefit to writing the letter though. Instead of just a list of things that I want to accomplish, writing the letter provides context, a bigger picture, if you will, for the changes that I want to see in my life. The letter is a way of connecting the dots between my goals and what I value.

Goals are values

Our goals are markers for what we value. The desire to take better care of yourself is a value statement not to be taken lightly or tossed out the window—ever. The fact that we come back to the same goals or resolutions every year is a reason for celebration, not disappointment and disillusionment.

It can be frustrating to feel that you haven’t made progress, but setting an intention or goal is not the problem. Deep down, we all want to grow and evolve. So despite a lost of focus or unsuccessful attempts to change, we keep trying. Born out of the so-called repetitiveness of New Year’s resolutions is recognition that change is possible.

The problem with health resolutions, regardless of when we set them, is that far too often we view our health as something separate from the rest of our lives. It’s convenient to do this. It’s the rationale behind binging over the holidays and then waking up on January 1st proclaiming that I’m “ready to make changes.”

Unfortunately, serious illness is the one thing that wakes us up to the reality that, yes, without our health, nothing else matters. But why wait for an unfortunate turn of events?

Change occurs gradually

Change is a process. It doesn’t have to be the “all or nothing” approach that often characterizes (and sets us up for failure) New Year’s resolutions. As I prepared to write my letter for 2008, I looked over my letter from the previous year and saw that many of the things that I wanted for this year were in my 2007 letter. My first reaction was to think that I had not done enough. But, I stopped myself. As I reflected on the year, I was able to see the progress I made in 2007 and instead of knocking myself for not “doing more” I smiled at all that I had done, and looked forward to the continual unfolding of myself and my dreams.

Acknowledge your successes. What changes have you already made? How can you continue the growth process? What will you do this year to bring you closer to your goals? What is realistic for you?

The New Year is fresh and forgiving

Call me an optimist, but I am excited about the New Year. It’s a time to start over again. It’s a gift to have made it through another year and to be given an opportunity to recreate ourselves. The New Year is open and expectant. It’s a blank slate from which to write a new direction for our lives—when we’re ready. The New Year is forgiving. Whatever you did or didn’t do last year, you can let it go and start anew.

So what’s my new year’s health resolution? It’s the same one I had last year: to completely and fully embrace health. In other words, surround myself in all things healthy and good for me. I want to be health, live health and breathe health.

These studies reinforce the benefit of shifting our focus to the good and positive things in life. Gratitude is a choice to focus on the good instead of the negative in our lives. It is also a choice to be present in the here and now, instead of in the past or future. When we are truly grateful, we are satisfied with where we are in the present moment. Unfortunately, in a high-pressure, results-driven society that tells us we should want it all and want more, being satisfied is often mistakenly perceived as settling for less. But we can have goals and look forward to a future of bigger and better things while savoring and celebrating the blessings of today.

Life is a wonderful gift: family and friends, lessons and challenges, the wonder of the extraordinary and the familiarity of the everyday, the abundance and convenience of food we enjoy, our health, homes, jobs and businesses, the light of the sun, the magnificence of nature. There is already so much for us to be thankful for.

Here are few ways to build your gratitude practice:
• Say a prayer of thanks each morning
• Keep a gratitude journal
• Light a candle
• Pause and bring your hands to your heart
• Reflect on three good things that happened at the end of each day
• Send a thank you note

Excerpted from The Heart of Living Well, Principle Five: Open Your Heart, by Judy Lubin, MPH.

Special thanks to the Balanced Life Center for the Season of Gratitude campaign.

Every season has unique qualities and characteristics that influence our health and well-being. Nature compels us to adjust and adapt to winter’s cold air, spring’s blooming flowers and the heat of the summer. Fall, like all other seasons, is a time of change and adjustment.

While we often think of spring as the season for cleaning and starting anew, fall is a wonderful time to create breathing room and space. As the temperature cools and sunlight decreases, our time at home and indoors increases. Between summer and winter, fall is a preparatory time for the extended time we’ll spend at home during the winter months. It’s also harvest time, when we gather with family and friends to celebrate the blessings in our lives.

Here are a few simple ways to honor the spirit of the fall by creating a warm, comforting and uncluttered sanctuary at home.

1. Spruce up your rooms. Go through each room of your home and find one thing that you need to discard or clean. Is it time to clean the curtains or drapes, mop the floor or clear out the medicine cabinet? Commit to taking on one room at a time. You might be surprised how much you enjoy this process. Getting rid of things that are taking up space in your home can be liberating. It may inspire you to let go of other stuff that no longer serve or enhance your life. “Fall at its best is twilight in its most essential form—a really satisfying deep breath that inspires and enlivens on the inhalation, nourishes at its moment of pause, and satisfies and fills one with joy on its release”, says Jane Butler-Bigg author of Feng Shui: A Seasonal Guide to Good Energy. Clearing space and letting go of what we no longer need frees us for fully embracing and enjoying fall’s bounty.

2. Organize your clothes closet. Take all your clothes and shoes out of your closet and organize them into piles: what you will keep, what you will give away to a friend or family member and what you will donate. Bag the items that will go to Goodwill or another charity. Schedule a time to drop them off or have them picked up. Call your friends and family members to find out if they want the items you want to pass on to them. If yes, plan a time in the near future (within the week, if possible) to get the clothes to them. Resist the urge to hold onto items that were declined by friends and family. Bag the rejected items along with the others that will be donated. Once you have decided to give an item away, commit to letting it go.

3. Manage and let go of unnecessary paper. Go through the mail and piles of paper you have been pushing off. Sorting through piles of paper can be time consuming, so you may have to take this in small chunks. But the key is to get started. As you sort, determine which documents you still need, what can be thrown away, what requires action (i.e., a follow up call) and what should be filed. If you don’t have a filing system, set one up. Major categories might include: Bills, Health, Home, Warranties, Computer, Kids and Finances.

4. Go green. Place a few plants throughout your home. Plants add life to any environment and help to keep the air fresh and clean. Spathiphyllum and Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen) are houseplants that require low light and little maintenance.

5. Light a candle. Candles are an essential for the fall and winter. They provide an easy and affordable way for decorating and adding ambiance, color, light and warmth to your home. Vanilla, cinnamon and apple are great scents for this time of the year.

6. Decorate with pillows and throws. Pillows and throws in rich colors like wine, gold and sage, and soft and luxurious fabrics such as chenille create a feeling of luxury, warmth and comfort. They are great to keep around on cool nights or for an afternoon nap.

Similarly, health improvement requires the creation of space: a carved out block of time that, when used efficiently, moves us from where we are to where we want to be.

 In today’s busy world, it is very easy to create space for everyone else and neglect ourselves, and consequently our health, in the process. To that end, claiming space for ourselves provides a welcomed rebalancing of life priorities. It allows us to take stock of our behaviors, actions and choices that move us away or toward our goals. The creation of space represents a crucial step toward health improvement.

Here are a few things Big Rewards program members are doing to create space for better health:

• Making personal appointments to exercise
• Using ten minutes before bedtime to pack a healthy lunch
• Taking regular stress breaks at work
• Bringing a child to a family-friendly fitness center
• Hiring a personal fitness trainer
• Riding a bike to work as a way to commute and exercise at the same time
• Developing personal mission statements that provide focus and direction
• Training for competitive events, such as the Marine Corps Marathon
• Using the word “no” a little more often
Opening up space sends a very clear message that we are ready to place ourselves first, take charge of our health and go after what we really want.

What is one step you can take today to create more space for your health improvement plan?

 By Terri Holley, MS, CHES

Discuss This Article
Have you found an innovative way to create space for better health? We invite you to discuss this article and post your strategies on the Heart and Style Big Rewards message board (or leave a comment below).

Think about the last time you tried to fix something you thought was broken. Last spring, the breaks on my daughter’s bicycle mysteriously stopped working. After several hours of trying to fix them, I tiresomely towed her ride to the bike shop. After we’d stood in line for almost 45 minutes, it was our turn to see the bike mechanic, who quickly noticed that the break cables were wrapped around the base of the handlebars. There was nothing to fix; I simply had to untwist the cables. Embarrassed, I left the bike shop and went home to recuperate from the unfruitful and exhausting process.

Similarly, when we try to fix ourselves with the newest diet or exercise program, the process itself can become mechanical, robotic, and lifeless, lacking enthusiasm, drive, and zeal. On the other hand, when we see ourselves as whole, we can enthusiastically implement good health practices and look forward to doing more, being more, and living life authentically.

With wholeness as our starting point, we can view wellness as a journey. Along the way, we might come across patterns of behavior that enable complacency. We might discover what is blocking the illumination of our magnificence. We might see clearly what we need to have more of in order to reach our goals. This is all part of the journey. With each step, we give ourselves the chance to reflect, act, and evolve.

So if you are thinking about losing a few pounds, exercising regularly, or giving up an unhealthy habit, instead of trying to fix yourself, focus on making a contribution toward what is already there – a whole human being waiting to be unleashed to live out your potential. Now, that’s exciting!

How would better health enhance your God-given talents, skills, and attributes?
How would better health illuminate your wholeness, magnify your attributes, and contribute to your magnificence?
What are you waiting for?