longer and stronger lives

Although it is summer and the days are longer, the weather is still a precious commodity. Even in the lazy afternoon time on a picnic seems...

Although it is summer and the days are longer, the weather is still a precious commodity. Even in the lazy afternoon time on a picnic seems faster than a pitcher to run cold lemonade.

For those who try to adopt a healthy lifestyle, lack of time or improve a major obstacle may be. He is the excuse that you stop.

Consider this: 1. Approaches of July; the midpoint of the year. How do you do on New Year's resolutions to diet and exercise?

Maybe need, what we are really questioned.

Since 2013, the women of the day trying to help improve the health of women at risk for heart disease due to its live longer and harder challenge. It's a competition, the nature, but also to embrace a lifestyle that is sure to make you healthier - and happier. Anyone can join everyone and to promote, to at least try to make a change. To say that the resolution is mid-year.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, claiming more lives than all cancers combined. But it should not be so - 80 percent of cases of heart disease and stroke can be prevented by lifestyle changes and exercise. In other words, you can seriously improve your chances of adding years to the valuable life year (more!) Get on improving your health.

Women's Day is has long been committed support of women to develop their lives and improve. Every year in February, which is National Heart Month, Day woman holding her red dress Price with my organization, the annual event of the American Heart Association and our Go Red For Women - movement. Showcase is a tribute to the doctors, researchers, survivors, and advocates for their contribution to the fight against heart disease in women.

Susan Spencer is the editor of the women of the day and a wonderful advocate it - also in this mission to save lives. It is a pleasure to do so to continue this important inspiring conversation.

Last month, International Women's Day for the health of the team and our employees, a dietitian Joy Bauer brand, gathered in a conference room one of the hardest to tackle - and most rewarding - task of the year. We select five women in a group of thousands of people in the fourth WD live longer and stronger Challenge 8 months are women who have or are at risk of heart disease, a health makeover to participate. Although applicants from the United States were, had one thing in common: they all wanted to take responsibility for their health and they just do not know where to start.

The last group of five working with joy and his team of professionals to improve your heart health diet to lose weight and get fit. We provide daily motivation, weekly check-in and its own Facebook page, where they can share victories and venting frustrations. This year, a team of experts from the Mayo Clinic gives as well as his experience. The program is deep, practical and very successful; in the last four years our women have reduced blood pressure, standardized cholesterol, reduce the dose of the drug (or completely gone!) and lost more than 660 pounds together.

While the women to carry out the challenge, we had a unique opportunity to see firsthand what is needed to make healthy changes in heart that stick. We learned a lot; especially that the control of your health to take is not easy. In fact it is very difficult. Both in the way: the work schedules of family, pets, safety, men (yes, we saw that spouses and couples can even the most loyal participants make or break.).

We also observed certain steps shall be taken to maximize the success, no matter what your destination. For example:

Everyone needs a good support -. System with family and friends on board simple process. But our women were also online and found support (a Facebook virtual community) and work (a participant misled his colleagues during the lunch break goes). Where to find, support and accountability can make the difference between a handful of chips and the whole bag.
A little healthy competition is healthy ... Some of our participants have the Fitbit Online -. Connected to see Community, competing with each other and remember how many steps it in a virtual day - could play group. Things got so competitive that a subscriber has increased the goal of 12,000 steps a day. For another group, try monthly challenges as a new healthy recipe and a new exercise per week were very effective; Accounts were women who share their results on Facebook.
Changes need to work in your life, if a new diet -. Routine and exercise do not quite fit into the normal routine of the participants, you probably would not stay. We tell our women live longer take a look at your schedule and lifestyle to take and be realistic about what they can and can not - login as for a marathon, when the nights of work. Sometimes it takes a little ingenuity. A participant from last year worked long hours in the airport, so it is difficult to predict in the exercise. So they started along the terminal fitting in fitness breaks walk.
It's not just weight loss. Part of the program is to teach the participants what it is more than just the completion of a number on the scale. sharpest mind an expensive drug to get the best time with their children to play happy relationship, a better sex life - in fact, much more than "victory" nonscale (we hear a lot about that!). Once the participants that message live internalize longer, grow your determination and motivation and your chances of success jump exponentially. Our women were delighted when she lost 10 pounds, but burst into tears when they saw that their lives in a healthier really were.