Thursday, February 24, 2011

Heart Health Party at Miami's Equinox Fitness Clubs

February is heart month, and so the three Miami area Equinox Fitness Clubs are holding a special evening event to showcase heart health. Plus, if you wear red, you can partake in special discounts. The event takes place at the on Monday, Feb. 28 from 6-9 p.m. at the three area clubs: South Beach, Coral Gables and Aventura.

"We love our members, and we care about them, so we want them to lead healthier lives," said Alicia Lee, Equinox's special events coordinator.

At the Coral Gables Equinox, two cardiologists and a dietician from South Miami Hospital will be on hand to give presentations. At the other two clubs, written material and other visuals will be presented. Chair massages will also be featured at all the clubs.

Trainers at all of the clubs will offer blood pressure screenings all day, and evening fitness classes will focus on cardiovascular fitness. In addition, patrons will be given special offers on VAP cholesterol testing, which offers more detailed information than standardized tests, and Vitamin B-12 shots, which they can obtain at a later time.

In addition, people who wear red will receive a 20 percent discount at the club's retail shop, and be entered in a raffle for spa services. Heart healthy snacks will also be offered, and donations will be taken on behalf of the American Heart Association.

For more information on Equinox, call Andreas Heuser, 305-673-1172

Monday, February 21, 2011

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: Seminar on heart health and more on Feb. 24 in Dor...

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: Seminar on heart health and more on Feb. 24 in Dor...: "February is heart month, and so I've asked two of the country's top motivational speakers to join me in a two of the country's top motivatio..."

Seminar on heart health and more on Feb. 24 in Doral

February is heart month, and so I've asked two of the country's top motivational speakers to join me in a two of the country's top motivational speakers to join me in a special seminar this Thursday, Feb. 24, in Doral, Fla.

Entitled "Keys to Success: Health, Courage and Living the Golden Life," I, along with Success Coach Lisa Jimenez and popular TV Host Lorna Owens, will speak on how women can regain their balance, take control, and get the most out of their lives.

My talk, "Healthy Heart/Healthy Body: It's that Simple" contains the message that I recently brought to the US Army War College, which trains the military elite. I've also spoken at Duke Medical Center, the University of Connecticut Medical Center, the Women in International Trade Miami Chapter, and at more than 50 hospitals and organizations around the country.

Lisa will speak on "Fighting Fear," which helps explore the hidden fears and self-limiting beliefs that may be holding you back, and she shows you how to break through and manifest success. She's built a multi-million dollar business and has sold over 1/4 million copies of her book "Conquering Fear."

Once a successful lawyer, Lorna decided to turn her life around and follow her dream, which is empowering other women. She's now a top strategist, life coach and author, who speaks around the world. She also hosts a live, popular women's program, "The Women's Institute," each second Saturday of the month at the Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove, and she's the founder of the Footprints Foundation, working in Democratic Republic of Congo.

For details, click here.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Protecting your heart with fiber helps protect your whole body, study shows

I'm just back from my Valentine's Day speaking engagement at the U.S. Army War College, which was an unforgettable experience. I got to give my message "Protect Your Heart, Protect Your Life --It's that Simple," to more than 100 of our country's finest military officers and spouses. I will write more about my experience at this historic site in the coming days.

Returning today, though, I logged on and found fresh news this morning that points out my key message -- that when you take action to keep your heart happy, your whole body is better off. This comes from a new government-funded study, which shows that eating fiber, which helps prevent heart disease, also helps you live longer. And, while the results were good for both men and women, the effect was even more pronounced in women.

The study, reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that high intakes of fiber were associated with 24 to 56 percent reduction in cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases in men and 34 to 59 percent in women. The association was found with dietary fiber from grains, but not from other sources like fruits.

So here's another reason to up your fiber intake. Just be careful and do it slowly, so your body can have time to adjust to it, or you may find your stomach speaking up in ways you don't appreciate!

As an award-winning author, national speaker, and the founder of National Women's Heart Health Day, I speak to to hospitals and organizations on preventing heart disease in women and men. I'd love to bring my message to your organization, so just click on my website, or email me at char@libov.com.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: A Valentine's Day Message

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: A Valentine's Day Message: "This Feb. 14, I am spending Valentine's Day with our men and women in uniform at the U.S. Army War College. This is a very elite institution..."

A Valentine's Day Message

This Feb. 14, I am spending Valentine's Day with our men and women in uniform at the U.S. Army War College. This is a very elite institution and alumni include Generals George Patton, Norman Schwarzkopf, Tommy Franks, and many other men and women who have gone on to take strategic posts overseas.

I will be sharing these statistics with our men and women in uniform:
*Cardiovascular disease kills more women than men
*About 454,600 women die from cardiovascular disease each year
*About 370,000 women suffer first or recurrent heart attacks each year
*About 83,000 women who suffer heart attacks annually are under age 65
*Women heart attack survivors are more likely to die than are men
*Women who have heart attacks under the age of 50 are twice as likely to die
*Women are more likely than me to die following heart bypass surgery
* Nearly twice as many women than men are disabled by heart failure within six years of a heart attack

To learn more about bringing my message to your organization, contact me at char@libov.com.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: New Study Shows Importance of Doing Research on Wo...

Preventing Heart Disease in Women: New Study Shows Importance of Doing Research on Wo...: "A study published this week is hailed as good news for women, because it found that a certain kind of implantable pacemaker/defibrillator wo..."

New Study Shows Importance of Doing Research on Women

A study published this week is hailed as good news for women, because it found that a certain kind of implantable pacemaker/defibrillator works a lot better in women than it does in men. This indeed was good news for women, but it was also valuable for men as well, because researchers can now use this information to improve on the device for men.

This study held a double meaning for me, because it yet again pointed out the importance of including women in medical studies. When I first began writing about heart disease in women, this was a very hot-button topic. It literally took a Congress to force researchers to include women routinely in their studies. This lack of research on women is also one key reason why heart disease was considered a "man's disease" for decades. Most of the studies had been done on men, and it was this research that made its way into the medical canon.

Obviously, the more research that is done including women, the more is learned. Such information is not only important for women, but for men as well. Researchers surmised that the reason the device may work better for women is that our hearts are smaller, so this may be very valuable for improving the devices for use on males.

Hey, I'm off to lecture on heart health in women at the US Army War College in Carlisle, PA for Valentine's Day, and I'll you all about that incredible experience when I return. In the meantime, if you'd like me to come to your business or organization to talk about ideas on women's health and fitness, just shoot me an email at char@libov.com.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Protect Your Heart 12 Months a Year

Today is Feb. 1, which is the start of Heart Month and my own National Women's Heart Health Day.

I first began writing about women's heart health after my own open-heart surgery back in the ancient days of the mid-1990s. Back then, there were no Women's heart observances; indeed, when I turned my focus on this topic, the American Heart Association wasn't even keeping statistics on women. It literally took an Act of Congress to get women included in medical studies.

Now, of course, it's much different. I lecture around the country on heart health and visit hospital with established cardiac programs for women. Wearing red in February is a national craze, and there are major promotions, at Macy's and the like.

The downside of all this? The fact is that heart attacks don't strike women only in February; heart disease is a concern year-around. So, while I applaud the emphasis on heart disease this month, don't overlook the importance if heart health 360 days a year.

Protect your heart, Protect your Life. It's that simple!

Remember: I'll be spending Valentine's Day at the U.S. Army War College, teaching our troops how to care for their hearts. If you want to bring me to your organization of group to talk about how protecting your heart protects you from cancer, diabetes, stroke and more, shoot me an email at char@libov.com