February is American Heart Month. The purpose for this declaration by Congress 40 or so years ago was to raise awareness about Heart Disease with the focus on prevention. I wonder how much awareness has been raised because Heart Disease is now the #1 preventable cause of death for men and women. I’m jumping my soapbox to help change that statistic. The You Revolution is taking on women’s heart health because midlife is when the little things that can do damage start to show up. Like so many other things at this juncture, you’ll either get a tap on the shoulder or a whack up side the head, either way, you must answer the call and take on your physical and emotional health and I want to help.

In the “just plain good eatin” category this month’s recipe is packed with super nutrition, flavor, and comfort.

Got protein? How much is too much or too little? The Q & A will fill you in.

The book, Midlife Miracles, will not only feed your emotional heart but it might just go to work on the deeper layers of what makes your heart sing at this time in life.

Your heart would like a word or two with you so don’t miss the article, “Words From The Heart.”

Wishing you hearts full of joy and gratitude and guilt-free goodie enjoyment,
Til next time,
Gregory Anne

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We use the word heart in conjunction with feelings of elation, sadness, kindness, love, and desire. All of these are simply words that we use to describe the emotions that come out of our daily experiences. The heart has for centuries been considered the seat of the soul and emotion but in a way that feels as if the heart creates these feelings or that our emotions somehow arise from the heart. Isn’t the heart just a muscle, an organ that moves blood through our bodies?

We know that lifestyle choices contribute to the wellness or disease of our hearts but do our emotions affect the heart?

To get the answers to these and other questions about the heart I went to the source. (I did some research too but who better to explain things to us than the subject of our discussion?)

An otherwise shy and behind the scenes kind of player I managed to secure an interview with a healthy, midlife, women’s heart. And she’d like your attention!

First though she wanted you to know these figures but didn’t want to brag.
The heart pumps 100,000 times every day. (That’s 3 billion beats for the average 70 year life.) And moves 2000 gallons of blood daily to feed and oxygenate our bodies.

I’m duly impressed now let’s get talking.

GAC: Do you feel taken for granted?

HEART: "I know it’s easy to take me for granted, that’s ok, that’s how I like it. The last thing I want to do is interrupt your life with an episode just so I can get a little attention."

GAC: What brings you to this newsletter today, what would you like to say to the readers?

Heart: "First of all I’m excited to have the opportunity to speak to these smart women because this is the time in their lives when more than ever they must practice all they’ve heard about healthy eating, exercise, not smoking and so much more.

And I know they won’t ask why they should listen to what a lowly pumping station has to say."

GAC: Now come on, as a coach, I have to remind you that talking about yourself in that way—'A lowly pumping station', is not very supportive and can even lead to unnecessary stress.

HEART: "You are so right and stress is something we must talk about. I guess I was just saying what so many people live.

I recognize my place in the body, I’m a vital organ. Sometimes folks forget just how vital. They put pressure on me by playing the 'no time' card over and over again rather than get to the gym. If I’m not in shape, no ones in shape and the huffing and puffing going up the stairs is like an IM from me to you asking you for a little help."

GAC: What kind of help?

HEART: "It’s a plea. For one person it might be please stop smoking, for someone else it might be drop a few pounds, but for so many it’s a plea to stop hurting."

GAC: Hurting like my knees hurt? I’ve heard that pain increases blood pressure and makes you work harder.

HEART: "Well that’s one way I have to work harder and pain management is crucial to my health and our quality of life. But I was referring to heartache brought on by chronic negative situations or not getting help for the big scary ones like the death of someone we love, or divorce, or job loss."

GAC: Wow, like if I live or work with someone who disrespects me I could be hurting you in a physical way not just an emotional way?

HEART: "It’s that simple and much too complex to go into any further here but this is the bottom line. Science has proven that negative emotions lead to increased disorder in the heart's rhythms and in the autonomic nervous system, thereby adversely affecting the rest of the body."

GAC: Does any kind of stress do damage?

HEART: "It’s not so much the stress but how you relate to your stress. My brain—yes I’ve got one too and a whole new science called neurocardiology studies it—sends out neurological, energetic and hormonal responses to how you relate to the stress in your life. I’m pretty good at adapting so that something that initially spiked your blood pressure no longer will after a period of time. But the stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that must circulate in response to stress so you are ready to fight or fly away are not exactly helping your situation."

GAC: How can we support you and limit the effects of our everyday stresses?

HEART: "For the most seriously stressed and we’re talking daily sadness, oppression, or loneliness, get help. Get counseling, get a group for support, get out of the place that you know, (you know cause I send you signals and you’ve got the same intuition animals do) you must get out of."

GAC: I think I can back you up here. I was reading a report from Johns Hopkins before our interview and it said this, "Research in the last few years have thrown some light on the ill effects of anxiety, loneliness, and anger on the health of the heart. An 'anxious heart' can lead to a fatal outcome. The observation that a 'lonely heart' can be fatal is supported by the fact that heart attack patients who live alone are twice as likely to have another attack within six months as are patients who live with a partner."

HEART: "And you should mention the findings out of the U School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Japan on certain other hormones that are released during times of heart incidents. 'This process is an example of the strong physical connection between the brain—how we think about what’s happened-- and the heart, in women especially.'"

GAC: I think I can speak for most of us here that we had no idea of the strong link between emotional health and heart health. Is there anything you’d like to say in closing?

HEART: "Listen to me when I whisper, a little pain here, a flutter there. Don’t wait for me to have to steal the show. You know what I need and it’s not much to ask. A bit of heavy breathing, (I’m talking exercise here), some delicious healthy food, share a glass of wine now and again, and most of all live your values and value yourself first. Feel deeply but release the feelings of pain. It’s the best way to keep me where I belong, behind the scenes, ticking away."

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Want to use this article in your newsletter or on your web site?  You are welcome to do so, as long as you give full attribution below.  I would also appreciate it if you would let me know when you publish it.  You may contact me via email or phone call.

Gregory Anne Cox is a certified life coach who has been dishing up all-you-can-eat servings of women's health and nutrition information for years. Her Lifestyle Tune-Up course is a 28 day wonder seminar for women looking for the missing mid-life manual. You can find out more at Live Better Coach, send her an email, or call her at (631) 728-2456.  This article is copyrighted and you may feel free to use it as long as you include this paragraph when publishing it.

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Phone: 631-728-2456
gregory@livebettercoach.com

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Beef, Roots And Barley Soup

One of my all time favorites is beef barley soup. I don’t eat beef often but sometimes I crave the flavor and I know the B-12 found in beef is good for me. Combining it with a variety of colorful root veggies produces the most wonderful sweet and savory + healthy lunch or dinner. In addition to its fiber, barley is also a good source of niacin, a B vitamin that provides numerous protective actions against cardiovascular risk factors. Eating a serving of whole grains, such as barley, at least 6 times each week is a good idea, especially for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

If you prefer not to eat beef this soup would be great with lamb, chicken or turkey.

Ingredients

1 pound stew beef, cut into small cubes
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon or a bit more flour
1 cup small diced white onion
1 cup small diced peeled parsnips
1 cup small diced golden beets
1 cup peeled carrot, small diced
½ cup celery small diced
6 – 8 white button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
8 cups low sodium beef or chicken broth-cold or room temp
1 or 2 cubes of high quality beef base
½ cup pearl barley
water as needed
I sprig fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

You can prepare this in a slow cooker if you have one. Just add everything to your cooker once you’ve browned the meat.

1. Heat a large skillet or pan—non-stick is easiest to clean—with 2 Tbls. olive oil. Before adding the meat be sure that it is dry or you’ll end up steaming the meat rather than browning it.
2. Add as much of the meat to the pan as will cover the bottom with no overlap of pieces. Again this will ensure that the meat browns and browning, or caramelizing, adds flavor.
3. Don’t move the meat until one side is nicely browned. Then quickly add some salt and pepper and toss or stir the meat so it flips to another side. This does not have to be exact, just sauté the pieces til they are more or less all browned.
4. If you have meat left to do, sprinkle this batch with a bit of the flour, stir til the meat absorbs it, then remove meat to the pot you’ll be cooking in.
5. Clean the pan with a paper towel, add the remaining oil, let it get hot and put in the last batch of meat. Repeat the above process.
6. Pour in the broth and barley. Stir well to move any pieces off the bottom.
7. Allow this to come to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. At this point you can add the vegetables, thyme, beef base. Stir, turn up the heat, bring to a boil again, lower temp and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
9. Taste it after 30 minutes to see if the seasoning is right. If you want more salt, pepper or other dried herbs add them now.

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The Age of Miracles Embracing The New Midlife
Marianne Williamson

“When we were young, we had energy but we were clueless abut what to do with it. Today, we have less energy, perhaps, but we have far more understanding of what each breath of life is for.”

Type the word “midlife” into the Amazon search window under books and it returns 16,131 results. We are a busy bunch of boomers.

I don’t intentionally go looking for works on or by boomers but since we are so prolific as a demographic it’s hard not to encounter our work everyday. I also don’t often veer away from books on body and or mind wellness in this space but this book warrants your time. In some ways it is a wellness piece.

This is my first M. Williamson book although I have heard her here and there and read bits of her many books. In last months’ newsletter you read one of her most powerful—and often wrongly attributed to Nelson Mandela—quotes. I’ll be honest about why I had not yet picked her up. I thought she might be too new-agey for me. Yes even this early adopter of all things new and often woo woo has her point of resistance. Happily my assumption was wrong. She is every bit a women just like you and I. She juggles concerns about everything from her relationships with men and her daughter to her wrinkles and occasional forgetfulness. She is also willing to admit that she screwed up a few things in her past, maybe didn’t play well with others closest to her when it mattered most. Who reading this is exempt from those thoughts?

Ms. Williamson is mortal, vulnerable, and deeply spiritual. She is not afraid to speak her truth on these subjects. I find that refreshing especially since she does it in a way that is fresh, funny at times, and like all good writing, opens the mind.

“Would midlife be a time to shut down, or a time to finally get started? Would it be a time to give up, or a time to claim what we really want? Would it be a time to just hang out, or at time to stop messing around?” she asks in the introduction. What will it be for you? Each of us must answer in the way that feels right for us, not for anyone else in our lives especially not at this time.

I think this is the point of the book. That now is the time to go deep and find out what matters most to you, what you know is true for you and live there.

She makes the point again and again that we Boomers have had a long time to figure out who we wanted to be when we grew up. Even if we acted like grown ups and had families and started businesses or went to work in other ways we’ve been living an extended adolescence. Now the world needs us fully present with our gifts, skills, and wisdom in tow. Don’t think you matter on the grand scale? Think again. There is no one like you in the world today and your particular gifts are needed. Now is the time to banish thoughts of lack and limitation.

I realize I’m quoting a lot here but I think she makes the point well. “We can bless and transform the midlife experience. We do this by changing our thoughts about it—thoughts that inform our physical cells and constitute the blueprint for our worldly experience. The work is to do two things: drop our limited thoughts, and accept unlimited ones instead.”

The chapters end with personal prayer/poems written by Marianne. Whether you use the name “God” in your spiritual practice or not you might find they fit when you can’t find your own words.

The book is a call for boomers to gather their strengths, wisdom, and realization of the limited time we have left to make a difference in a world; a world where not only is the physical planet in danger or imploding, but 350 million children around the globe go to bed hungry every night.

One last quote. “We arrive with gray hair and irony: The generation that declared war on hypocrisy has become among the most hypocritical of all; the generation that sought to replace guns with flowers has more often replaced flowers with guns; and looking at the clock, we have about ten minutes left to awake from out stupor and retrieve our moxie.”

Note to self: live life fully expressed, people need me and there is just enough time if I start now.

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Q&A
Be sure to send your questions to Greg so she can answer them here in future issues of The You Revolution.

Q: I used to follow the Atkins diet, then I switched to the South Beach, I think I tried Sugar Busters, and well, the point is I used to eat a lot of protein—too much I read here and there. Now I’m eating the “Me” diet, some healthy foods, some not, but I missed my potatoes and the occasional pasta. So am I eating enough protein? What happens if I don’t eat enough protein everyday?

A: Before I answer your questions—good ones I might add—I’d like to take second and just acknowledge how lucky we are to have this problem. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “People who have food have many problems. People who have no food have one.”

Ok, first a protein primer. Proteins are made of amino acids which your organs need to function. It is also found everywhere, in every cell, and is used to make red blood cells, build and maintain the heart muscle, hair, nails, skin, brain, you name it, the body parts need it.

The one-size-fits-all recommendation for protein intake is 8 grams per 20 pounds of body weight daily but that’s for sedentary folks. We active smart women might want to try the protein calculator compliments of The U of Maryland Medical System. The more active one is the more protein needed, up to 12 or 15 grams per 20 pounds.

Looking to drop some weight? A recent study, reported in the Nutrition Action Health Letter tells that, “there is pretty good data that if you eat 25% - 30% of your calories from lean protein it can help you retain lean tissue as you lose weight.” The extra protein may help you stay on your weight loss program because you’ll feel fuller longer. A body low in protein will break down muscle for fuel and this can lead to weakness.

Check labels and shoot for protein at each meal and snack. Don’t forget nuts, beans, legumes, and some veggies contain protein.

This website features the protein content of common foods.

P.S. The “Me” diet sounds like a smart one for you.

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How’s your new year so far? I’m ahead in some categories and behind in others; par for the course. But I’ve hired a coach to help me bring up the behind bits to on track. Yes I use a coach and should you feel the need for someone to hold you accountable in your life, drop me an email.

The National Association of Baby Boomer Women, hosts various teleseminars on subjects like health, beauty, money, travel. It’s a great organization and that’s just one of their offerings. On the 19th of this month, yours truly will be interviewed on gender specific heart health information. As I said up top it’s my top priority to help spread the word about how to prevent, and/or, in many cases reverse heart disease. Our hearts are different than men’s, so are our symptoms of a heart attack, how we do prevention, etc. One thing being researched in places like Harvard and Brigham and Women’s in Boston is the important role our emotions play. I’ll be posting more information as I find it at the blog.

Happy Valentines Day from my heart to yours. Single, coupled, or otherwise we are all lovers and lovable regardless of our label. Corny maybe, but the commercial chocolates, roses, and “coupled or you’re a loser” message makes me sad. Maybe this February 14th we can each commit to being in love with ourselves—even just for the day. Love that heart that beats, those eyes that see your pet or person, those crazy ambitious thoughts that fill your head and make you both scared and excited about what’s possible for your life.

Til next month,
Greg

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Thank you for reading. I know your time is valuable and that there is a mountain of information out there demanding your attention. My highest hope is that I've provided something of value for you. If you know someone who might benefit from any of the content please forward this.

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