a HEART-warming story.

it seems like there’s a “day” out there for everything. like, did you know there’s a national organizer’s day (yes, ocd-ers unite) and a national lowercase day (holla!)? and oh, by the way, yours truly happens to be born on national stick-to-your-resolutions day. ironic? i think not.  so, i took it upon myself 3 years ago to create national BLOG YOUR HEART OUT DAY in an effort to help spREaD the word about heart disease.  someday, hallmark will recognize this holiday. until then i have joined forces with the American Heart Association and Go Red For Women, as well as our 4 fab featured bloggers to rally bloggers around the WORLD to blog to their heart’s desire on this one day.

here’s a fact: heart disease is the #1 killer of women. and fact: nearly 90% of fitlosophy’s customers are women. hence,  it’s a cause near + dear to our hearts.  do you dabble in blogging or do it for a living?  blog already.  have friends who blog?  tell them to join – everybody’s doing it.  then, hop on twitter and rally anybody and everybody to join us for a tweetchat with GoRedForWomen and AHA at 11am PST TODAY (02/22) to #GORED.   there will be giveaways, sharing of stats + facts, polls…did i already mention giveaways?  look for #BYHO2013.

i could ramble on (which i usually do) but i received an email today that warmed my heart.  what was meant to be a heartfelt email to us about her love of fitbook, opened my eyes to the seriousness of heart disease. read on to see how one of our very own fitbookers was affected and the actions she took to change her life. be inspired.

“This email has been a long time coming. I wanted to share my story and let you know that fitbook has honestly changed my life. I’ve been with you since day 1, when the very first fitbook was released and I’ve gone through many, many fitbooks!  My brother passed away at 30 years old from a heart attack that was shown to be correlated with his high-fat, high-sugar diet and sedentary lifestyle. He had the heart of 70 year old. Before he died, he took me aside and said I had to change my lifestyle or I would end up like him. I was determined to make a change. 

I picked up a fitbook on a whim while at Target and little did I know how life-changing it would be! Keeping a fitbook journal of my lifestyle was transformative. It kept me accountable. It revealed my habits and behaviors. It made my goals more realistic. It helped me see what worked and didn’t work.  Because of my new lifestyle, I am much healthier– physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. 

I lost my house in a recent fire and though this house fire was devastating to my entire life, the healthy emotional and mental gains that fitbook helped me achieve has given me the strength and positivity to get through this dire time. You’ve gained a fitbook customer for a lifetime.   

You, fitbook, and the fitbook team are truly a blessing. Fitbook has been a tool that has helped empower me to become the healthiest person I can be and I am truly, truly thankful for that. I am much more in control of my life now and I know my brother is smiling down on me each day. Just wanted to share my story. Keep up the great work, fitbook!”

thank YOU vanessa for sharing your story…warming my heart…but more importantly inspiring others to make a REAL change in the fight against heart disease.

bless your heart.
angela

p.s. wanna know how YOU can make a difference? click the BYHO badge on this page to learn more. now, go BLOG your little HEARTS OUT!

HEARTbroken

i’m supposed to be BLOGGING MY HEART OUT right now to spread awareness around heart disease. and i can’t.  not right now. (but i will) right now my lil’ heart hurts because of another nasty disease. heart disease may be the #1 killer of women, above all cancers combined, but cancer has hit way too close to home and right now has consumed my focus. broken my heart.

on my way to the gym monday night i called my momma to check in on her. and i knew immediately that something was very wrong. i pulled my car over and sobbed as she and dad told me that she had just been diagnosed with leukemia.

my mom. cancer.  i have felt pain in my life and nothing could compare to hearing that heartbreaking news – it terrified me to my core. and still does. she is my best friend. how can this be happening? it shook me. something that always seemed sad but so foreign to me had just i

nvaded my life in a whole new way.  being 1700 miles away, i felt so helpless and panicky, anxious and alone. and through the outpouring of support and endless stories of survival, the only thing that calms me is hearing her sweet voice and praying over her. she’s such a trooper.  with sense of humor well in tact and still her same stubborn self,  this whole experience has put life in perspective in one quick moment. it has deepened my faith and walk with God and has already strengthened our family. see i don’t think God did this, but i know He has the power to heal her and use this for good. and so i shall try to share parts of my momma’s story in hopes that it can help others. and just in this short time, here’s what i’m learning through all of this.

what really matters
calling my dear friend marcia for support, i reached out to her because she knows cancer all too well.  overcoming ovarian cancer at a young age, she went on to create mylifeline.org, which is a free resource for cancer patients and caregivers.  through the tears, i had to laugh as she told me that: “people who’s biggest problem in life is those last five pounds really have it good.” and that hit home. while being healthy is important, in one instant it put everything and everyone in my life in perspective. i get cranky when i miss a workout or when my pants get a tad bit snug. i stress about my business and gripe about traffic. it clicked for me that nothing really matters in this life except our loved ones who are here today and could be gone tomorrow.  what would it look like to live a life around what truly matters?
RED tip: love your family? then be there for them. because all they really want and need is you. heart disease IS the #1 killer of women so if you don’t make the choice to get healthy for yourself, do it for them. trust me. all i want is my momma healthy and well. instead of dreading workouts, fit in 3 30-minute walks per week with a loved one and you lower your risk of heart disease by 30%.   do it for the one’s  you love.

lose control
God bless my momma, all my life she’s been a worrier. a class stress case, and she knows it. not one to ever give up control, i am a perfect example that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. but now, she (and we) are faced with something that leaves her no option. and it’s a beautiful thing. the woman who always has everything under control has gracefully given it to God. we don’t know why she got this nasty disease – she’s very healthy for the most part. but if i had to guess the one thing that could’ve done it – it would be stress.  and what was my response to this very dire news? like momma, like daughter, i panicked. anxiety set in. and then the same woman who i learned that response from was the one to calm me. told me to give it to God. and pray. it’s not in our control.
RED tip: relax. stress is the leading cause of so many diseases, including cancers and heart disease, because it weakens your bodies immune system through elevated cortisol levels. it stressed me out (ha!) to learn that you have a 40% higher risk of having a heart attack just by having a high stress job. you may not be able to control your work or every stressful situation you’re facing, but you can control your response to it. personally, the primary reason i workout is to handle stress. my latest find: yoga. studies show that people who regularly practice yoga have significantly lower blood pressure which is a key indicator of heart disease.

listen to your body – and act (quickly)
only time will tell how soon we caught the cancer, but luckily mom went to the hospital fairly quickly. she went in thinking she had a serious bout of the flu. i wish. she is high energy. like she can out-shop me any day of the week.  she doesn’t miss a day of work. she’s for the most part a very healthy and beautiful 50-ish (i’m not outin’ ya ma!) woman. but for about a week she had extremely low energy, was really nauseous, and after powering through a few days at work, she finally called in sick.  by the time the weekend rolled around, dad took her to the hospital. with stubbornness running rampant in our genes, luckily she knew her body well enough and responded.
RED tip: know your body and know the signs. dizzy, shortness of breath, nausea, chest pain, heart palpitations – all signs of heart disease. but less than 1/3 of women feel chest pain as strong as men do which is why twice as many women die from heart disease.  so i’m all for being a strong woman, but don’t be stupidly stubborn. get to a doctor quick and you have a 90% chance of surviving a heart attack.

get healthy – for health’s sake
she is taking chemo like a champ.  when she checked into the hospital her white blood cell count was up around 300,000.  i learned that most leukemia patients go in around 100,000, hence the team of doctors working 24-7 to get her blood count down. after the first day of chemo they got her down to 100,000…then 60,000…down to 9000…and now, she’s at 3000 (thank God). apparently her liver is holding up to the treatments beautifully, which can be a concern with chemo.  i’m no doctor but my guess as to why she’s doing so well is because she’s overall a darn good picture of health. she’s always on the go (you can’t get that woman to sit down!)…she’s at a healthy body weight (even though she gripes about her thighs)…she gets regular check-ups…she doesn’t smoke and i don’t think she even had a glass of wine until she was well into her forties (at my coercing).  she jokingly told the nurse not to leave any marks on her when he was taking the bone marrow sample; she didn’t want him to ruin her career as a bikini model!  funny, yes.  but isn’t that so true? we worry about the physical part of being healthy – not so much the health part of being healthy.
RED tip: you may want to lose 5 or 50lbs because you want to fit in your jeans, and what ever it takes to motivate you, so be it. but aside from losing your muffin top, you’ll be gaining your health.  and that’s priceless. did you know that carrying extra belly fat increases your risk of dying from heart disease by 3 times? and stop smoking already – you increase the risk by 2-4 times.

take action
whether it’s cancer or heart disease, the truth is that they are both serious. they both take lives. cancer is the second leading cause of death, second only to heart disease which kills more than 800,000 americans every year with more than half of those being women. all i can do for my momma is love her…pray for her…and give it to God. and all i can do for heart disease is my (small) little part in helping to spread the word with BLOG YOUR HEART OUT.  if i’ve learned anything through this it’s that life is precious and i’m choosing to make some sort of difference. big or small.
RED tip:  so join me, won’t you? BLOG YOUR HEART OUT this friday- just blog about heart disease. learn how easy it can be to do one little thing that could make a BIG difference.

and my momma? she’s gonna be just fine. i’m learning that all i can do is trust God through this. lift her up in prayer every moment of the day and have amazing FAITH that she is His little girl – He’s got this.  between God and mom’s spunky, stubborn self, Cancer doesn’t know who it’s messin’ with!

with all my HEART,
angela

HALF-hearted.

i did it.  in true angela-style, i am an absolute procrastinator: all signed up with 12 weeks (yes, one fitbook) to train. and not one day more.  nonetheless i signed up for my (very first) orange county half-marathon.  my love of running goes way back to when i was in high school and started going on long runs on the back roads in the country.  it was my escape.  whether it was a scorching hot summer day or a windy misty morning, i craved hitting the ditch-bank behind my house and scampering for miles, hearing nothing but my feet pound the dirt.  and while i somehow loved the isolation, i also adored my long runs with my dad who would hop on his bike to keep me company and ride alongside slowly. i’ll never forget: he got me my first subscription to runner’s world magazine and that was the beginning of my love affair.  one that would continue throughout high school, into college, and well into my adult years. and then almost two years ago (wow how time flies), yours truly gracefully broke her tailbone – in two places. [note: the author does not wish to revisit how this injury occured to avoid any further humiliation, so if you wish to know, you must read "falling flat on your a**: it happens"]  that not only quickly ended my running, but put my entire heiny on hiatus for a good year.  and even now i have days where it might hurt, but i’m officially declaring myself healed and in celebration of that i’m doing what i’ve always wanted to do for years. run a half.

and here’s my why: it’s 3-fold.

1. for my boys: partly inspired my business partner + dear friend,  he is running the boston marathon in october to celebrate his 60th birthday!  his energy is infectious and seeing him set such a definable goal and be working every day toward it excites me.  plus, he’s paving the way for me, giving me tips, tools + a training plan.  then somehow i bribed my boyfriend to sign-up for the half with me too, and it’s on.  now i’m trying to convince both of them to run with me a few days a week.  i figure having someone to entertain me will make the miles will go by faster…so between the two of them, there will be plenty of miles to cover.
2. for my HEART:  as part of BLOG YOUR HEART OUT 2013, i’m having the proceeds of my half-marathon go to the american heart association to further spREaD the word about heart disease being the #1 killer of women. plus, as part of this marathon you can choose to supp
3. ort kids run the o.c. which pays for one child to run, as well as supports the cause of inspiring kids to fitness.  both causes near + dear to my HEART: women + lil’ ones. and i will run my half WHOLE-heartedly for both.
   
4. for me:  it’s been awhile since i’ve started + finished something that truly made me proud of me.   and i want that. that satisfaction of saying “this is what i’m gonna do” and do  it.  so, this is what i’m gonna do!

i mean frankly, i’m just proud of myself for signing up:  it was one of my 2013 #iamMORE goals.  i’ve had the browser open to the registration page for 4 weeks. and i finally clicked, paid, and it’s on.  no turning back.  so exactly 12 weeks from now, on cinco de mayo, i’ll be a runnin’ son-of-a-gun. i may be limpin’ across the finish line, but i’ll be smiling (and perhaps sipping a skinny margarita) to celebrate my accomplishment!

vamanos!
angelina

drinking for HEART health.

no, i do not have a drinking problem. except when it comes to coffee, that is.  okay, and maybe wine.  and nothing makes my HEART more happy than knowing that sipping them can be good for my health too.  but is there a catch?  yes. yes, there is.  the headlines may read “coffee heart benefits maybe be greater than thought” and “red wine and reservatrol: good for your heart“, but as all news that flitters about, there’s always a flipside. a catch, if you will.  and trust me, i’m not one to want to burst anyone’s bubble – especially about two of my liquid loves, but here’s my insight on enjoying the heart-healthy benefits, sans the weighty side-effects.

coffee + cream + calories…oh my!
let’s get the facts straight first: coffee does have heart healthy benefits! (amen, hallelujah)  in fact, drinking 1-2 cups per day may lower your risk of heart disease by as much as 11%. other studies have found that your risk of diabetes lowers by 9% for every cup of coffee you consume.  and here’s what i want to know: what kind of coffee? like are we talking black coffee or espresso, or do the lattes and “cup-accinos” (as my sweet great grandma used to call them) count to? i’m going to guess that the heart health benefits wane a bit when you indulge in a grande vanilla latte that may only have 250 calories, but hello 32g of sugar!  go skinny, you say? well calories may drop to 120 and sugar to 16g, but the downside of that is that taking in artificial sweeteners actually TRICKS your body into thinking its taking in calories that it doesn’t receive, so you actually consume MORE calories later on! ouch.  all that said, let’s say you enjoy a special bev from the ‘bux once a week. no big deal, enjoy. but if you want the heart healthy benefits, which means consuming a cup-o-joe every day, you’ll want to reconsider what you’re sippin daily.  this one hit home for me.

truth is that so often we (and by we, i mean me) set these big pie-in-the-sky goals and yet we’re unwilling to make the daily changes that are required to get there.  case in point: i gave up cream in my coffee. yes, i’ve been “clean” now for almost 4 weeks. i didn’t want to. i love my cream. and we’re not talking half-and-half or almond milk, it’s cream – as in the good stuff.  but what i realized is that while i’m all about enjoying most things (in moderation), this one daily habit was standing between me and my goals.  so i went black. no sugar…cream…nada.  except cinnamon.  i’m no calorie counter, but i did the math: there are 50 calories in 1 tbsp. and i do not use 1…more like 4…on a good day.  that’s 250 calories in my daily coffee…that’s 1400 calories a week.  that meant that making NO other change to my daily habits, i would lose 1 lb in 2 weeks.  so, news break: i’ve lost 3.  yep, one small change. one daily habit…a small tweak that is a little sacrifice that to be honest, doesn’t even phase me now. i’ve actually learned that i like the flavor of coffee. and this is coming from a recovering cream addict!  the beauty of it: i get the heart health benefits of coffee, sans the guilt.

wine-oh.
my love for wine is live and well (in moderation), however consumption dwindles when my sights are set on reaching health goals.  don’t get me wrong, i love my vino – and after a few weeks of indulging in italy i had to dial it back a bit to lose my souvenir 5lbs i brought home on my backside.  don’t get me wrong, it was a beautiful thing.  a glass of pinot grigio with lunch overlooking the arno river…a bold brunello while gazing at the vineyards…and maybe a late night chianti in a wine bar on some street in florence. *sigh*  but, as with all things, too much of a good thing is well, too much.  cue the super-snug jeans.  and aside from the new-found love handles you might find when imbibing daily, research has found that drinking too much red wine (or alcohol in general) can have a negative effect on your health. go figure!  yes, the reservatrol…the flavenoids…the antioxidants – they are a beautiful thing.  in fact having 1 glass a day can improve heart health by as much as 30% over non-drinkers. specifically, it increases your HDL (good cholesterol), lowers your LDL (bad cholesterol), and reduces the formation of blood clots.  however, drink too much and research shows you risk increasing your blood pressure and developing cardiomopathy, which is basically a weakened heart.  that’s what the doctors say, anyway.  and i’m not doctor but i’m smart enough to figure out that too much wine makes my pants tight. which makes me cranky. and well, that’s just no good for anyone! (ask my boyfriend)

so as i continue to BLOG MY HEART OUT to spread the word about heart disease, hopefully you find one tidbit of useful info. like, how to drink for heart health.

sip up (in moderation)!

angela

love RED [with all my heart]

red. oh, where do i begin? i love it. it’s sassy. it commands attention. and it’s also mushy + lovey.  oddly, those kinda describe me.  my mom has called me ‘sassy britches’ (for as long as i can remember)…i absolutely crave attention from those i love (youngest of 2, not my fault), and i’m a sucker for love (yep, big softie).   and while i could go on (and on) about me + my love for red, that really adds no value to anyone’s life whatsoever.

but this does: today is GO RED day. and why? how can wearing one (fabulous) color on one single day make a difference?  oh, it can. it’s amazing what can be accomplished when passionate people join together and make noise.  and it will be noisy as we join forces with american heart association + go red for women to kick off our 3rd annual BLOG YOUR HEART OUT campaign.  the message behind this ultra-viral, social media-driven initiative is to rally others to spREaD the word about heart disease.

how?  not only are we harnessing the viral nature of social media to tweet/facebook/pin to our little hearts’ content, but we’re featuring 4 fab bloggers who have a heart for helping others to blog throughout february to raise awareness.  and together, we are rallying bloggers around the world to join us to blog about heart disease on one day. yep, one day. major noise.  ok, so random blog-reader, how can YOU get involved. well, i’m so glad you asked. here’s a little exercise (ok, no calories are burned, but it’s worthwhile):

i am a:

• fabulous woman. [woo hoo!  YOU are why we're doing this.]
  take (heart) action steps:
  

1. wear red.  it’s fabulous, just like you. so sport it. pull out your red pumps, heck don your red boa for all i care, but please just use this one day as a reason to rock your red.
2. go red.  it takes 30 seconds to join the movement + in return you get a 5-step action plan from the american heart  association. based on your profile, they provide a sweet step-by-step personalized plan for preventing heart disease, which is the NUMBER ONE killer of women, more than all forms of cancer combined. scary, right?
3. spREaD the word. tell women in your life about the risks of heart disease. it’s easy.  share this blog post, share a link on facebook, retweet, , PIN, or go old-school and just have a convo!  and repeat after me: “go to goredforwomen.org!”

• blogger. [or just one-who-blogs, like yours truly.]
  take (heart) action steps:
  

1. please see steps 1-3 above, plus…
2. blog your heart away.  join us on february 22nd, 2013 for the 3rd annual BLOG YOUR HEART DAY and  post a blog on 02/22 about heart disease. p.s. there’s something in it for you. we will pick the top 4 posts to win amazing giveaway goodies, plus be recognized in our national press release. [learn more here on how to join]
3. tweet it. mark your calendars (again, 02/22) to join a very noisy tweetchat on BYHO DAY at 11am PST. join this very heart-warming cause to raise awareness on one day – look for hashtag #BYHO2013 and follow @fitbook, @american_heart, and @goredforwomen.

• human being. [please, leave a comment if this doesn't apply to you as i could use a good laugh.]
  take (heart) action steps:

1. move for 30. research shows you can greatly reduce your risk of heart disease just by being active for 30 minutes per day. that doesn’t mean a grueling sweat session (although it is advised to get your heart pumpin’)…but this could mean a quick 10-minute brisk walk in the morning, one at lunch, and one after dinner. every little bit adds up!
2. eat 5. fruits + veggies, that is.  try RED ones just for fun today: tomatoes, strawberries, watermelon, beets, bell peppers, apples…and right there you’re packin’ in some major antioxidants, lycopene + hearty-healthy nutrients.
3. get healthy. see your doc, check your cholesterol + blood pressure, and take action. do you need to lose weight? stop smoking? 80% of heart attacks are preventable just by improving your health.

so why? why, oh why would we do this?  well aside from my obvious love of red, no that is not my motivating factor. 2 things:

my family means the world to me. and with heart disease prevalent on both sides of my family, i wanna do all i can to keep those i love around for a long time to come. and do what i can to do the same for my (future) little ones. at the end of the day, all that really matters is those we love.

my passion is my company, but more importantly, my customers. or as i lovingly call them, my fitbookers.  and with over 90% of our customers being women, i see it not as an obligation, but my very real responsibility to raise awareness around the #1 threat to their health. see, it doesn’t matter if we have a small group of people with 6-pack-poppin’ abs, if we have an even larger group of women who are at risk for losing their lives. this is a serious matter and one that i’m whole-heartedly committed to.

so with that: join me for the next month as i BLOG (my) HEART OUT.

join me, won’t you?
[if that's a yes, leave a comment with how YOU are taking one or all of the take (heart) action steps above. i've been known to give away fun things when someone or something touches my heart.]

with all my HEART,
angela

5 heart-healthy gym-bag must-haves!

before we wrap-up BLOG YOUR HEART OUT for 2011 and pack our (blogger) bags until next year, i want to leave you with a gym-bag full of tools to keep you heart-healthy year-round.   so grab your gym bag (i heart these from livewell360) and toss in this gear to keep that ticker strong all year long:

heart-rate monitor
whether you invest in an uber-pricey one or even get a more cost-effective heart-rate monitor, the most important thing is that you get one you use.  me…i hate the straps and i know i won’t use it, so i opt for a mio.  true – they don’t give you real-time heart rate and you have to stop to get a read…but for me it works.  take your age minus 220 to get your max heart rate (so mine is 189)…then aim to do cardio at about 80% of your max.  so mine would be 151ish.  according to the american heart association, you need to get “at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days per week OR 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity at least 3 days per week, or a combination of the two.”  note: this is just for a healthy heart…wanna lose weight or get fit?  you’ll need to up the cardio!

ipod
not only does this little music-maker motivate you with heart-pumpin’ tunes, but research has found that listening to music while working out results in up to 20% longer workouts and more calorie-burn.  i personally like to jam out while lifting weights…it’s a great way to tune out (pun-intended) and ward off any gym-lurkers that may interrupt your workout.  same for cardio: a fast-paced playlist can pump up my run.  i LOVE my little nike ipod+ too…i retired it there for awhile since my sensor died, but alas i have a new one just in time to train for my first 1/2 marathon.

weight-lifting gloves
if you haven’t got the memo yet….strength training is a must.  and rather than go on and on about all the benefits i shall focus only on heart-health to stay on topic and avoid my blog, yet again, spanning 2 page lengths.  here’s the deal: you won’t bulk-up (ladies!)…if this is what you want to look like then lift weights…if you’d rather be thin with no muscle-tone then i will leave you to your 1/2 hour of elliptical that will in no way, shape, or form give you lean muscle.  [disclaimer: author does not claim to rock that body at this point in time, but still religiously follows a 5-day-a-week lifting schedule]  the american heart association recommends “moderate to high intensity muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 or more days per week“.  so don those weight-lifting gloves or even these lynx grips (which i got courtesy of my sweet buyer at 24 hour fitness) to avoid nasty calluses and push some iron around the weight room.

gym-bag-friendly snacks 
i’m a big proponent of avoiding most processed or un-natural foods (in moderation, of course – my darling golden spoon) but you have to be prepared for emergency hunger attacks. and i’m sorry but greek yogurt with fresh berries do not cut it when i’m toting my gym bag in a hurry to squeeze in a workout before running off to meeting in less than an hour!  (whew!)  so i keep quick treats with me –  for emergencies only.  note: an emergency is not “hmmm…that yummy snack bar looks tasty and i’m stuck in traffic, so why not?”.  an emergency would be more like “i have to endure an hour of spin and need a quick snack to give me fuel”…or “i just rocked my workout and won’t be home for another 3 hours and i need to re-fuel the bod a.s.a.p.  capiche?  i’m a big fan of kashi golean bars (or anything kashi, for that matter).  the golean bars are higher in protein for good pre- and post-workout and a lot of their bars pack in heart-healthy nuts, dark chocolate, and whole oats.  all for under 200 calories and less than 10g of sugar!  other yummy options: kind bars, luna, or make your own at home – these are my ALL-TIME-FAVE-GO-TO RECIPE!

fitbook
lastly, if i must say so myself…keep a fitbook with you at all times.  here’s why: 75% of fitbookers lost weight within the 1st 12 weeks of using one…and research shows you lose more than double the amount of weight if you write down your workouts and your food.  we all know that being overweight isn’t good for you – in fact, if someone is 40% or more overweight, they’re twice as likely to die from serious medical conditions, such as heart disease.  as you know, heart disease is the #1 killer of women (and men) – and overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure and cholesterol – both precursors to a heart attack or stroke. but instead of focusing on the negative – let’s look at the positive, and that is this: losing just 5%-10% of your bodyweight is proven to decrease your chance of developing heart disease!  so if something as simple as writing it down works, do it.  you won’t hurt my feelings if you use a blank notebook – the important part is just writing it down, putting pen to paper. i just happen to be a bit biased that it’s the best fitness + nutrition journal out there (p.s. i’m not the only one!).

so there you have it: 5 must-haves to pack in your gym bag.  note: not one of the companies or products above know i’m even writing this, much-less paid me to say any of this. i’m a fairly opinionated critter and just talk about what i like…and if sharing it with you can help your heart, well then so be it.  do me a favor: take a quick minute to either GO RED and tell 5 people you know about the risks of heart disease AND forward the link to this blog post to them in the body of the message!

with all my HEART,
angela

#’s to make your heart skip a beat!

i don’t like #’s.  i’m more of a creative, marketing-minded idea person and numbers just aren’t my thing (ask my accountant!).  i’m not number-illiterate by any means, but give me the choice between looking over inventory and production numbers and creating our fun monthly newsletter and i’ll take the newsletter any day!  but because numbers are a key indicator to the health of my business, trust me i’ve learned to “love” (relative-term) them enough so that i can continue to do what i love.  ignore the numbers…and adios fitlosophy.

the same goes with our health. there are key numbers that we have to know, understand, and monitor – regardless of how mundane it might be.  so let’s look at these numbers as the “financial statements” of our body – they are the key indicators of our overall health.  know these heart-healthy numbers (fromheart.org) and keep them in check…and your ticker will be in tip-top shape to enjoy the things you love in life.  because at the end of the day, this whole “being healthy” thing isn’t about what size jeans your wear – it’s about living life…and being healthy allows you to do just that.  alright…sharpen your pencils and take note:

30: # of minutes of exercise you should get per day at least 5 days per week
5:  # of servings of fruits +  veggies you should munch on each day
1500: # of mg sodium you should limit your intake to daily
200: max # your TOTAL (LDL + HDL) cholesterol level should be
130: max # your LDL (bad) cholesterol level should be – even lower if you’re at risk for heart-disease
50: lowest # your HDL (good) cholesterol level should be – the higher the better (men should aim for 40)
120/80: # indicating your blood pressure – lower is better
150: max # your triglyceride levels should be
18.5 – 25: # that indicates a “healthy” BMI (body mass index) – calculate yours!
1-2: # of alcoholic beverages you should limit yourself to daily…1 for ladies, 2 for the gentlemen
0: as in zero, zilcho, NADA tobacco products…cigarettes, cigars (yes, they’re just as bad), chew (ew!)…all of it – bad.

phew! consider yourself educated and if you DON’T know your numbers, sign up and GO RED and you can get a free heart health kit and take their heart check-up online!  so now that your math lesson is over…let me give you a few more numbers to noodle that i’m overly proud to share.  …….drumroll please……. HERE are the official results from the 2nd annual BLOG YOUR HEART OUT day on february 11th!

25: # of total bloggers who rallied to blog about heart disease on BYHO day (that we know about! didn’t email us? send your link!)
12,683: # of people who read about BLOG YOUR HEART OUT on BYHO day via one of the 25 blogs!
480: # of women who chose to GO RED on BYHO DAY who then told 2400 MORE women about heart disease via the tell 5, save lives initiative.
22,946: # of tweeps that heard about #BLOGYOURHEARTOUT via twitter from the team of 5 BYHO bloggers and the @american_heart team.  [this doesn't include all of OUR followers retweets, so the number is FAR beyond this - love the power of viral social media for a good cause!]
95,653: # of facebook fans that heard about BLOG YOUR HEART OUT via facebook from our team of 5 (sweet) bloggers and the american heart association’s fan page.

[learn more about our fab 5 bloggers...must-follows for sure. and a BIG shout-out to our tiny but might team that turned out these impressive numbers, if i might say so my self!]

lastly…if it weren’t for YOU…for reading blogs, tweeting & retweeting away, and telling 5 of your closest friends and family about heart disesase…there would be no reason for us to put our hearts into this.  so we shall give back.  we’ve chosen 5 bloggers (aside from our fab 5 BYHO bloggers – sorry ladies, you’re part of the official team) who we felt really encompassed what BLOG YOUR HEART OUT was all about.  each of those 5 bloggers will receive a FREE fitbook to giveaway on their blog to YOU!  so…one more drumroll…..here are the blogs you need to follow NOW and watch closely over the next few weeks (and follow on facebook + twitter) so you can get a fitbook to get (and keep) that bod of yours fit!  the winners are….

kerri from kat does diets (@katdoesdiets on twitter)
erica from knocked-upfitness + coreathletica (@coreathletica on twitter – or @knockeduptfit if you’re a mommy to be!)
jody from truth 2 being fit
shanna from my favorite everything (@myfaveverything on twitter)
jennifer from tiny oranges (@tinyorangesoc on twitter) 

congrats ladies…YOU ROCK!  post your fitbook giveaway in the next week – and blog to your little heart’s content.

with that, my head is rattled from all these numbers so i really must move onto something creative…like finalizing edits for the new and improved fitbook junior going to press next week!  have i mentioned how much i love what i do?  be watching your inbox too for our monthly newsletter coming out next week, packed full of recipes, a 14-minute do-anywhere workout, and quite possibly a 14% off promo for YOU!

with all my heart,
angela

p.s. i really intend these blog posts to be brief – how ever do i go on for so long? beats me!

heart-healthy recipes: a treat for you!

for this year’s 2nd annual BLOG YOUR HEART OUT day i wanted to celebrate and share with you some yummy heart-healthy recipes to keep that ticker tockin’!  however, you know that i can’t just jump into giving you the recipes before sharing WHY (please refrain from scrolling down and read my blurb).  here’s the deal: women love fitbook – in fact almost 90% of our fitbookers are ladies.  now – you may or may not know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women – it actually takes the lives of more women every year than the next 5 causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer.  whoa – scary huh?  so we at fitlosophy have decided to make a difference by using social media to rally bloggers around the world to drive women online to GO RED.  our hearts are in this and after winning an award from the american heart association last year, we’re back and better than ever! 

5 bloggers.  5 weeks.  our mission: tell 5, save lives.

so i could rattle off all the scary stats about heart disease, but that’s frankly quite depressing.  let’s focus on this: 80% of all cardiac events by women are PREVENTABLE by increasing exercise, eating healthier, and putting out those stinky ciggs!  this is why we’re on board – because at fitlosophy, our goal is to help others live life fit – and if we can do that, well then we can help save lives.  little effort, BIG IMPACT!

alas! here are the recipes for you – my treat, well kinda: 1 is from the american heart association’s recipe collection so i can’t take credit. but i am sharing MY morning oatmeal recipe which is heart-healthy and oh-so-yummy!

cherry pie oatmeal a la mode
this recipe touts 2 of the top 5 foods to lower your cholesterol and decrease your risk of heart disease: oats & walnuts!
serves: 1

• 1/2c oats
• 1/2c non-fat milk or almond milk
• 1/2c water
• 1/2c de-pitted fresh cherries
• a sprinkle of walnuts
• dash of stevia or honey (to taste)
• dollop of non-fat greek yogurt on top!

combine all ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 2m. wanna go a la mode and add a little extra protein? add a dollop of non-fat greek yogurt. seriously like cherry pie in a bowl – ENJOY!

chicken with red wine sauce (from AHA recipe collection)
perfect for a heart-healthy, lovey-dovey dinner for 2 for valentine’s day…or any day really – vino is good ANY day!
serves 2:

• 1 slice turkey bacon, chopped
• 6 small button mushrooms
• 6 pearl onions or shallots
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tbsp no-salt-added tomato pasted
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• dash of salt
• 1 medium bay leaf
• 8 oz. skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• pepper to taste

1. in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat for 5m…add mushrooms, onion & garlic and cook for another 5m, stirring occasionally. 
2. meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the wine, broth, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, salt and bay leaf. place the chicken in the skillet with the mushroom mixture and pour the wine mixture over the chicken. 
3. increase heat to high and bring to a boil. reduce heat to and simmer covered for 35-40m until chicken is tender – then transfer chicken to plates, reserve the liquid, and remove the bay leaf.
4. put flour in small bowl and pour about 1/8c  reserved cooking liquid, stirring until smooth.
5. pour mixture into skillet, increase heat to medium and cook for 5-10m until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.
6. season with pepper, return chicken to skillet, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 5m.
7. serve with a side of veggies and glass of vino – enjoy!

want more heart-healthy recipes?  get a copy of the new cookbook from the American Heart Association: No-Fad Diet - a Personal Plan for Healthy Weight Loss!

there you go 2 recipes…just for you!  now, if you made it to the bottom of my post, which only my loyal readers do (due to my long-windedness…and yes that’s a word), you might just get a free fitbook. here’s the deal:  (and i’m trusting you on this one) you MUST click the BYHO badge above or click here and TELL 5 other women about the risks of heart disease.  (scout’s honor, here people!) then post a comment below and tell me 1) one thing you’re going to do each day for the next 5 days to be heart healthyand 2) the first names of the 5 women you signed up!   i’ll pick my fave and send you a fitbook to help you reach those goals.  

with all my HEART,
angela

bloggin’ my heart out (again!)

it’s with great joy that i am back and bloggin’ for a cause for the american heart association as we kick off the 2nd annual BLOG YOUR HEART OUT initiative!  this award-winning (yeah, that’s right!) passion project is back again and better than ever.  here’s why i’m so stoked about BYHO 2011:

• i love marketing, themes…anything that i can create a campaign out of and i’m a happy camper.  this year the AHA’s main mission is to get each woman to go red and in the process, tell another 5 women.  numbers…oooo…they are great for themes!  hence, the creation of our 5-themed campaign to support the AHA:  5 bloggers. 5 weeks.  tell 5 – save lives.  (sweet, right?)
• while heart disease is the #1 killer of all women, higher percentages of hispanic and african american women are affected by this silent but deadly disease.  it’s with great joy that we welcome shay sorrells (from nbc’s the biggest loser) and ana cabán (with her line of best-selling dvd’s and creator of ‘la buena life’) to the BLOG YOUR HEART OUT team of bloggers.  they join BYHO alumni miss joanna sutter from fitness & spice and sahar aker from fatfighterTV who were pivotal in making BYHO 2010 a huge success!  and yours truly rounds out the team of 5 bloggers that kick off BYHO 2011 on february 1st.
• as i already may have mentioned (ok, yes – bragged about) above – the BYHO campaign caught the attention of the american heart association at the national level last year and we were given an award for our efforts.  this sets the bar even higher to exceed our numbers last year, tell even more women, and get even MORE bloggers on board for BLOG YOUR HEART OUT day on february 11th!  here’s our benchmark (from last year) – remember, it’s all about setting goals right?
  • we blogged our way through 12 weeks of betterU reaching over 40,000 thousand people reading the BYHO blogs (3389 daily avg blog views)  
  • approximately 2517 joined the GO RED movement
  • the BYHO team of 5 bloggers tallied 1726  blog views on the official BYHO blogs on the first ever BLOG YOUR HEART OUT day!  in addition 19 other bloggers joined in and our combined efforts resulted in over 458 people joining the GO RED movement in one day.
  • for more in-depth stats on the program, check out the press

so before my blog gets too long (which you know it always does) – i want to make note of a few important things…and then ask that you join us in making noise for the next 5 weeks about heart disease:

• red is the best color in the world.  (trust me).  so wear it loud and proud this FRIDAY, february 4th for national wear red day in support of the american heart association.  me – i’m going to be donning my red patent stilettos that santa brought me for christmas and sporting those with a chic red top, topped off with cherry red lipstick.  head-to-toe.  yeah, that’s gonna be me.
• speaking of stilettos… if you live in los angeles, consider yourself a lucky one. macy’s and the american heart association are holding the first ever stiletto strut at the glendale galleria on thursday, february 3rd at 11am. rumor has it there will be prizes for highest heels, sexiest strut, and even best male strutter! 
• mark your calendars! attention all bloggers, blogger wannabees, and anyone that’s, well – human. don’t even know what a blog is? great time to start one!  plan to BLOG YOUR HEART OUT with us on friday, february 11th (next week) on BLOG YOUR HEART OUT DAY.  it’s easy: blog about heart disease, how it has affected you or someone you love, or heck, just blog about why you love the color red.  i don’t care: just do it! want more info? click here for details.

so here goes a fab five weeks that will give you and hopefully many others some insight into how together we can fight heart disease. from recipes and workouts to just stories about how it’s affected my life, i promise to give you some good stuff.  only thing i ask from you: tell 5 other women!

with all my heart,
angela

heart-felt appreciation from the AHA

every now and thing something happens that reminds me why i do what i do.  and november 5th just happened to be one of those days.  all dolled up in a red top (of course), i treked up to the american heart association offices in downtown los angeles for a very special reason.  a few weeks earlier nicolla ross, senior director of community health, had contacted me to let me know that fitlosophy had been selected as the recipient of an appreciation award for “outstanding achievement in support of the american heart association’s efforts in cardiovascular science education and community programs” for 2009-2010.  what an honor.

here’s the back story:  i had met miss ross just about a year-and-a-half before at the women’s conference in long beach where i’d approached her at the GO RED booth, letting her know that we HAD to do some kind of initiative together because 1) heart disease is the #1 killer of women and 90% of fitbookers are women, 2) i have always loved the GO RED campaign marketing and branding, and frankly, 3) red’s my favorite color!  a few months later we met for lunch and i guess it was exactly about a year ago this month that we began brainstorming the initiative which eventually became the BLOG YOUR HEART OUT program.  utilizing social media, which the american heart association hadn’t yet ventured into at that point, this 12-week campaign followed 5 bloggers through the AHA’s BetterU program, they used a fitbook to log their journey, and they blogged along the way!  we also launched the first ever BLOG YOUR HEART OUT DAY on february 12th where we rallied bloggers around the world to join us in spreading the GO RED message.  [read here for the press release on the BYHO campaign launch and results]

as i reflect on the BLOG YOUR HEART OUT campaign: it was a blast, a ton of work made possible by a team of incredibly talented women, and absolutely worth all the time and effort toward such a worthwhile cause.  so to receive such an honor in return is just wonderful.  it goes to show what a good idea, a talented team with BIG hearts, and a lot of hard work can do.  shout-out to the BYHO team: lani (designer extraordinnaire), joanna (chief organizer), jodi & sahar (da’ bomb bloggers!)!

fast forward.  after tooling around los angeles and loving the one-way streets, i finally found the quaint little red brick building that houses the AHA, complete with signs reminding you take the stairs instead of the elevator (thank you!).  the meeting kicked off with nicolla presenting fitlosophy with the award – here’s what she had to say:

“Each year our Affiliate honors outside organizations whose contributions in advancing our objectives have been exemplary.  It’s an honor to have fitlosophy as the recipient of our 2009-2010 Appreciation Award for Outstanding Achievement for their help in furthering our objectives in the area of Cardiovascular Education and Community Programs. Blog Your Heart Out is such an authentic and innovative campaign. Spreading our messaging on heart disease prevention in women through this social media effort was not only fun, but impactful. Thank you fitlosophy for extending our messaging throughout your social media networks and helping us save lives one heart at a time in the process.”

honored, i accepted the award on our team’s behalf…and then we got down to business as we laid out plans for BLOG YOUR HEART OUT 2011, as well as other initiatives.  fitlosophy is going to be donating fitbooks to an upcoming go red por tu corazon event, as well as learning more about the AHA’s newest program to fight childhood obesity: teaching gardens.  the energy was infectious in the room as we plan for 2011!

here’s what i love about fitlosophy: we can make it, shape it, and mold it to be whatever we want it to be.  and since day one i’ve always wanted to give back.  and we have, in ways both big and small.  in church one time i heard a saying that stuck with me: “we’re blessed to be a blessing.”  as i see all that has happened for fitlosophy in (almost) 3 short years, i can’t help but know that giving back is not just a joy, but our responsibility.  i’m proud of 24 hour, target, fitbook junior…all of those things that exemplify the hard work that we’ve put in, but this for me shows that we are making a difference that has a lasting impact.  so we’re officially launching our fitgiving inititative this month (great timing with thanksgiving right?).  fitgiving is our (on-going) commitment to HEART-FELT, action-based initiatives that give back while improving the health + wellness of others for the betterment of our world.  so learn more about fitgiving online - we even share ideas on how you can give back and give fit with us!

 interested in how you can get involved, give back…be a blessing?  make sure and sign-up for our e-newsletter which has great ideas for giving back this holiday season.  another saying i heard that i love: “live simply so others can simply live.”  imagine what a better world we’d live in if we all lived this way.  just take one minute and think of just ONE thing you can do today to give back, a self-less act for no reason for someone else.  i guarantee you this: it usually does more for your heart than the recipient.

with all my heart,
angela