Plumeria in Paradise © lynette sheppard

Much of our knowledge about creating a menopause goddess group, we gained in retrospect. Looking backward and marveling at our unfolding over the past five years, we pondered what had made the Venuses so successful. Maybe we were just lucky;” we thought. Or maybe the right women simply came together at the right time through kismet. Is is possible that our Venus group is so special that it can’t be duplicated? We honestly don’t think so.
Time and again, we’ve bonded on the same menopause and midlife issues with women we barely know: on planes, in restrooms, and in grocery store checkout lines. The raw material of women in community is powerful magic indeed. The willingness to open up and share is a part of our essential female makeup. All we need is a structural framework, tight enough for focus and loose enough for the alchemy that results when women come together. With that in mind, we offer a few more thoughts designed to help you create your own Venus group. Remember that these are not rules, simply guidelines.

1. Meet No More Than Once Each Year
Perhaps every six months would also work. We are not sure, since we began our group with annual meetings. However, it seems that it takes us a full year to realize and integrate changes from the insights proffered at each meeting. We didn’t start out knowing this; we initially met once a year because the Venus’s schedules are busy (read crazy). In hindsight, we see how valuable it was to have a full twelve months to embody what we learned at our previous gathering.

2. Meet No Less Than Once Each Year
We feel that we can indeed create and enjoy virtual community via the Internet. After all, we started the Menopause Goddess Blog, not only to expand our community but also to help nurture and connect us when we aren’t physically together. But we don’t think there is any substitute for meeting face to fact with open hearts and arms. Not to be too woo-woo about it, but the energy we create together fuels our transformation into the goddesses we want to become. And it just plain fills us up to bursting to be with one another. We honestly look forward to it all year.

3. Nobody Can Know Everybody
In retrospect, we realized that it was incredibly important that we didn’t all know one another from the start. Every goddess knew some of the women at our initial gathering, yet not one of us knew everyone. Because we had no shared history or patterns as a group, it made it easier to focus on our intentions and what we hoped to accomplish. Too often a group who know one another well can slip and slide into bitch sessions that may be fun but make no forward progress. In addition, we had no preset roles that we enacted within group. For example, Sandy-Venus is the strong peacemaker in her group of close friends at home, and to be vulnerable and open is just not her role. In the Venus group, she is able to allow and even celebrate sharing her deepest feelings and fears.

4.    Begin Before The First Gathering
Again, looking back, we see how important it was to start working before we came together initially.  We sent out the questionnaire in Chapter One to all our potential attendees, as well as to some women who were interested in the questions for themselves once they heard about what we’d planned.  (These women were satellite Venuses and contributed their thoughts and feelings in the spirit of helping us all.)

We thought that the questionnaire might serve as a focusing tool and general icebreaker when we did come together.  Little did we suspect that it would serve as much more. The process of looking at our attitudes and feelings, past and present, fostered a level of self-awareness that propelled our Meeting One forward.  Our questions and answers also helped inform our group as a whole.  Personal information gleaned was as new to each individual goddess as it was to our sisters.  Yet universal themes emerged and we knew we were on the right track.  Feel free to use all or part of our questionnaire.  Download the pdf here: Questionnaire for Goddess Group.

That’s a big enough chunk for now. Stay tuned for Part III of Creating A Menopause Goddess Group. (Material adapted from our book Becoming a Menopause Goddess.)

Hibiscus family © lynette sheppard

With all the wonderful remedies and helps we have found to help us on the Menopause journey, the singular most important one is girlfriends. A group of like-minded, like-afflicted women can share humor, heart, and help with one another. I can’t imagine dealing with the Big M without the goddesses.

On a whim, Theresa-Venus and I asked a group of women to attend a long weekend to discuss Menopause and ultimately the Second Act of our lives. It turned out to be one of the most important things we have ever done. Over 10 years later, and the Venuses still meet annually. We come from all over the country, so once a year is all we can manage with our busy lives. And we share and cover so much that it lasts us an entire year.

If you don’t have girlfriends who are going through the same changes as you are, we urge you to start your own Menopause Goddess Group. And so you don’t have to re-invent the wheel, here is how you do it!

In answer to those who have written wanting to know how to begin their own menopause goddess group, we offer this little nuts-and-bolts guide based on our experience with the Venuses.

Getting The Right Mix
Theresa-Venus and I started by asking one another “Are there any others out there like us, who are wondering just what the @#&* is going on with this crazy time of life?” We subsequently invited women we knew (in turn having them ask one or two of their friends) to join us for a weekend slumber party with a focus.

First, and foremost, we didn’t try to overcontrol the makeup of the group. Whether blessed or naive, we simply trusted that the right women would come together for our first gathering. Naturally, we did avoid asking women who routinely seem to suck the oxygen out of any room they occupy. Thankfully we know few of them. (Although it seems like everyone knows at least one!)

Begin Before The First Gathering
Again, looking back, we see how important it was to start working before we came together initially. We devised and sent out a questionnaire to all our potential attendees, as well as to some women who were interested in the questions for themselves once they heard about what we’d planned. (These women were satellite Venuses and contributed their thoughts and feelings in the spirit of helping us all.) The questionnaire was to be completed and returned prior to our first meeting. It was also meant to weed out anyone who wasn’t serious about working on these issues and questions together. Interestingly enough, no one opted out and most spent a great deal of time and soul searching in their answering.

Theresa-Venus and I also thought that our questionnaire might serve as a focusing tool and general icebreaker when we did come together. Little did we suspect that it would serve as much more. The process of looking at our attitudes and feelings, past and present, fostered a level of self-awareness that propelled Meeting One forward. Our questions and answers also helped inform our group as a whole. Personal information gleaned was as new to each individual goddess as it was to our sisters. Yet universal themes emerged and we knew we were on the right track. For a pdf copy of our questionnaire click the following link:  questionnaire_for_blog.  (Pdf files require Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free – click here.)

Enough for today, goddesses. Stay tuned for part Two in the next blog post. If you have burning questions about starting your own Venus group, comment or write us by clicking on Contact Us on the left side of the homepage.

Lynette and sunglasses © dewitt jones

I’ve worn glasses since I was thirteen years old. Except for a spate of time when I wore contacts, I’ve worn them every day until now.

I love my progressive lens eyeglass prescription. No longer do I whip off my distance glasses and fumble for my reading glasses and vice versa. I can see far, middle, and close-up with no problems.

My only problem is the need for sunglasses. Oh sure, I have a pair of prescription ones for driving, but they are never with me when I need them (there’s that memory thing again.)

So, when Vibrant Nation contacted me to see if I’d like to try a pair of Solar Shield sunglasses by Dioptics, I jumped at the chance. (I am part of the Vibrant Nation Influencer Network: how cool is that?) They let me pick out a pair as a free sample to try .

What really sold me is that they have sunglasses that FIT OVER your prescription glasses. And they are – wait for it – stylish. I remember having a pair of fit-over sunglasses years ago that were huge, clunky, and downright ugly. Not these. I feel like I look good in them (and not just for my age.)

Dioptics also has clip-on versions (which I don’t really use, but some people like them better than the fit-over version.) The Solar Shield sunglasses are super easy to use, inexpensive, and there are loads of styles and sizes to choose from. They sell them at Walmart, Walgreen’s, CVS, and other big retailers. Even if you live on a tiny rural island like me, you can still get them by shopping online.

I have a pair that lives in my purse, I’m going to have to get a pair for my car. No more sighing and squinting because I forgot my prescription sunglasses (yet again!)

Ladies, if you are interested, check out their website: www.solarshield.com. Just because we are Menopause Goddesses doesn’t mean we can’t look cool and protect our eyes at the same time.

Did you ever just wish you could learn health information from the best physicians without an appointment or flying halfway around the country to visit them? Would you like a central clearing house for medical and health knowledge? Would you like to ask questions of the best physicians and get solid answers online? For Free???? Sounds like a pipe dream, I know. And yet…

I’m so excited to share with you the launch of a new web resource called Health Tap. It features health tips, updates on the latest findings, info that includes complementary and integrative medicine, healthy living, Q&A with physicians on all health topics, even daily tips for your complete health.

As a launch partner, I got to experience it before it went live generally – and to quote Steven Tyler, it is just crazy good. I was very impressed with the quality of information, and the range of expertise. And my own personal bias of including integrative health info along with standard allopathy (translation: alternative medicine along with “regular”) was  amply met.

Here’s Health Tap’s press release where they explain the features better than I can. They explain their top doctor competition where the winners are chosen by both their peers and consumers. Kind of like an Angie’s list for physicians. Read it below and hop on over to the site and/or download the apps for your mobile device.

HealthTap brings the Full Spectrum of Doctors’ Knowledge to Mobile Health

Leading mobile health platform unveils results of nationwide Top Doctor Competition, and announces new ways to interact with winning doctors and their insights.

Palo Alto, CA – April 15, 2013 – HealthTap, the only place to immediately connect with 36,000 top U.S. doctors for free, today announced an even easier, more reliable way to find the top and best doctor for you.

HealthTap unlocks the full spectrum of doctor knowledge by providing unparalleled insights into some of the country’s best medical minds through these doctors’ answers to health questions, healthy tips,and health related updates and articles.

Furthermore, on HealthTap medical help experts identify the very best doctors, through a national Top Doctor competition spanning 128 specialties in over 3,100 cities across the United States.

Today’s announcement of the winners of the HealthTap 2013 Winter Top Doctor Competition
recognizes some of the world’s best and most helpful online and mobile medical experts. Tens of thousands of doctors competed for the prestigious awards, which include: Top Doctor, Top Specialist, Most Influential Doctor, and Thought Leader Awards. Doctors judged peers based on their demonstrated medical knowledge and expertise, and consumers rated doctors on qualitative factors, such as bedside manner and personality.

Winners from the competition include:
Dr. Michael Sparacino, a Family Medicine doctor from Saint Peter, MN who won the National TopDoctor Award for helping over 29 million people!

Dr. George Klauber, a Pediatric Urologist from Boston, MA who won the Thought Leader in
Massachusetts Award for guiding the most people to helpful answers through his comments and peer review.

Dr. Colin Kopes-Kerr, a Family Medicine doctor from Marysville, CA who won the Most Influential Doctor in the Nation Award for connecting with both patients and doctors and providing valuable education and support.

Dr. Maritza Baez, a Family Doctor in Buffalo, NY who won the Top Family Doctor in New York for helping millions with her knowledge and care.

Dr. James W. Ferguson, a Pediatrician in Waco, TX who won the Top Pediatrician in the Nation Award for helping the most parents help their children live healthier happier lives.

Users on HealthTap can easily see what makes these doctors winners, connect with them, and learn from them for free. Through the all new HealthTap Spectrum, now a part of all HealthTap’s apps on mobile devices and online, people can find highly trusted, doctor-created and rated content, including:

• Concise doctor updates on the latest health findings
• Daily health tips created by doctors in more than 100 topics
• Quick, personalized doctor answers to health questions
• Deep Health posts where doctor share their opinions and insights
• Transparent doctor-doctor consults and dialogues

“HealthTap is putting care and trust back into healthcare by placing the doctor and patient relationship back at the center of the healthcare experience,” says HealthTap Founder and CEO Ron Gutman. “By giving top doctors a simple way to share their knowledge and opinions and get recognized by their colleagues for their expertise, and by users for their bedside manner and care, we’re creating a healthy competition that motivates the best doctors to stand out and help millions everywhere. In a world where we expect to get immediate, reliable and deep insights on movies and restaurants on our mobile devices anytime anywhere, it’s high time we have an easy way to get the same when it comes to our health and well being. With the new HealthTap Spectrum we’re leading the way to comprehensive, caring, trustworthy and high quality mobile health.”

About HealthTap
HealthTap is the best way to connect with the most trusted health information and doctors. With toprated web and mobile apps, HealthTap offers immediate and free access to personalized, reliable, and trusted health answers and tips from a network of over 36,000 U.S.-licensed doctors. Sign up today and download HealthTap’s free app for iPhone, iPad or Android at www.healthtap.com.

I’m always looking for comfortable clothing that doesn’t look dowdy and grannyesque. I’ve found some great stuff at J. Jill and love Not Your Daughter’s Jeans. I doubt I could rest as well without my wicking sleepwear. I’m still looking for a bra that simulates the soft cotton of our training bras (with a lot more support, of course.) That may be an impossibility, but I can dream can’t I?

With Menopause fashion in mind, please enjoy our latest guest blog post reprinted from our fashionable friends at Attune. They specialize in a variety of clothing styles for the Menopause Goddess. Based in the UK, they will soon be offering international shipping. So visit their site and bookmark it for future visits.

The M Word (reprinted with permission)
I think it’s time, don’t you?

Time for us to stop dancing around the subject.  Time to stop using wonderful euphemisms about temperature control and getting ‘hot under the collar’.

We know that Attune clothes are great under any circumstances – I would have loved to have been wearing them when I worked in a new, classy, glass-fronted office. I was leaving a (very) cold house to commute to a city some distance away and then walk for a mile (which warmed me up considerably) to sit at my desk in an  air-conditioned office (think pleasantly chilled) only to have my temperature race when the sun – on one of its occasional outings – shone brightly on our floor-to-ceiling windows. Attune would have been perfect for such occasions.

But we have skirted around the most obvious advantage to wearing Attune clothes. When I have described the Attune collection to other women, they instantly know what I am talking about.  One colleague said “oh, I see, clothes for when you are ‘having a moment’”.  So I am outing us – these clothes are perfect for when you are a having a menopause moment. A hot flush. Or, as one US blogger has put it, when it’s all gone a bit peri como.

It’s not just time that we revealed our identity. It’s also time that you – as successful, busy women – have clothes that can help you keep on living those great lives. Clothes that will help you cool down quickly without feeling rebound chilliness, clothes that will dry quickly if you have experienced a hot flush, and clothes that stay fresh so that you don’t feel self-conscious. Clothes that actually do what we say they can do.

And the good news is that our range is expanding quickly. Keep an eye out for new products coming soon – dresses are next, but we won’t be stopping there. It’s all getting a little bit exciting.

Visit Attune here.

Change For The Better © lynette sheppard

Enjoy this guest post by one of our favorite Menopause Goddesses, Saskia Andreola.

Embracing 60 this past year has been far better and, in many ways, serendipitous than I could have imagined when I was that 16-year-old, wildly-impetuous Jersey Girl. The only thing I miss is my butt. A girlfriend of mine use to tease me that I should turn around and introduce myself sticking out my derriere because of the compliments I’d get. I would have rather had her wonderful breasts, as I was lacking in that department.

There are parts of me that have been rejuvenated and enhanced and didn’t come with my genetic packaging; but that’s been a conscious choice. Because the simple truth is that when we look our best, we feel our best, and everyone in our inner circle “wins.”

Running a plastic surgery practice while working closely with patients on a very personal level has taught me that we all have a basic need to be paid attention to and feel recognized. I admire women who choose to age gracefully, however, I’m not one of them…yet. It is a relief/maybe a release not to have the 3-inch heels taking up real estate in my closet. Gone are the tight jeans, long nails and extra time in front of the mirror. I don’t miss them anymore because I’m not interested in pretending to be younger than my hard-earned and well-deserved years on the planet.

These days it’s much more intriguing to me hearing someone’s story of what hoops they’ve had to jump through, lessons they’ve learned and choices they’ve made that makes them who they are instead of wanting to know where they bought their shoes or had their hair done. Doesn’t mean I don’t ask, I do, because to be noticed and to be complimented is one of life’s easy pleasures.

There is a ring of truth to the statement, whether it is fair or not; “When a man gets up to speak, people listen. When a woman gets up to speak, if they like what they see, then they listen.”

Having 5 planets in Leo, born under the sign of the Dragon, and being an 8 on the Enneagram scale has given me plenty of fire this lifetime. Now that I’m 60, it feels great to be comfortable in my skin….of course if it were a little tighter, I wouldn’t complain (smile).

Saskia Andreola RN runs Dr. Clyde Ishii’s plastic surgery practice in Honolulu Hawai`i. She is also one of our satellite Menopause Goddesses. To learn more, click here.

Inner Wave © lynette sheppard

This latest guest blog post features cooling relief you can hold in the palm of your hand. Sure wish I’d had this when I was going through the worst of the hot flash hell. Check it out:

When you’re a Goddess, being cool when you are the wrong kind of hot is important. The image of a goddess can vanish quickly as you turn into the “Glistening one”, with beads of sweat running down your face. The image of a calm, cool, collected goddess is hard to maintain if I seek relief through overt, aggressive fanning motions; although, some nicely styled hand fans do allow some degree of grace and style.

As a professional business woman, being the only one in the room that was in the middle of a heat wave did not appeal to my preferred image. I actually started trying to avoid face-toface meetings. The challenge of trying to appear collected and cool when I’m hot was helped when I discovered the new BlowMeCool mini-fan.

This little fan does just what the name suggests, it blows me cool. It’s always with me in my purse or a pocket – it’s my new best friend. As a handheld fan, it has no exposed propellers or blades, so it can operate while largely hidden in my hand, and it’s quiet and light weight. It pushes enough air to provide me a soothing flow of air and instant hot flash relief.

Also, I like the fact that my new best friend is also environmentally friendly, it’s rechargeable battery means that I’m not regularly increasing the number of hazardous waste batteries in the world.

I’m glad that today our menopausal sisterhood allows us to share our discoveries, and expand our awareness of the growing number of ways to manage our individual hot flash hell. We can now utilize many layers of ways to gain relief from annoying menopause issues. We are lucky, years ago no one seemed to care – women simply endured alone – let’s hear it for blogs.

Susan

BlowMeCool Inc.

Varicose Vines © lynette sheppard

In The Big M book (Becoming A Menopause Goddess e-book), I bemoaned all the weird “marks” that appeared on my body with Menopause. I noted that my legs were patterned with blue highways to the golden years – yep, spider veins and varicosities seemed to appear overnight. (Along with brown spots, moles, and a host of other fun dermal puzzles.) Was I imagining that Menopause was to blame?

Our friends at DoctorQA.com have some answers for Menopause Goddesses in this guest post. So glad to know I wasn’t crazy – there really is a connection. And some simple things that we can do to help.

Menopause and Varicose Veins: How Are They Connected?

Women approaching menopause can be glad to live in an era when discussion of the process and its accompanying changes is no longer hush-hush and taboo. Any biologically based changes in one’s body will be accepted and responded to better when accompanied by information and education. Since it occurs naturally, some do not consider menopause to be a medical condition per se. However it does have practical ramifications for women’s health, especially for bones and cardiovascular health.

There are many hormonal changes that accompany menopause, primary of these being decreased production of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone by the ovaries. There are also increased levels of two hormones of the pituitary gland – luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone – that usually stimulate estrogen production by the ovaries in the pre-menopausal years. Other tissues in a menopausal woman’s body continue to produce estrogen, and the adrenal glands make some progesterone, but the overall levels of the two hormones become much lower during and after menopause. This brings on the familiar symptoms of hot flashes, loss of bone density and otherwise unexplained episodes of fatigue or depression.

Less well known is the fact that estrogen and progesterone have positive effects on all of the circulatory system, not just the heart. Veins of the leg in particular are known to express receptors for progesterone – even in men! (There are low levels of all the sex hormones in both men and women.) Therefore some doctors believe the decreased levels of progesterone during and after menopause may contribute to the development of varicose veins, which women are more predisposed to than men. The drop in hormone levels may also contribute to the weakening of the valves that veins contain, which is known to be important in the development of varicose veins.

Menopause of course can’t be prevented, but the negative symptoms are often treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Whether HRT reduces a woman’s chance of developing varicose veins has not been studied directly. However, most HRT preparations include both estrogen and progesterone – the combination seems safer than estrogen alone – and progesterone is predicted to be necessary for healthy veins, based on the presence of its receptors there.

Menopausal women concerned about varicose or spider veins can do a number of things in addition to HRT to reduce the likelihood of their appearance. Perhaps the most powerful preventative is regular exercise for the legs – walking, running, biking and swimming all stimulate circulation in the legs. Good circulation is key to preventing the pooling of blood in veins that causes them to become varicose. One can also avoid some of the common risk factors for developing varicose veins, such as smoking, becoming diabetic and a sedentary lifestyle.

Both sitting and standing in one place for hours at a time increase the risk of varicose veins. Therefore those in jobs requiring long hours of sitting or standing in place should take frequent but very short breaks, just to walk around a bit. Any additional exercise after work hours will only help. Wearing of support stockings is generally good for the veins of the leg and can also help prevent the onset of varicose veins. Lastly, keeping the legs and feet elevated when sitting is helpful – and it feels great, too!

DoctorQA.com helps spider and varicose veins sufferers find information and connect with local vein care specialists.

Halema`uma`u Volcanic Vent

I’ve been getting more and more mail from men who are accompanying their mates on the Menopause journey. The latest note from James Lawson cracked me up. He has graciously given me permission to post his blog entry about hot flashes from a man’s point of view. You can visit his blog here: Uniting People, through motivation, inspiration, and humor.

She Might Be Having A Hot Flash!

My wife has been having hot flashes for over 8 years now, and believe me we’ve had many laughs over the predicaments she’s been in.

There’s not much written about hot flashes from a male’s point of view so… Here’s a list of ten scenarios I’ve witnessed over the years. Chuckle and enjoy, then share yours!

1. At the grocery store, you see a woman with her head stuck in the freezer. You think she must be serious about reading the box’s ingredient list.

Or

She might be having a hot flash.

2. When you’re outside on a beautiful day, you notice a grandmother snatch a freeze pop from her grandchild. You assume she must be concerned about the amount of sugar that child has consumed.
Or
She might be having a hot flash.

3. At the gym, you look over to see a woman open up her water bottle full throttle and let the water pour out of the corners of her mouth. You figure she must have been doing an intense routine.
Or
She might be having a hot flash.

4. Your wife rushes in the door and strips off all her clothes. You think, “Hey, I’m going to get lucky!”
Or
She might be having a hot flash.

5. During an important office meeting, you notice a female drops her pen on the floor. As she darts under the table with a washcloth in her hand you think she must have a germ phobia.
Or
She might be having a hot flash.

6. You awaken in the night and catch your wife with her hand in a cooler of ice near her side of the bed. You think, “She must have buried a midnight snack beneath that ice.”
Or
She might be having a hot flash.

7. The woman driver ahead of you is swerving in and out of her lane while flailing her arms. You say, “I think that lady’s drunk!”
Or
She might be having a hot flash.

8. You’re driving along on a cold winter day. Your wife suddenly rolls down her window. You think, “There must be a spider in the car.”
Or
She might be having a hot flash.

9. In a hardware store, you see a woman testing out an industrial fan blowing on high, you think, “She must have water in her basement.”
Or
She might be having a hot flash.

10. Your wife has water glasses placed strategically throughout the house. You think, “She must be getting ready to water the plants.”
Or
She might be having a hot flash.

So men, never judge that menopausal woman you see who may be acting a bit strangely. She just might be having a hot flash.

James would love for you to share you favorite  hot flash moments on his Blog. He’s aiming for a list of 100!

This week’s guest post is by Katie Brind’Amour, one of my favorite health writers. In it she offers information and helpful hints for preventing and/or dealing with heart disease and Type II diabetes. I know I get sloppy about my diet, especially when traveling, so I appreciate the reminders. Thanks, Katie!

Being a Post-Menopausal Goddess Doesn’t Save You from Heart Disease or Diabetes

Unfortunately, the hard-won pluses of being past Hollywood’s definition of “prime” do not equal a free pass for taking care of your health. Older women have a double whammy ready to work against them: a high risk of developing diabetes and an all-around increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular events, like heart attacks and strokes, are the number one killer in the elderly. Worse still, women with Type 2 diabetes have the same risk of dying of a cardiac event as do women without diabetes who have a history of cardiovascular disease. That means that diabetes makes you just as likely to die of cardiovascular problems as women who already have heart disease.

As if aging weren’t tough enough on its own, Mother Nature has to make it darn clear to older ladies that they are no exception to the general rule of increased risks for diabetics. The recent study on over 9,200 women found that the relationship between heart disease and diabetes mirrored the rest of the population’s: one disease is bad enough on its own, but diabetes is like having (at least) two in one.

What is a Lady to Do?

Although the latest health news is dim, there is a silver lining: both cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes are often preventable. This means that, with time and effort, you can drastically reduce your chances of succumbing to heart disease and diabetes (and all of their nasty, deadly side effects).

There are two key ways to prevent these conditions that everyone knows but no one likes to hear. A healthy diet and regular exercise are absolutely the best ways to avoid these diagnoses. Maintaining a healthy weight (particularly avoiding extra pounds around the waist) can significantly cut your risk of each illness.

 If you are already living with diabetes or heart disease, there are also a few steps you can take to reduce your future risk of a cardiac event, complications, or death. Take these simple, natural solutions to heart, and commit to a healthier lifestyle to truly make a difference in your future.

Natural Ways to Avoid Heart Disease

In addition to eating a healthy, balanced diet (aim for half veggies, one quarter lean protein, and one quarter whole grains at each meal), exercise is essential. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise (like brisk walking, swimming, water aerobics, tennis, cross-country skiing, ballroom dancing, or biking) at least five days each week. Gardening and walking the dog count, too, and if you love to dance while you wash dishes or vacuum, keep up the good work!

If you are diabetic or if you are currently inactive, talk with your healthcare provider before beginning a new exercise routine. Build up to a regular and more vigorous regimen gradually, even if you have to start with just a few minutes of walking each day.

Next, tackle the other parts of your life that can best reduce your risk of heart disease.

Drop the tobacco habit. Smoking does serious damage to blood vessels and the heart. Kicking the addiction can add years to your life—even if you aren’t already diabetic. Check out free online “quit smoking” chat rooms or ask about health benefits from your employer or health program to get a little help.

Eat heart-healthy foods. Even if you are already eating a healthy diet, try incorporating additional heart-healthy foods into your weekly menu. These include foods with healthy fats, like fish and nuts. You should cut down on red meats and processed foods, then up your intake of beans, vegetables, and whole grains. Yum.

Get your waist below 35 inches. Extra weight around the middle is a major risk factor for both diabetes and heart disease. Even losing about 5–10% of your body weight can help slash your risk of these diseases if you are currently overweight or obese. Hence the recommendation above for regular exercise (there’s no getting away from that one, ladies!).

Take advantage of health screenings. Getting your annual check-up and screenings as recommended can literally save your life. An early indication of cardiovascular disease—like high blood pressure or blood cholesterol levels—can be the early warning you need to seek more aggressive treatments. Keeping blood glucose levels in the recommended range will also ensure that your body functions as normally and as healthily as possible.

No matter your inherited risk and current trajectory, you can make a difference in your future risk. Diabetes and heart disease are life-changing (and sometimes life-ending). Make sure that you are doing all you can to live a healthier, happier, longer life. You can do it!