Vol. 7, Issue 13, Nov. 12, 2009

Dear Friends,

As the fall meeting season winds down, I have to say that the feedback from meeting planners has been inspiring. I heard about more than one sold-out event that will be moving to a larger venue. It seems women are starved for a night out, a day away, a time-out — on their terms. That means girlfriends, laughs, girlfriends and more laughs. If they can get in some shopping, screenings, a good meal (that they don’t have to cook!), and reliable health information, all the better. Women of all ages are getting the message that they need to take care of themselves first, and are doing what they need to do to get out for that special community event that by name and design, is just for them.

I’m not the only one thinking positive these days. First, there’s a study on optimism and women’s heart health, and then there’s November — Positive Music Month. Our friend, Jana Stanfield is debuting a new album with songs and lyrics to match. The album title, “What Would You Do This Year If You Had No Fear?” is just the beginning.

But don’t just take my word for it …

Optimism May Help Keep Women’s Hearts Healthy

Need to convince anyone that promoting a positive outlook is good for women’s health? Here’s your ammunition.

For women, a positive outlook on life may lead to positive effects on the heart. A new study shows that optimistic women have a lower risk of developing heart disease and dying than pessimistic women. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studied 97,253 postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79 who, at the start of the study, were free of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Optimistic women, compared to their negative counterparts, had a 9 percent lower risk of developing heart disease and a 14 percent lower risk of dying from any cause after more than eight years of follow-up.

The findings are based on questionnaires given to women taking part in the Women’s Health Initiative study. Optimism was measured by asking people whether they agreed with statements such as, “In unclear times, I usually expect the best,” and “If something can go wrong for me, it will.” Levels of cynical hostility were measured in the same way, with statements such as, “It’s safer to trust nobody,” and “I have often had to take orders from someone who did not know as much as I did.” Women with a high level of cynical hostility, compared to those with a low level, were 16 percent more likely to die during eight years of study. Race also proved to be a factor: African-American women who had a positive outlook on life had a 33 percent lower risk of death after eight years of study, while optimistic white women had a 13 percent lower risk. Researchers also found that optimists were less likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol; smoke cigarettes; be sedentary; or have a high body mass index. However, the link between optimism and heart disease remained even after taking into account all of these factors. It seems as though your heart is healthier if the glass is half full!

Whether you’re looking for a great heart healthy speaker, or one who will help inspire that positive attitude, let us assist you with ideas, inspiration and creative solutions. From our website directory,  you can choose Heart Health under TOPICS or EVENTS. Here’s an inside tip. When you hire our heart health speaker, Eliz Greene, every member of your audience receives a copy of her book, A Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart. If you’d like to check out a copy, reply to this issue by writing HEART in the subject line and we’ll mail you one.

Celebrating Positive Music

The first time I heard Jana Stanfield’s song, “I’m Not Lost, I’m Exploring,” I did not know I was listening to a new (new to me) category of music. I just knew I loved the lyrics — I could sing along and the music and words resonated in my soul. There was no complaining, lamenting or blaming. It was inspiring, uplifting and it made me smile. The challenge for brave artists like Jana, who pursued their belief in this music, is that there wasn’t a radio station (or awards show) that catered to this market — artists or listeners. Nonetheless, the music created by Jana and others like her, found people like me and you, by creating their own labels and selling their CD’s themselves. Today, internet access is changing things, and now we have a way to band together and celebrate the triumph and encourage the genre.

November is Posi Music Month and you’re invited to go on a diet of nothing but Posi Music. See what an amazing effect it will have on your life and your outlook. You can fast from the unhealthy, junk-food music of whiney- victim love songs that make up a vast majority of our musical diet and listen only to the empowering, uniting, healing, transformational messages of Posi Music for a month.

The Posi Music Diet:

It’s a simple 4 step plan to change your life.

LISTEN:  To only Posi Music for a month

FAST:  No Junk Food music, no whiney victim love songs

BE TRANSFORMED:  Watch the power of Posi Music in your life

SHARE:  Let everyone know

Simple, but an amazing opportunity to experience a life altered by the empowering, uniting and healing message of Posi Music. What have you got to lose?

And the best way to jump start that diet, would be to go to Jana’s website, and order her brand new album with songs like, “Living Well,” “I Love My Body,” and “While You Can.” And for a limited time, it’s 2 for 1. One for you, one to share. What a great idea for gift gifting, too. Spread the word. Spread the positive music.

Kitty Litter Lessons: Thinking Outside of the Box

Our cat, Cinderella, (“Drella”), has a new queen-size kitty litter box. Who knew? She’s a senior citizen. A few months ago, she started missing her box. We had her checked for urinary infection. Switched from a covered box to a new open box and lined the area under and around it with plastic and newspaper. Spying . . . I’d see her get in it and pee over the edge. Obviously, we had the evidence for that. Other times, she managed to keep her aim inside the box.

All the while, I’m thinking she needs a bigger box. I tried to think of what kind of plastic tray I could get — who would make it, what would they make it for? I was looking for some unorthodox thing that would serve the purpose — like a larger box to put around the kitty litter box and catch the overshoot. The problem with this thinking was my thinking. I was stuck thinking that there was one and only one standard size kitty litter box. It’s all I’d ever seen. All I knew.

Lo and behold, I discovered at the pet store the other day, that someone else has experienced this peeing-over-the-edge-of-the-standard-kitty-litter-box problem. There is a bigger box! Queen-size, I call it, for the Princess. They even have a couple of sizes of dog training kitty-litter type boxes. Amazing! So far, so good. Hooray! I’m widening my horizons to think truly outside the box. We’re all thankful for that in my household, cat included (I think…). Until next time, take care of yourself for your well being and those you love.

Yours truly,

Barbara