Love Your Heart ~ Like I love Mine!

One day a year, what you wear is a matter of life and death. As a personal branding coach, I frequently speak on the impact of creating your own “personal brand” and your “signature style” in order to be remembered and build relationships – whether it's for personal or for business reasons. Your personal brand is your promise of value. What you wear and how you wear it create your personal style – it's the essence of you. nnI won't have any difficulty going into my closet on February 1st to decide what to wear. I know how I want to be remembered that day. I'll be selecting something red in order to show my support in this fight against heart disease. nnAs a local leader for the Go Red For Women movement for the past five years, I am grateful to be a part of this cause and to see the advancement we've had over the years. The Metro Detroit region continues to rank as one of the top cities in the country, even though we are flooded with unenthusiastic news – foreclosures, layoffs, downsizing, people leaving the city, and the like. There truly is a strong heart in this city of mine that I love. nnOn National Wear Red Day, February 1, 2008, millions of Americans will wear red to show their commitment to the fight against heart disease in women. By wearing red and making a donation of $5 or more, you can help us raise $35 million for heart research and education programs. nnThe number 1 killer of American women is due to cardiovascular disease. Of the women who die each year, one in three dies from cardiovascular disease.nnLove Your Heart — How To Be Heart Healthyn-- Know your blood pressure and cholesterol numbersn-- Exercise for 30 minutes most days of the weekn-- If you smoke, quit nown-- Lose excess weightn-- Know your family history of heart diseasen-- Eat healthy, including fruits, vegetables, whole-grain foods and fishn-- If you drink alcoholic beverages, drink in moderationn-- Limit food high in saturated fats and dietary cholesteroln-- Limit your salt intake to 2300 mg of sodium per dayn-- Schedule an appointment with your doctor to understand your risknnWear Red Day is also the time to make an important promise to yourself – the promise to love your heart by doing everything you can to reduce your risk factors. To learn more, visit www.goredforwomen.org. Take the Go Red Heart CheckUp and share it with others.nnJoin me in Detroit on February 7th for our annual Red Dress Fashion Show and Heart Healthy Luncheon, including a silent auction and educational sessions. nnI am making a promise to myself to take care of my heart. Will you join me?