Is stress hurting your heart? Do you want to live longer, feel better, and protect your health? A stress-proof heart is immune to the physical impact of unrelenting stress. Diet and exercise play an important role in preventing heart disease, but the most insidious, under-addressed risk factor of all is the one that many of us find the hardest to manage—stress. We can’t alleviate all stress, and we wouldn’t want to even if we could. Some stress is natural and necessary; it is what gives us the zing of energy to get things done. Trouble comes when that zing becomes a constant thrum, continually triggering the stress hormone cortisol to pump into the body rather than allowing it to ebb and flow as we need it. This book provides tools to power a fulfilling life by efficiently processing cortisol out of the body and nurturing a heart resilient enough to withstand high stress, change, crisis—and to bounce back from illness. Author Eliz Greene knows that protecting your heart from stress isn’t a “nice-to-have.” The strategies in this book are essential, life-or-death skills. When she was 35 years old and 7 months pregnant with twins, Eliz survived a massive heart attack, causing her heart to stop for 10 minutes. To reduce her heightened risk of having another heart attack, she’s spent the last 17 years honing practical and implementable strategies to manage stress for herself and the thousands of audience members and readers she reaches each year. Stress-Proof Your Heart contains these strategies and the fruits of her international research study on job stress. Engaging assessments and actionable principles and tools will enable you to evaluate the physical impact of your stress and then offset that impact to protect your heart. Find out how to: Protect your heart from the stress hormone cortisol and avoid countless other unpleasant symptoms such as weight gain (especially in the belly and face), insomnia, muscle weakness, mood swings, and reduced cognitive function. Use everyday activities to help your body efficiently process cortisol of your system, so you can to feel better and function at a higher physical and mental level. Motivate yourself to commit to a healthier life. Includes bonus content to address emotional stress from Eliz’s book Stress-Proof Your Life.

Discover simple, science-based strategies for beating stress at its own game When’s the best time to exercise – and how much is too much? Which foods fortify the brain, and which do the opposite? How can we use music, movement, and motivation to boost our rational brain and keep our cool no matter what life throws our way? Short bursts of stress are an inevitable part of modern life. But how much is too much? Research is uncovering the delicate balance that can turn a brief stressful episode into systemic overload, eventually leading to inflammation, anxiety, depression, and other chronic health issues. This practical and groundbreaking guide reveals seven paths to fighting the effects of stress--to strengthen our natural defenses so that our minds remain sharp, and our bodies resilient, no matter what life throws at us. Each chapter examines a common stress agent—including inflammation, an out-of-sync body clock, cortisol levels, and emotional triggers—and presents simple ways to minimize its harmful effects with changes in diet, exercise, and other daily habits—including surprising hacks involving music, eye movements, body temperature, daily routine, and more. Translating cutting-edge scientific findings into clear and simple advice, Stress-Proof is the ultimate user’s guide for body, mind and well-being. **Winner, Best Stress Management Books of All Time, BookAuthority**

“For people suffering from stress, this book is a godsend.” —Kristin Neff, PhD, author of Self-Compassion "Highly recommended for mental health professionals and consumer health readers looking to manage stress." —Library Journal (starred review) Modern times are stressful—and it’s killing us. Unfortunately, we can’t avoid the things that stress us out, but we can change how we respond to them. In this breakthrough book, a clinical psychologist and neuroscience expert offers an original approach to help readers harness the power of positive emotions and overcome stress for good. Stress is, unfortunately, a natural part of life—especially in our busy and hectic modern times. But you don’t have to let it get in the way of your health and happiness. Studies show that the key to coping with stress is simpler than you think—it’s all about how you respond to the situations and things that stress you out or threaten to overwhelm you. The Stress-Proof Brain offers powerful, comprehensive tools based in mindfulness, neuroscience, and positive psychology to help you put a stop to unhealthy responses to stress—such as avoidance, tunnel vision, negative thinking, self-criticism, fixed mindset, and fear. Instead, you’ll discover unique exercises that provide a recipe for resilience, empowering you to master your emotional responses, overcome negative thinking, and create a more tolerant, stress-proof brain. This book will help you develop an original and effective program for mastering your emotional brain’s response to stress by harnessing the power of neuroplasticity. By creating a more stress tolerant, resilient brain, you’ll learn to shrug off the small stuff, deal with the big stuff, and live a happier, healthier life.

The New York Times bestselling guide to the lifesaving diet that can both prevent and help reverse the effects of heart disease Based on the groundbreaking results of his twenty-year nutritional study, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn illustrates that a plant-based, oil-free diet can not only prevent the progression of heart disease but can also reverse its effects. Dr. Esselstyn is an internationally known surgeon, researcher and former clinician at the Cleveland Clinic and a featured expert in the acclaimed documentary Forks Over Knives. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease has helped thousands across the country, and is the book behind Bill Clinton’s life-changing vegan diet. The proof lies in the incredible outcomes for patients who have followed Dr. Esselstyn's program, including a number of patients in his original study who had been told by their cardiologists that they had less than a year to live. Within months of starting the program, all Dr. Esselstyn’s patients began to improve dramatically, and twenty years later, they remain free of symptoms. Complete with more than 150 delicious recipes perfect for a plant-based diet, the national bestseller Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease explains the science behind the simple plan that has drastically changed the lives of heart disease patients forever. It will empower readers and give them the tools to take control of their heart health.

The definitive guide to heart health from two of America's most respected doctors at Cleveland Clinic, the #1 hospital for heart health in America. Are you one of the eighty-two million Americans currently diagnosed with cardiovascular disease—or one of the millions more who think they are healthy but are at risk? Whether your goal is to get the best treatment or stay out of the cardiologist’s office, your heart's health depends upon accurate information and correct answers to key questions. In Heart 411, two renowned experts, heart surgeon Marc Gillinov and cardiologist Steven Nissen, tackle the questions their patients have raised over their decades of practice: Can the stress of my job really lead to a heart attack? How does exercise help my heart, and what is the right amount and type of exercise? What are the most important tests for my heart, and when do I need them? How do symptoms and treatments differ among men, women, and children? Backed by decades of clinical experience and up-to-the-minute research, yet written in the accessible, down-to-earth tone of your trusted family doctor, Heart 411 cuts through the confusion to give you the knowledge and tools you need to live a long and heart-healthy life.

Ten Minutes to Learn One Minute to Practice Ten Seconds to Work Imagine if you could . . . Radically reduce stress Increase your physical vitality Improve your quality of life Now you can. We live in an age of stress. Each day at work and at home as we struggle to take care of the basics, constant stress significantly affects our ability to lead healthy and happy lives. We struggle with stomach pain, headaches, mood swings, fatigue, depression, high blood pressure, and even heart failure. Not only does stress damage our physical and emotional well-being, but our relationships and productivity suffer as well. What, if anything, can we do to stop this cycle? There is a multitude of books, magazine features, TV programs, videotapes, meditation classes, and seminars, all aimed at stopping stress. But until now there has never been a scientifically based program that not only starts working within seconds but also creates a foundation to help remove stress and the symptoms associated with it from your life for good. Dr. Fred Luskin and Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier spent years at the Stanford University School of Medicine developing ten proven skills for eliminating the stress, anxiety, and pain that occur in daily life. Delivering skills that have been honed and tested among a diverse group of Americans, Stress Free for Good is easy to use and starts working immediately. Offering more than just the promise of breaking even and eliminating daily stress, these ten skills provide a foundation for living a healthier and happier life. This is not only a practical and accessible guide to conquering the stress in our lives once and for all, it is also the last stress aid you will ever need.

Harness your mind-body connection for lasting ease and well-being In our busy, get-it-done-now culture, stress has become the new normal—a normal that’s embedding itself into our minds and our bodies. If left unchecked, stress can dictate how we think, feel, and act. Overwhelm, anxiousness, malaise, and unease are a daily experience. And over time, these stress-reactions turn into habits, leaving us stuck in a mental and physical rut. So, how can you soothe stress before it becomes your go-to? In this practical and accessible guide, you’ll find powerful and effective tools for calming stress in both mind and body. Based on the innovative Mind-Body Reset (MBR) program, you’ll learn how to stop stress in its tracks with simple somatic exercises. You’ll also discover how you can “reset” your nervous system, alleviate stress flare-ups, and boost your overall health and happiness. If you’re ready to combat stress, cultivate calm, and live a more vital life, it’s time for a reset!

Imagine, for a moment, a branch in the wind. If it moves with the wind, it will sway gracefully and remain intact; but if it refuses to bend, it will break. Like that unbendable branch, many of us refuse to be in harmony with the changes around us, and it is out of this conflict that much of our stress is created. As with most emotions, stress is a natural part of life, but it must be carefully managed in order to keep a sense of balance. When we allow stress to take control, a number of psychological and physical health problems can follow. Anxiety, depression, headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, and even diabetes can all be caused or exacerbated by stress. In order to live a healthy life, you need to make a change. In The Tao of Stress, an expert in Taoist psychology presents daily meditative skills and movement exercises that can help you simplify your life, fight fatigue, and calm a busy mind. After learning the basics of the Taoist approach to stress management, you will be able to put theory into practice through the various simple exercises and activities offered in this book. By creating your own stress management program, you will stay on the path (Tao) to good health, both in body and mind. Remember, even Zen masters aren’t immune to stress. But they do know that in order to break the cycle of stress, you must be willing to give yourself up to the flow of life. This book will show you how.

Drawing from groundbreaking research, psychologist and award-winning teacher Kelly McGonigal, PhD, offers a surprising new view of stress—one that reveals the upside of stress, and shows us exactly how to capitalize on its benefits. You hear it all the time: stress causes heart disease; stress causes insomnia; stress is bad for you! But what if changing how you think about stress could make you happier, healthier, and better able to reach your goals? Combining exciting new research on resilience and mindset, Kelly McGonigal, PhD, proves that undergoing stress is not bad for you; it is undergoing stress while believing that stress is bad for you that makes it harmful. In fact, stress has many benefits, from giving us greater focus and energy, to strengthening our personal relationships. McGonigal shows readers how to cultivate a mindset that embraces stress, and activate the brain's natural ability to learn from challenging experiences. Both practical and life-changing, The Upside of Stress is not a guide to getting rid of stress, but a toolkit for getting better at it—by understanding, accepting, and leveraging it to your advantage.

In the midst of daily stress and turmoil, this book exposes the power of our emotions to heal us—and offers new hope for reclaiming contentment, connection, and a greater sense of well-being. Do you feel stressed out during the day and lie awake at night worrying? You’re not alone. In today’s hectic, fast-paced world, stress and anxiety have become a default way of being—as natural to us as breathing air. And because stress is an inevitable part of life, one of the most important things you can do for yourself is to learn how to manage and heal it. This book offers proven ways to help you counter the negative effects that stress has on the body and mind. You’ll also discover practical skills and clinically proven strategies grounded in mindfulness, neurobiology, and positive psychology to help you cultivate deep sense of emotional resilience. Using the author’s innovative HEART tools (Heartful Engagement And Re-focusing Training), you’ll learn to manage stress by harnessing the power of positive emotions—such as gratitude, compassion, empathy, and hope—leading to a feeling of expansiveness and possibility, and a lived sense of calm, happiness, and vitality.