“Michele has been such an inspiration to me. I heard her presentation on the Art of Being Grateful in April and it changed my life that day. From that day forward, I have taken the time to write at least one thing for which I am grateful each day. I am the principal of a very progressive Title I School in South Salt Lake City, serving many refugee, minority and poor families and felt my staff needed to hear Michele’s message. I invited Michele to speak at our Teacher Appreciation Celebration. Since then many of my staff members have commented on the positive effect Michele has had on their lives. We have used her words to inspire and carry us through tough times.” Lynda Hart, Principal

"Michele is a great team player, a perfect advocate for heart disease and stroke prevention — she’s knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and incredibly effective. Michele has demonstrated her ability as an advocate representing her title and her standing in the business community. On a personal note, she is a powerful speaker and a fantastic person to work with."

Scott Brown, Utah State Health Alliance Director.

My platform is a focus on heart disease and what each of us can do about it.

Every year more research studies support the notion that, “Gratitude Improves Your Health”. Depression, sadness and anger drag you down and lead to poor health. This is really true about the risk of heart disease. For example:

"Our data suggest that depression is an important and emerging risk factor for heart failure among patients with coronary heart disease," Heidi May of Intermountain Medical Center in Utah,

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. In 2005, there were 8.1 million heart attacks in the United States. Every thirty seconds someone dies from heart disease and every 45 seconds someone dies from a stroke [brain attack]. The risks for heart disease and stroke are the same: obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, physical inactivity, diabetes and stress. But here is the good news; heart disease and stroke are both preventable; a heart healthy diet, active lifestyle, freedom for smoking (even second-hand smoke), weight loss, control of blood pressure and diabetes all can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Heart Disease is very close to me. Both of my Grandparents died of massive heart attacks. My Mother, Father, Aunt and two Uncles have all received quadruple bypasses. Doctors tell me because of my family history of heart disease I’m also at risk. Even my Mother had a quadruple bypass at a young age 64, despite being athletic all her life. But she is an inspiration to me. As she lives with her heart disease, she has adopted all of the heart healthy measures and embraces life every day. She is Grateful to be alive and I am Grateful too. Why? Because unlike so many others, I now know that I am at risk for heart disease and I have chosen to do something about it. You can too! With the help of the American Heart Association’s Go Red Foundation I’ve been very active in educating my family, and my community about heart disease. Here is my version of having a healthy heart: It requires “The Art of Being Grateful.”

The American Heart Association’s GO RED foundation introduced me to the harsh realities of heart disease. I absolutely embrace the heart healthy messages from the American Heart Association and you should too. Here are their recommendations: Follow a healthy diet, lose weight, exercise at least moderately, live a life free of tobacco, check your blood pressure, cholesterol and control all of these with a healthy lifestyle. This is considered heart healthy living and when necessary, use prescribed therapies that have been proven to help. All of these steps are essential. In addition to these important steps, the research shows that it is really important to have a positive outlook on life. This is the basis of my platform on being grateful or as I call it, “The Art of Being Grateful”. This approach is a guide in helping people form good habits that will increase their ability to have a healthy heart in our adventure called life.

Sometimes the messaging from your doctors and the media can sound like you’re being punished. “Don’t do this, never do that, etc.” Consider how much easier it would be to take the right steps if you began by saying, “I am grateful that I know about the risk of heart disease and I know my own risk. I want to do something positive about this risk. I am grateful to know exactly what to do about it!” The negative will bring you down and the positive will lift you up. It’s “The Art of Being Grateful”. Feeling sad and being unhappy isn’t just a mood thing, it also has physical implications. Depression and sadness cause lower counts of an essential blood protein that prevents clots [which can cause heart attacks and strokes or ‘brain attacks’] and higher counts of proteins that are associated with inflammation which also leads to blood vessel disease. Depression can be a real problem, after having heart disease attack your life. When people suffer from heart attacks or those who have heart failure it’s common to have bouts of depression. It is very clear; optimists are less likely to die of heart disease and live better with heart disease than pessimists.

Be grateful for who you are, where you are and for what you are able to do for others. Approach any situation from the positive and seek the best outcomes in all things. Most importantly, consider the riches in your life. Even in today’s world with so much economic and political uncertainty, we all have riches! If you are reading this, you are alive, educated and have access to a computer. These things are riches. Your family, your work, those you love, your passions, your hobbies, especially your faith, these too are riches. Using all of your resources and valuing your own experiences, most if not all circumstances can be faced and handled well. Life is not always easy and many challenges are present today, but what would you prefer to do? Hide away in a corner and be sad or stand up and adopt a positive attitude, being grateful for who you are and for the people in your life? For me, that choice is easy.

Here is a way to keep the “Art of Being Grateful” in your day to day life:

G - Always be Grateful regardless of the circumstances; things can always be worse
R - Know when to Rock the boat and know when to Roll with the waves
A - Your Attitude is a magnetic force; send out positive energy
T - When it’s a good goal, be Tenacious
E - Be nice to your body; Exercise and Eat healthy.
F - Family matters
U - You are your best asset and a great gift to others
L - Laugh often, love always and Live life

I want to get this message out to you and others. I have spoken to over 22 organizations, including the American Heart Association’s GO Red Luncheon (Keynote Speaker), Youth Groups, Rotary Clubs, Teacher Associations, Business Groups and Mom’s Club’s. (I’m a mom with two wonderful little boys and I just love sharing stories about being a mom!) I’ve done several radio and television interviews on behalf of the American Heart Association. During my year as Mrs. Utah, I have shared my experiences before the State of Utah’s House Committee. I was introduced to the Representatives on the Utah House Floor at the State Capital and I told them about, “The Art of Being Grateful”. Recently, I was given the opportunity to be an advocate for change on behalf of the American Heart Association and took my message to Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Once again, I told House Representatives and Senators along with their staff members of the United States Congress about, “The Art of Being Grateful”. I urged them to help us all fight heart disease through more research, public awareness and especially through support for women’s health. I am thankful and humbled to have had these opportunities and realize that not everyone gets these chances. I’m certainly very grateful. Everyone has the chance to make a difference. Start at home with your own family and consider how grateful you are for them. Consider making changes at home to prevent heart disease and stroke with your own loved ones first. Then start working your network of friends, talk to colleagues, neighbors, church members and associations. Anyone can make a difference and real change starts one person at a time. Be that one person. Be Grateful. Make a Difference.