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Recently I was inspired by a recent trip to the Dad 2.0 Summit in Washington DC to think about my own health in a very different way. I had a chance to interact with Michael Strahan, and watch the conversation that he had with his own father (See below) as it came to health in general. You see, in celebration of Heart Month this February, Meta and spokesperson Michael Strahan launched the “Heart 2 Heart” campaign to encourage men across the country to have important health conversations with their loved ones this February and beyond.

After watching this it really made me think about conversations that I have had with my own kids about  health and what I was doing to make sure that I was going to be around for a long time to come.

As a catalyst for conversation, the “Heart 2 Heart” campaign is providing a first-hand look at how easy it is to have a heart health talk with your loved one through a new video showcasing Michael Strahan’s intimate conversation with his father, Gene – and tips on how to help your loved one jumpstart their heart-healthy routine with Meta.  

When I got home from the Dad 2.0 conference, I decided to sit down with my kids and talk to them about what I was planning on doing. I had never really talked in general about my health with them, but I thought it was important to have a #heart2heart talk with them and see if they would want to join me and if not at least support me in my journey. You see, though I may look thin, I am not the best example of healthy living. I do not always eat right and I go in stints when it comes to regular exercise. Now that I am over 40 I know that this needs to change and that I need to think about the future as I want to be around for a long time to come for my wife and kids.

So I sat down with my kids and talked to them about how I was planning on starting to exercise daily. I found some great exercises from Dai Manuel that were only 30 minutes a day (I mean, who does not have 30 minutes a day). Second, I told them that I was going to cut soda completely from my diet. Third, was getting more fiber in my diet, and what was great was that the great folks from Meta Wellness helped me with this with a ton of great products including Meta Health Bars and Metamucil that are filled with Fiber!

I was happy that I had this conversation with them and I was honest and asked them to help me stay accountable (which I know that they will). I only wish I had this conversation earlier.

After talking to my kids I decided to have a call with my own dad, like Michael Strahan did and followed his advice as he said that we should do the following:

7 Tips from Michael Strahan on How to Have a Heart 2 Heart Conversation with Your Dad.

1. Go into the conversation with a purpose. Make a few notes beforehand to keep the conversation on track. It’s really easy to venture down a road that both you and your dad may not be completely comfortable discussing.
2. Think about what you want to accomplish. If there’s an actionable goal that you want your dad to set, help him develop a plan to get it done.
3. Watch your tone. People can become really sensitive when you sit them down and tell them about themselves. Make sure that you are approaching the conversation as objectively as possible.
4. Set an example. Leading by example is always compelling, especially with parents. Holding yourself accountable will help you hold your dad accountable.
5. Acknowledge that you hear him. Making small changes can be a big task and what your dad really needs is your support.
6. Help him add more fiber to his diet. It’s scientifically proven that diets high in fiber can lower cholesterol and promote heart health†. Pick up some Meta and add it to smoothies or protein shakes for that extra boost to help ensure your fiber intake is met every day.
7. Watch and share the #Heart2Heart video. I recently had to have a tough heart health conversation with my dad that could inspire your talk.

†Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 7 grams of soluble fiber per day from psyllium husk, as in Metamucil and Meta Health Bars, may reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. One adult serving of Metamucil Powder has 2.4 grams of this soluble fiber. One Meta Health Bar and one serving of Metamucil Fiber capsules have at least 1.8 grams of this soluble fiber.

I started the conversation by sharing the #Heart2Heart video as I was impressed by this and knew that this could be a conversation starter. You see, my dad and I had never really spent much time talking about each others’ health much in the past, but I knew that I wanted to, so this opened a door. When I called him I asked him about his thoughts on the video? I talked to him about my concern about his lack of exercise, and we really had a deep conversation about our thoughts on this. I think that this is the start of a dialogue that will last for some time to come, so I am grateful that I opened myself to having the conversations with my kids and my own dad, as prior to this I probably would have stayed silent as I had in the past.

I am so glad that Meta Wellness challenged me to have these comversations with my family and to get #Heart2Heart healthy.If you are interested in taking some similar steps for yourself, check out more information on MetaWellness.com.

You can also save some money on Meta products by using this link: spr.ly/MetaCoupon

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