Bob Greene is on the phone to talk about heart health, but first we have to ask: Is he still Oprah's personal trainer?
Well, yes, that's what everyone calls him, although he doesn't see her regularly during the TV season, when she's in Chicago. But the two have homes next to each other in California and Hawaii. So, especially over the summer and the holidays, Greene still advises Winfrey on exercise and nutrition.
"She was the best person at my wedding, and she actually flew in for the birth of my daughter," Greene says. "We're extremely close. I kinda chuckle when someone says, 'Oh, your client, Oprah.' ... I did start out being her trainer, but it's just a much different relationship these days."
Greene, 52, is a regular on Oprah's show and in her mag O, but he also has built an empire around his Best Life brand - in "The Best Life Diet" and other books (seven so far) and on www.thebestlife.com. His "Total Body Makeover" is on DVD. And he has become a virtual personal trainer thanks to his EA Sports Active workout video game for Nintendo Wii.
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5 HEART-HEALTHY TIPS FROM BOB GREENE
Heart health is something exercise physiologist and personal trainer Bob Greene knows a lot about. Here the FOO (friend of Oprah) shares five ways to make your heart happier.
1. Move more
True, people eat more than they did 30 years ago, Greene says, but the bigger problem is that "in every facet of life we're moving less." Kids, too, of course. But humans are built to be active. "When you exercise, you decrease your risk of virtually every known disease," Greene says.
2. Stop the emotional eating
You might spend 10 minutes at the grocery store agonizing over something that'll save you 50 calories but then "blow it by having 400 calories by binging at night." (Late-night eating is not necessarily emotional eating, but Greene does recommend a calorie cutoff two to three hours before bedtime. Oprah doesn't eat after 7:30 p.m.)
3. Eliminate empty calories
Soda and white bread are good (bad) examples. At the beginning of Greene's diet, you're asked to cut out soda, alcohol (in the short term), trans fat-laden products and fried foods (a category that includes cookies, crackers and most muffins), processed or refined grains and flour (whole wheat bread is OK), and high-fat dairy and yogurt.
He allows diet soda during the first phase, but ultimately he wants Best Life participants off the artificial sweeteners.
"You're going to have to tweak your sweet tooth."
4. Assess your overall happiness
Evaluate your entire life: health, romance, other relationships, finances, career. "I want you actively understanding why you haven't done these things you know are good for you," Greene says. "People who are successful at changing their unhealthy behaviors always go through a revelation about themselves."
You're not going to suddenly wake up happy one day - you have to take small steps, one at a time. If losing weight is one item on the list, write down ways to accomplish that (take walks, for example, or concentrate on putting healthier items in your grocery cart).
"Do little things each day," Greene advises. "When you follow a person who does that on a routine basis, one year later their life is very different."
5. Get enough sleep
Seven hours is the magic minimum for most people, Greene says.
"Adequate sleep is amazing. Beg, borrow or steal seven hours a night."
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(c) 2010, The Kansas City Star. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.