If you are like most people, you probably feel like you do not exercise enough, eat enough of the right foods or generally do not DO enough when it comes to your health. It seems that if you are not on board with being a total health nut, then what is the point in trying at all? It is a common trait for people to either be “all about working out” and “eating right”, or conversely, “what’s the point if I don’t have the time to stay consistent?” In my opinion, it is this mindset that keeps people from maintaining a healthy level of exercise and activity or simply resisting that extra piece of cake or taking the stairs as opposed to the elevator. In life and my professional studies I have learned that overall health is the cumulative result of a lifetime of active behaviors and a series of reasonably healthy decisions. Health is not achieved by spurts of intense “healthy living” with the interim being the polar opposite of typical socially desired behaviors such as binge eating, drinking and aggressive lounging over a weekend.
Research shows that even simple modifications in diet can have profound effects on your overall health. In the September 22, 2010 issue of the “European Journal of Clinical Nutrition”, one study showed that a group of middle aged men who were given simple exercise and dietary advice showed significant decreases in inflammatory markers in their cardiovascular systems. The bottom line is that those simple changes decreased risk for cardiovascular disease. In another study from the September 13, 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, men and women were supervised and counseled in diet and exercise for 3 months; then checked again at 3 years post intervention. Results not only showed reduced cardiovascular risk and risk of diabetes mellitus, but new habits were highly cost effective. In that, less money was spent on health care and long term quality of life was significantly improved.
In a perfect world, we would all have short work days, restful nights of sleep, an abundance of healthy choices for dining, and uneventful days where everything goes as planned. The reality is, you probably did not sleep well last night, you had a doughnut with your coffee, a burger for lunch, and you might be ordering out for dinner. You were going to work out when you got home but there was crazy traffic and your boss put a deadline on you that necessitates you bringing you current project home with you.
My challenge to patients is to stay emotionally neutral when you evaluate the way that you treat your body from day to day and the choices you did or did not make throughout your day in regards to your health. If you can avoid having super high’s when you do everything that you want to accomplish then you won’t be down in the dumps when you have a sub-par day in the personal wellness department. Be flexible and allow things to change from what you expected when you first woke up in the morning. If you don’t have time to go to the gym for a full hour, put on your running shoes and do a hard 20 minutes on the treadmill. If you didn’t have time to stop at the store to make a home cooked meal, try ordering something with a lot of greens and that is handmade. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you didn’t get to work out every day this week. Don’t chastise yourself if you didn’t have oatmeal for breakfast, organic grass fed goat burgers for lunch and veggies with roasted chicken for dinner. I want people to abandon this “all or nothing” mentality when it comes to being healthy. The best thing to do is simply do the best you can and accept that things will come up unexpectedly. You won’t always feel like being the poster child for Gold’s Gym, and your pantry won’t always resemble an aisle in Whole Foods. Health isn’t about doing everything right, it’s about doing some things right and not giving up if things did not go perfectly that day or week. If you missed a couple work-outs and had a dining indiscretion, enjoy the time off or the treat you had and start back the next day with renewed efforts and the confidence that you are doing the best that you can and that will go a long way in leading an overall healthy life.
Written by Dr Ammon Jacobson
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