Have you ever thought about the health benefits of simple laughter? Really it makes sense that laughter would improve your health. Think about it. Humor reduces tension, stress and anxiety. All of those negative emotions have been linked to chronic illness. OK you say, show me the research. I'd like to challenge you to take the laughter test yourself. You should believe what you experience in your own life even if it goes counter to some supposed research.
One of my pet peeves is Doctors ignoring a patient's correlation of the commencement of a negative health issue to just after they started taking some medication, a new job, or some other simple change in the patients life. The patient knows better but the Doctor just refuses to accept the correlation. Either the patient gets another Doctor or they begin to doubt themselves and they quite paying serious attention to their body's warning signals. I'll address this more fully in a future post. I'll give you some suggestions as to how to get your Doctor/primary care person to listen to you and how to be your own best patient advocate.
If you are having a bad day it may seem impossible to laugh. Norman Cousins claimed to use humorous movies and jokes to help him laugh when he didn't feel like it. There are a ton of websites and articles on the internet that gives reasons for why we should strive to laugh more.
So having said that, believe your own observations. Try adding a committed period of laughter to your day, say 5 to 15 minutes all at one time or just scattered throughout the day. Do whatever you resonate with. If you decide to commit to this, it would be great if you could make a comment about just what you observed about yourself. Did your days seem to flow better, worse, or was there no change? Did it change the way you handled stressful situations? Was there any affect on your pain/stiffness/blood sugar/blood pressure or any other health issues? There is research out there that does confirm that those that laugh and use humor to get through their day seem to have fewer health problem.
Would this be considered a scientific experiment? Probably not, but if you pay attention to details, how your feel both emotionally and physically, you might gain some very useful personal insightful information for yourself that you can use day in and day out but can also pass onto others.First hand experience is invaluable! Give it a try. Besides, it won't cost you even a penny. At most it will take a little commitment and time. Journal your experience and you will get more out of it. Sometimes things change in such subtle ways that we don't really see the change unless we have logged where we have been. This happens very often with EFT.(See my earlier post on this very effective form of self help)
Laugh a lot and love abundantly,
Till next time,
Healthbug
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Chronic disease
The word "chronic" refers to something that is ongoing over an extended period of time. The top three causes of death in America are 1) Cancer, 2) Heart Disease, 3) Stroke. These 3 are primarily caused by lifestyle choices! That means that grasping the power to control our lifestyle is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves where Health is concerned.
The following was taken from the www.cdc.gov website
Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death, accounting for more than 30% of all U.S. deaths each year.
Cancer, the second leading cause of death, claims more than half a million lives each year.
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, nontraumatic lower extremity amputations, and new cases of blindness each year among U.S. adults aged 20–74 years.
Arthritis, the most common cause of disability, limits activity for 19 million U.S. adults.
Obesity has become a major health concern for people of all ages. 1 in every 3 adults and nearly 1 in every 5 young people aged 6–19 are obese.
After these statements the site boldly makes the statement that Chronic Diseases Are Preventable!The CDC's goal is to "Prevent, delay, detect, and control chronic diseases".
Lifestyle choices account for a large portion of the risk of developing any one of these diseases. Now if that was statistics on a pill, we would all shout, "Where can I purchase that!". Fortunately you don't have to purchase a thing. Cultivating an attitude of self responsibility will go a long ways toward being able to not only see the changes you need and want to make but also being able to follow through with those changes.
I acknowledge that changing our lifestyle is not so easy. It takes planning, effort, diligence, persistance, and sometimes just some good old teeth gritting determination. If a person doesn't really see the value in the proposed change, why would you put yourself through all that? Of course knowledge is not enough. Plenty of professional people like Nurses, Doctors, Dietitians,etc have the knowledge of what makes for better health yet they still eat junk food, don't exercise, smoke, drink alcohol to excess and don't get enough sleep.
So what does motivate some people to change? Very, very good question. I think this is the substance of many a person's dilemmas with themselves. How do we motivate ourselves to do what we really believe we want/need to do to get healthy and stay healthy? I don't have all your answers but I can share with you what some of my answers have been.
First and foremost, I must continue to remind myself that what I eat and what I do has a profound affect on my health. I read lots of health and healing books,newsletters and websites. You might not enjoy that kind of reading so much and it might be better to find the statistics about how helpful lifestyle, diet and exercise is and just put them up where you can read them everyday.
Second, when I determine a change I want to make, I know that I must start with small steps. When I jump into something with both feel and try to make more than 3 small changes at a time, I tend to go hoguns for a short time but wear out quickly. It just seems too hard. In my life I have found that small steps equal huge changes in your health. Some people have found that just eliminating all sugar and artificial sugar from their diets, they are able to loose a lot of weight. For me the key with sugar is to to stay away from it at least a week. It is an addictive substance to most people. Read Sugar Blues to get motivated. Of course there are other books out there but that still one of the best.
Third, whatever I decide to do exercise wise, I know I must approach it gradually. Far better to start at a lower level than I think I can do than to push to excess at first and end up getting hurt or burned out. Like the time I decided to do Yoga again. I pushed my self till I over stretched a muscle and have felt the results of that every since, even though that was over 8 years ago.
To start with, realizing that motivation must come from within! That means that everyone must figure out what will motivate them. Sometimes I use silly things that are so simple they make me laugh. Like sometimes I tell myself if I accomplish my goal I will allow myself to watch a movie I want to watch. I don't watch many movies, so this is a real treat to me. Give yourself little gifts for each accomplishment. Take a short walk in the sun. Allow yourself to sit for 10 minutes and enjoy some favorite music. Whatever it takes to stay committed to your goal. It will be worth it in the end.
In order to motivate yourself, you have to get to know yourself. Listen to your body and listen to your self talk. Both of these are also helpful in determining just what you might need to provide your body with for it to begin to stay well or heal.
If you are really committed to developing a healthier diet and lifestyle and just can't seem to get there on your own, consider hiring a Health Coach. Make sure you resonate with how the coach teaches and make sure that they put you in the drivers seat of that change. If you don't own it, it will never work for you in the long run.
To your great health and healing,
Healthbug
The following was taken from the www.cdc.gov website
Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death, accounting for more than 30% of all U.S. deaths each year.
Cancer, the second leading cause of death, claims more than half a million lives each year.
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, nontraumatic lower extremity amputations, and new cases of blindness each year among U.S. adults aged 20–74 years.
Arthritis, the most common cause of disability, limits activity for 19 million U.S. adults.
Obesity has become a major health concern for people of all ages. 1 in every 3 adults and nearly 1 in every 5 young people aged 6–19 are obese.
After these statements the site boldly makes the statement that Chronic Diseases Are Preventable!The CDC's goal is to "Prevent, delay, detect, and control chronic diseases".
Lifestyle choices account for a large portion of the risk of developing any one of these diseases. Now if that was statistics on a pill, we would all shout, "Where can I purchase that!". Fortunately you don't have to purchase a thing. Cultivating an attitude of self responsibility will go a long ways toward being able to not only see the changes you need and want to make but also being able to follow through with those changes.
I acknowledge that changing our lifestyle is not so easy. It takes planning, effort, diligence, persistance, and sometimes just some good old teeth gritting determination. If a person doesn't really see the value in the proposed change, why would you put yourself through all that? Of course knowledge is not enough. Plenty of professional people like Nurses, Doctors, Dietitians,etc have the knowledge of what makes for better health yet they still eat junk food, don't exercise, smoke, drink alcohol to excess and don't get enough sleep.
So what does motivate some people to change? Very, very good question. I think this is the substance of many a person's dilemmas with themselves. How do we motivate ourselves to do what we really believe we want/need to do to get healthy and stay healthy? I don't have all your answers but I can share with you what some of my answers have been.
First and foremost, I must continue to remind myself that what I eat and what I do has a profound affect on my health. I read lots of health and healing books,newsletters and websites. You might not enjoy that kind of reading so much and it might be better to find the statistics about how helpful lifestyle, diet and exercise is and just put them up where you can read them everyday.
Second, when I determine a change I want to make, I know that I must start with small steps. When I jump into something with both feel and try to make more than 3 small changes at a time, I tend to go hoguns for a short time but wear out quickly. It just seems too hard. In my life I have found that small steps equal huge changes in your health. Some people have found that just eliminating all sugar and artificial sugar from their diets, they are able to loose a lot of weight. For me the key with sugar is to to stay away from it at least a week. It is an addictive substance to most people. Read Sugar Blues to get motivated. Of course there are other books out there but that still one of the best.
Third, whatever I decide to do exercise wise, I know I must approach it gradually. Far better to start at a lower level than I think I can do than to push to excess at first and end up getting hurt or burned out. Like the time I decided to do Yoga again. I pushed my self till I over stretched a muscle and have felt the results of that every since, even though that was over 8 years ago.
To start with, realizing that motivation must come from within! That means that everyone must figure out what will motivate them. Sometimes I use silly things that are so simple they make me laugh. Like sometimes I tell myself if I accomplish my goal I will allow myself to watch a movie I want to watch. I don't watch many movies, so this is a real treat to me. Give yourself little gifts for each accomplishment. Take a short walk in the sun. Allow yourself to sit for 10 minutes and enjoy some favorite music. Whatever it takes to stay committed to your goal. It will be worth it in the end.
In order to motivate yourself, you have to get to know yourself. Listen to your body and listen to your self talk. Both of these are also helpful in determining just what you might need to provide your body with for it to begin to stay well or heal.
If you are really committed to developing a healthier diet and lifestyle and just can't seem to get there on your own, consider hiring a Health Coach. Make sure you resonate with how the coach teaches and make sure that they put you in the drivers seat of that change. If you don't own it, it will never work for you in the long run.
To your great health and healing,
Healthbug
Friday, April 19, 2013
New Beginnings!
I am sitting here contemplating how to get back into the swing of things. To be honest, I am actually contemplating how to establish a new habit. It is April 19, 2013 and I think it is time for a "New Years Resolution"!
I really don't believe in "New Year Resolutions" but I do believe in allowing myself the right to start each day anew. Which means I don't beat myself up for not doing what I have wanted or needed to do. Each action or non-action on my part is simply a learning experience. How do I motivate myself to do what I think I "want"/"need" to do? What is not working? What do I need to do to quite procrastinating? Is it really procrastination that is standing in my way or is it some other mental block?
The new habit I want to establish is writing consistently in my blog. As I contemplate this, I realize what is needed to accomplish my goal is similar to what I need to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Yes, even though I preach it and teach it, I sometimes have motivational issues with doing the things I need to do to heal and stay healthy. I realize it is not about the knowledge base so much as it is about the motivation to do what I already know I want/need to do.
Motivation is all about emotions and attitude. Dis-empowering emotions and attitudes arise from negative self talk. "Why should I _____________ I'll only fail and then I'll feel like a failure and I have failed so many times before. I will never be able to succeed." Fill in the blank with anything that seems to be whipping your butt at the moment.
Other negative self-talk that comes up is "I'm too busy.I don't have time." I'll quit in the middle and thus feel like a failure AGAIN!" "Oh well, so many other people have the same difficulty following through. Why should I bother being different?" These and many more negative statements fill my conscious and unconscious mind while I "think" I am "trying" to accomplish my goal. It is easy to see how I am working against myself. Just realizing this is very powerful?
By putting all that out there, it becomes much clearer what I can do to help empower myself to accomplish that which I want/need to do.It makes sense that a change of attitude starts with a change of self talk. A change of self talk will bring about a change of attitude which hopefully will empower me to accomplish my goals!
Viewing "not accomplishing my goal" as a failure, changes to "Failure is simply another step toward success. Each time I do not accomplish my goal is a stepping stone to the success I so desperately desire." As I say this to myself the "failure" becomes a learning experience instead of a "failure". The important part here is to not ignore the non success but to analyze it as you would a learning experience. Why didn't I reach my goal? "I didn't have the healthy foods in the house. I let myself get too hungry before eating. I went shopping hungry. I've been eating just a little sugar every day and now I crave it. I didn't plan ahead for healthy meals." Some of the harder excuses are "I guess I was too lazy to do what I new I wanted/needed to do." I got to get over it and grow up.
Keeping my eyes on the goal is also very helpful!
Visualize what it will feel like to reach my goal can also be very helpful. Visualization is a huge subject in and of itself and best left for another post.
Thanks for reading this.
Be kind and love yourself. You can do anything you set your mind to if you persist!
Until next time.
Healthbug
I really don't believe in "New Year Resolutions" but I do believe in allowing myself the right to start each day anew. Which means I don't beat myself up for not doing what I have wanted or needed to do. Each action or non-action on my part is simply a learning experience. How do I motivate myself to do what I think I "want"/"need" to do? What is not working? What do I need to do to quite procrastinating? Is it really procrastination that is standing in my way or is it some other mental block?
The new habit I want to establish is writing consistently in my blog. As I contemplate this, I realize what is needed to accomplish my goal is similar to what I need to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Yes, even though I preach it and teach it, I sometimes have motivational issues with doing the things I need to do to heal and stay healthy. I realize it is not about the knowledge base so much as it is about the motivation to do what I already know I want/need to do.
Motivation is all about emotions and attitude. Dis-empowering emotions and attitudes arise from negative self talk. "Why should I _____________ I'll only fail and then I'll feel like a failure and I have failed so many times before. I will never be able to succeed." Fill in the blank with anything that seems to be whipping your butt at the moment.
Other negative self-talk that comes up is "I'm too busy.I don't have time." I'll quit in the middle and thus feel like a failure AGAIN!" "Oh well, so many other people have the same difficulty following through. Why should I bother being different?" These and many more negative statements fill my conscious and unconscious mind while I "think" I am "trying" to accomplish my goal. It is easy to see how I am working against myself. Just realizing this is very powerful?
By putting all that out there, it becomes much clearer what I can do to help empower myself to accomplish that which I want/need to do.It makes sense that a change of attitude starts with a change of self talk. A change of self talk will bring about a change of attitude which hopefully will empower me to accomplish my goals!
Viewing "not accomplishing my goal" as a failure, changes to "Failure is simply another step toward success. Each time I do not accomplish my goal is a stepping stone to the success I so desperately desire." As I say this to myself the "failure" becomes a learning experience instead of a "failure". The important part here is to not ignore the non success but to analyze it as you would a learning experience. Why didn't I reach my goal? "I didn't have the healthy foods in the house. I let myself get too hungry before eating. I went shopping hungry. I've been eating just a little sugar every day and now I crave it. I didn't plan ahead for healthy meals." Some of the harder excuses are "I guess I was too lazy to do what I new I wanted/needed to do." I got to get over it and grow up.
Keeping my eyes on the goal is also very helpful!
Visualize what it will feel like to reach my goal can also be very helpful. Visualization is a huge subject in and of itself and best left for another post.
Thanks for reading this.
Be kind and love yourself. You can do anything you set your mind to if you persist!
Until next time.
Healthbug
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Honestly! Why should I bother?
What a good question. It takes determination,time and courage to take responsibility for your own health.
That said, how do you feel about having someone else tell you what job to work at, where to buy a house, whether you should marry this person or that person, what to wear every morning? Each and every one of these areas takes time and energy to decide just what we want to do. However.....you nor I would ever think of giving that responsibility away, nor allowing someone else to tell us what to do in any one of those areas.
So why do we allow this to happen in such an important part of our lives as our health? The answer, as I see it is very short and simple. We have been conditioned to think that we should allow someone else to take up that responsibility. "They know more than I do." "It's just way too confusing for the lay person to understand. I need to leave that area of my life in the hands of the professionals."
Am I saying we should not consult professionals? No! That is an emphatic NO! What I am saying is to trust yourself more. It's an attitude issue more than a knowledge issue. The attitude of, 'I know my body better than anyone else, after all I have lived with me 24 hours a day 7 days a week for my entire life. Who else has that kind of knowledge about me?'
I am also not discounting information. It takes commitment to listen to and try to understand what your body is trying to say to you. The other thing is doing day to day, hour by hour those things that build health rather than those things that tear down your health. It is a lie that everything that is good for does not taste good!
While fruits and veggies may be more expensive now, in the long run they are money well spent. Have you heard that the cost of health care is soaring? It is true. How permanent is a heart attack, stroke, poorly structured bones, gastric distress? Yes eating right can is the answer to every health issue.
" But I can't do it alone" you say. "I don't have time to learn all that nutrition stuff!" My DR will never listen to my suggestions. I and my family can't and won't eat those healthy things. It takes too much time to cook from scratch." All those statements are true only based on your attitude. Just how important is you and your families health to you? Do you really care that you may be contributing to your child's poor mental and physical health? Do you care that you may be contributing to your own poor mental and physical health? Harsh words? Believe me, those words are soft compared to the harshness of the real life consequences of poor eating habits and bad food choices.
I challenge you to sit yourself down and examine your attitude about your health, about food, and just how those two intertwine. We all want a pill to make it all better, when in truth, taking responsibility for our health is far easier than it looks. A change of attitude is where it starts. Changing one thing, one day/week at a time can make the changes easy on yourself and your family.
Best of health to you till next time,
Healthbug
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Pain Neutralization Therapy Review!
Ok this will be a new one for me. I am wanting to get my opinion out there about an issue and could not find the how and where on the internet at large so am going to post this on my blog.
Since I am an avid researcher into anything that may be effective in addressing health issues, it is expected that I run into many, many new therapies. I do my best to evaluated these therapies and if possible, I try to find a way to learn them. Knowing I have limited time, financial resources and learning capacity, I have to evaluate just how effective a therapy might be. Is it good enough for my clients that I just know about the therapy? or is this a therapy that I could/should learn for the sake of treating my clients?
What are the reviews/critiques out there on the specific therapy? Is there any scientific research to back up the therapy and to add to the numerous personal testimonies? I've learned therapies that cost hundreds and some that were initially offered for free. All with great value, so the price of something does not necessarily determine how "worthy" any given therapy is.
Just recently I have been investigating Pain Neutralization Therapy. It sounds very interesting. They say it is based on the Gate Therapy of Pain. Developed by a Chiropractor by the name of Steve Kaufman. Kaufman's office is in Denver. I read through all the pages and pages of DR, ND, DC, PT, LMT testimonies and finally was convinced I wanted to order at least an intro to the therapy. This therapy by the way is suppose to be "very easy to learn" "so easy a 14 year old could easily learn it".
I found the offered DVD training and was quite confused by the offers. 16 DVD's comprises the basic learning set. Wow, that's a bunch of DVD's to teach a supposed easy to learn technique. It went on from there to list other offering of which it is not real clear as to just what you learn or get with each set of DVD's. I don't know, maybe you need to attend a seminar before you understand the specific terminology. However, since this is a website I would expect that all to be explained more clearly on that website.
Since I was soon to be going through Denver, I decided to call DR Kaufman's office and discuss just what was on his DVD's and why they were worth the $1295 price tag he had put on the set of 16 that comprised the introductory offer? AT the very least, I thought, I just might make an appointment to have him use this therapy on me as I have had some pain in my legs for over a year now and I thought it would be a great experience to receive some first hand experience with how the awesome this therapy worked first hand.
I called Kaufman's office, there was a message to leave your name and number and Kaufman would happily return your call. So I dutifully left a message. Shortly thereafter a male, not Kaufman, called me back. I ask my questions about the pricing since it was unclear to me from the website. He assured me that it was clear on the website. My bad. Sorry, I thought I was the one calling him to clarify. Anyway, we did not get past his "obviously, if the cost is too much for you then this isn't for you" and the finalee of "This must just not be the right time for you" with a click when he just hung up on me!
My first impression is that PNT is just a scam. It looks like they are only interested in selling the high priced DVD sets. They are certainly not interested in good customer service. OK, I can't honestly say that I know anymore about the therapy, but I sure have a bad taste in my mouth with the way they do business. Evidently if you have any honest questions they are not prepared to answer them. They are only interested in selling those DVD's to people who have no further questions and are already convinced that they are worth the overblown price. Hey, I tried to give them an opportunity to explain to me why these DVD's were worth so much. I was ready to dish out my credit card info for the info, but first I want my questions answered. I guess they just don't have time for that.
I'll still research this therapy, but in my mind, the Kaufman office guy owes me an apology. We didn't even get to the place where I could ask for an appointment. But then maybe they are making so much on the DVD's that Kaufman doesn't have Chiropractic hours anymore. Still he didn't have to treat me so rudely
If anyone has any first hand experience with PNT or these people, please let me know what that experience has been.
Until next time,
Be healthy,
Health Bug
Since I am an avid researcher into anything that may be effective in addressing health issues, it is expected that I run into many, many new therapies. I do my best to evaluated these therapies and if possible, I try to find a way to learn them. Knowing I have limited time, financial resources and learning capacity, I have to evaluate just how effective a therapy might be. Is it good enough for my clients that I just know about the therapy? or is this a therapy that I could/should learn for the sake of treating my clients?
What are the reviews/critiques out there on the specific therapy? Is there any scientific research to back up the therapy and to add to the numerous personal testimonies? I've learned therapies that cost hundreds and some that were initially offered for free. All with great value, so the price of something does not necessarily determine how "worthy" any given therapy is.
Just recently I have been investigating Pain Neutralization Therapy. It sounds very interesting. They say it is based on the Gate Therapy of Pain. Developed by a Chiropractor by the name of Steve Kaufman. Kaufman's office is in Denver. I read through all the pages and pages of DR, ND, DC, PT, LMT testimonies and finally was convinced I wanted to order at least an intro to the therapy. This therapy by the way is suppose to be "very easy to learn" "so easy a 14 year old could easily learn it".
I found the offered DVD training and was quite confused by the offers. 16 DVD's comprises the basic learning set. Wow, that's a bunch of DVD's to teach a supposed easy to learn technique. It went on from there to list other offering of which it is not real clear as to just what you learn or get with each set of DVD's. I don't know, maybe you need to attend a seminar before you understand the specific terminology. However, since this is a website I would expect that all to be explained more clearly on that website.
Since I was soon to be going through Denver, I decided to call DR Kaufman's office and discuss just what was on his DVD's and why they were worth the $1295 price tag he had put on the set of 16 that comprised the introductory offer? AT the very least, I thought, I just might make an appointment to have him use this therapy on me as I have had some pain in my legs for over a year now and I thought it would be a great experience to receive some first hand experience with how the awesome this therapy worked first hand.
I called Kaufman's office, there was a message to leave your name and number and Kaufman would happily return your call. So I dutifully left a message. Shortly thereafter a male, not Kaufman, called me back. I ask my questions about the pricing since it was unclear to me from the website. He assured me that it was clear on the website. My bad. Sorry, I thought I was the one calling him to clarify. Anyway, we did not get past his "obviously, if the cost is too much for you then this isn't for you" and the finalee of "This must just not be the right time for you" with a click when he just hung up on me!
My first impression is that PNT is just a scam. It looks like they are only interested in selling the high priced DVD sets. They are certainly not interested in good customer service. OK, I can't honestly say that I know anymore about the therapy, but I sure have a bad taste in my mouth with the way they do business. Evidently if you have any honest questions they are not prepared to answer them. They are only interested in selling those DVD's to people who have no further questions and are already convinced that they are worth the overblown price. Hey, I tried to give them an opportunity to explain to me why these DVD's were worth so much. I was ready to dish out my credit card info for the info, but first I want my questions answered. I guess they just don't have time for that.
I'll still research this therapy, but in my mind, the Kaufman office guy owes me an apology. We didn't even get to the place where I could ask for an appointment. But then maybe they are making so much on the DVD's that Kaufman doesn't have Chiropractic hours anymore. Still he didn't have to treat me so rudely
If anyone has any first hand experience with PNT or these people, please let me know what that experience has been.
Until next time,
Be healthy,
Health Bug
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Responsibility
Wow! I've really taken a break from posting. But not from learning as well as thinking about things I'd like to post. I start with a new commitment to blog more consistently!
As I have been thinking about how to motivate people to take charge of their own health, I realize that taking responsibility of our health goes hand in hand with motivation.
You've heard the old saying "No decision, is a decision!" Responsibility for our health does fall upon our own shoulders whether we give that power to some health care professional or whether we choose to maintain that power. My own health is still my responsibility. Sure, Mom's are responsible for their children, but in that case a Mom who passes off that responsibility to someone else for themselves will pass off their responsibility for their own children to someone else.
The truth is, we and we alone hold the key to being the healthiest we can be. Gosh, I think I may have touched on this before. Well anyway, it is so important for us to realize just how much we can do for ourselves to get healthy and stay healthy. Once a person gets a clear picture of the powerful influence they have on their own health (and that of their immediate family), they can and will begin to see where they can make a huge difference in their health.
My question to myself is, can and will people be motivated to do what they can to get and stay healthy by knowing that they have that responsibility whether they acknowledge/use that power or not?
I hope so, but don't know. I believe knowledge is power and the reason more people don't take charge of their own health is because they don't realize what power they have in making a difference in their own health!
Maybe you disagree? Let me know some of your thoughts. I love to learn and finding out where people come from is very rewarding.
Till next time,
your friendly
Health Bug
As I have been thinking about how to motivate people to take charge of their own health, I realize that taking responsibility of our health goes hand in hand with motivation.
You've heard the old saying "No decision, is a decision!" Responsibility for our health does fall upon our own shoulders whether we give that power to some health care professional or whether we choose to maintain that power. My own health is still my responsibility. Sure, Mom's are responsible for their children, but in that case a Mom who passes off that responsibility to someone else for themselves will pass off their responsibility for their own children to someone else.
The truth is, we and we alone hold the key to being the healthiest we can be. Gosh, I think I may have touched on this before. Well anyway, it is so important for us to realize just how much we can do for ourselves to get healthy and stay healthy. Once a person gets a clear picture of the powerful influence they have on their own health (and that of their immediate family), they can and will begin to see where they can make a huge difference in their health.
My question to myself is, can and will people be motivated to do what they can to get and stay healthy by knowing that they have that responsibility whether they acknowledge/use that power or not?
I hope so, but don't know. I believe knowledge is power and the reason more people don't take charge of their own health is because they don't realize what power they have in making a difference in their own health!
Maybe you disagree? Let me know some of your thoughts. I love to learn and finding out where people come from is very rewarding.
Till next time,
your friendly
Health Bug
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Motivation
Well I am finally back from a great trip to Colorado to attend a cousin's wedding in the beautiful scenic Rocky Mountains. Also, I have the pleasure of having my granddaughter with me for a few weeks.
In my travels my mind kept returning to motivation. Motivation is a tough one. Or at least I have found it so in my life. You would think knowledge and desire would be enough to convince someone (i.e. myself) to change lifestyle habits etc. This has not been so in my life and I have not found it so in my observations of other peoples lives. Look at the number of healthcare professionals who drink alcohol to excess, smoke, eat a bunch of junk and get little to no exercise. Now you know these people have the knowledge. Or at least you would hope they do. Even dietitians can know how to eat and live healthy but not follow through with their own lives.
What is up with that? In my own life, I had to believe I could succeed, continually focus on the health benefits of succeeding, and keep encouraging myself each step of the way.
My most recent victory has been a loss of 48 pounds! I thought I would never loose that excess weight! When I was younger I tried everything, but just seemed to keep gaining back what I painfully lost, plus some. Whew. That was really discouraging! I finally resolved I would be heavy the rest of my life. As a nurse, that hurt, but I just couldn't do hunger or stay away from foods I loved. That contentment only lasted until I started gaining weight again without any change up in my diet. Boy was I scared. I was pushing 200 pounds! Even worse, I was getting older (59) and had border-line low thyroid function. I was convinced I would fail at anything I tried. I felt desperate.
Fortunately a coworker insisted I look at, "Let's Do Lunch". It is really not a diet. It is a way of eating. Wow! I was amazed. I have lost the weight and kept it off for almost 2 years now! If you are interested check out www.letsdolunch.com. I had to continually encourage myself in the beginning but as the weight kept coming off I knew It was only a matter of time before I reached .......... my high school weight!!!! I am still amazed that I lost so much weight. I am even more amazed that I still enjoy all the wonderful delicious foods that I lost my weight on. The message board on the website is full of a ton of people who have been successful with this way of eating and are there to encourage others who are going through what they went through. My story is under Hopefull. Because I was only hopefull that I would be able to loose weight, not sure. Woohoo! It worked!
What is so different about Let's Do Lunch"? The rules. Eat till full every time you are hungry is a must. Eat only foods you love! When you are hungry for sweets eat fruit. When you are hungry for carbs eat all the beans, peas, and corn you want. Lots of delicious healthy food. Initially I did not believe it would work for me. But hey, anytime I can be on plan by eating till full, I was game to give it an honest try! I am laughing here. Like I said, I did not believe this would work.
I have yet to find an exercise program that I am motivated to stay with. Usually I get going, overdo, then quit either out of too much pain or boredom. Motivation, still is a bit of a mystery, however, I believe whatever we are trying to change must really be important to us and seen as something we can do, no one likes failure.
Until next time,
Health Bug
In my travels my mind kept returning to motivation. Motivation is a tough one. Or at least I have found it so in my life. You would think knowledge and desire would be enough to convince someone (i.e. myself) to change lifestyle habits etc. This has not been so in my life and I have not found it so in my observations of other peoples lives. Look at the number of healthcare professionals who drink alcohol to excess, smoke, eat a bunch of junk and get little to no exercise. Now you know these people have the knowledge. Or at least you would hope they do. Even dietitians can know how to eat and live healthy but not follow through with their own lives.
What is up with that? In my own life, I had to believe I could succeed, continually focus on the health benefits of succeeding, and keep encouraging myself each step of the way.
My most recent victory has been a loss of 48 pounds! I thought I would never loose that excess weight! When I was younger I tried everything, but just seemed to keep gaining back what I painfully lost, plus some. Whew. That was really discouraging! I finally resolved I would be heavy the rest of my life. As a nurse, that hurt, but I just couldn't do hunger or stay away from foods I loved. That contentment only lasted until I started gaining weight again without any change up in my diet. Boy was I scared. I was pushing 200 pounds! Even worse, I was getting older (59) and had border-line low thyroid function. I was convinced I would fail at anything I tried. I felt desperate.
Fortunately a coworker insisted I look at, "Let's Do Lunch". It is really not a diet. It is a way of eating. Wow! I was amazed. I have lost the weight and kept it off for almost 2 years now! If you are interested check out www.letsdolunch.com. I had to continually encourage myself in the beginning but as the weight kept coming off I knew It was only a matter of time before I reached .......... my high school weight!!!! I am still amazed that I lost so much weight. I am even more amazed that I still enjoy all the wonderful delicious foods that I lost my weight on. The message board on the website is full of a ton of people who have been successful with this way of eating and are there to encourage others who are going through what they went through. My story is under Hopefull. Because I was only hopefull that I would be able to loose weight, not sure. Woohoo! It worked!
What is so different about Let's Do Lunch"? The rules. Eat till full every time you are hungry is a must. Eat only foods you love! When you are hungry for sweets eat fruit. When you are hungry for carbs eat all the beans, peas, and corn you want. Lots of delicious healthy food. Initially I did not believe it would work for me. But hey, anytime I can be on plan by eating till full, I was game to give it an honest try! I am laughing here. Like I said, I did not believe this would work.
I have yet to find an exercise program that I am motivated to stay with. Usually I get going, overdo, then quit either out of too much pain or boredom. Motivation, still is a bit of a mystery, however, I believe whatever we are trying to change must really be important to us and seen as something we can do, no one likes failure.
Until next time,
Health Bug
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