Are we indeed “creatures of habit” and if so is that a bad
thing? Habits rule our behavior as much
as choice, yet free will and making the right choices creates good habits. The biggest
challenge for all of us in pursuit of great health lies in making choices that
lead to healthy habits. Or put another
way, doing the simple things every day that add up over time to promote health.
In guiding patients to great health I encourage them to
consider the “keys” for great health. The
keys include attitude, diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, digestive
health, detoxification, supplements and hormone balance. The first 5 keys are primarily up to the
patient to implement and as such rely on consistent efforts. Just how can we build those great health
habits?
Health, like so many things, does not rely on a secret key
that suddenly unlocks the pathway to success.
We can’t have instant success, instant loyalty or trust, instant weight
loss, or instant health. Success starts
with a desire, a vision, and a plan.
Success happens due to effort and perseverance. Success is achieved with everyday decisions
that will compound over time to produce results.
Attitude means making the easy decisions every day that add
up to great health. It is just as easy
not to do the right thing, as it is to do the right thing. Eating that greasy cheeseburger and fries
with a super-size soda is an easy choice – one that is not likely to kill you
today, but compounded over time it will.
Just as easy is to eat something healthy. Skipping exercise, again, is easy. So is making the choice to exercise. Great health starts with having the right
attitude, determined to make the right choices – without the right attitude
then you may as well stop reading now.
So we make the decision to have the right attitude... now to
make the right choices and that’s where habits come in. And here is where is gets hard. Often great habits involve making changes and
change brings stress to our brain. We
don’t do so well with change. One
problem is we try to change too much too fast or change is so overwhelming we
can’t imagine how to make it happen.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first
step”, wrote Chinese Taoist philosopher and founder of Taoism over 2000 years
ago in his book "Tao Te Ching" or "The Book of the
Way". And so it is with change –
what seems impossible is usually possible but one has to start somewhere.
Many years ago as a house painter I encountered what I
called the “overwhelming paralysis” of wondering where to start and how in the
world I was going to finish painting some giant house all by myself. I quickly learned to quit thinking and start
painting. Just pick a corner, preferably
in the shade, focus on a small area, and start.
A week later it was done. After a
while what once seemed overwhelming was routine. It was a habit.
Same thing happened the first week of medical school –
overwhelming paralysis. How in the world
could any human being ever get through all the material we were expected to
read, never-mind remember it well enough to pass a test! I quickly reminded myself that many before me
had managed to pull it off so I had faith I would be able to “get ‘er done” and
just started reading. That started the
habit of getting up at 5am to study – still do, 7 days a week, and most of my
columns are written early in the morning.
Old habit.
Tips for developing
great habits
Kaizen is a Japanese term that means “improvement” or
“change for the better”. It is a process
that is embedded into the culture and leads to changes in everything from
healthcare to industry. A continuous
process of analyzing, rethinking, and making changes that lead to improvements
in health or improvements in production.
The key is that Kaizen emphasizes small but continuous changes. Again... SMALL changes.
Robert Maurer, PhD and author of “One Small Step Can Change
Your Life: The Kaizen Way”, explains
that small continuous changes are what adds up to success in the long
term. Successful fortune 500 companies
get to the top by making small, steady, and well thought out improvements. Weight loss may happen by first eating only
one bite less with each meal, then later two bites less. Starting an exercise program might begin with
simply walking around the block and each day going just a little bit
further. This is the Kaizen way.
How do we incorporate Kaizen into our health habits? Pick one the 5 keys and start. Choose an area you know you need to do better
with. Make one small change. Tomorrow do it again. When you have that change established you
have created a new habit. It feels
good. Make another small change. Pick another key to health and start with yet
another small change.
Getting help with establishing good habits is always a great
idea. This might mean finding a buddy to
exercise with. When the weather is cold,
my wife is usually the one that encourages me to leave the warm fire and get
bundled up for our morning walk. And of
course once I’m out there I’m glad to keep the habit going! Have lunch with the co-worker that
appreciates good healthy food and encourages you to eat smart.
Get a Health Coach
Working with a health coach is an easy and affordable way to
help you establish goals and stick with them.
Coaches are trained to analyze each individual’s strengths and
weaknesses and turn health goals into achievements. I recommend and refer to our health coach
regularly because I see it work to help patients establish great health habits.
Health coaches differ from the traditional medical paradigm
in which we doctors give information to the patient and expect them to
implement that information. Coaches
guide patients toward their health goals by focusing on behavioral changes. This involves setting goals, identifying
obstacles that interfere with goals, and providing the support necessary to
make changes. Coaching empowers patients
to help write their own prescription for great health and holds patients
accountable for implementing their plan.
My upcoming seminar is called “Keys to Great Health” and is
free to the public. I review the basics
of the key elements for great health.
The first element is attitude.
The hardest thing we, as physicians, do is to get patients to have great
health habits. A great health plan
starts with that “first step”. Your
first step might be coming to my seminar... Kaizen!
FREE
Seminar
“Keys
to Great Health”
Monday,
December 10th, 6pm at the IMC
RSVP at
245-6911
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