I recently attended a meeting where one of the speakers was Dr. Mark Hyman. Among other fascinating discussions, he talked about how important it was to create a support team as well as to set up your physical environment for success. In the case of focusing on your health and eating habits, he talked about one of his successes with the Saddleback church, who with his help, created an entire program and website to promote health–The Daniel Plan. Here parishioners can join a support team. Get plan information and education in videos, blogs and more. It’s a total environment for changing the way they live and getting fit and healthy.
I listened to some of the videos, in particular Dr. Daniel Amen and his wife going though someone’s pantry and refrigerator to eliminate all the “bad” foods–things like hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, chemicals and additives. By doing so you not only become proactive in showing your commitment to yourself, you create a physical environment that supports healthy eating habits.
Mark joked about the collaboration between a nice Jewish boy from NY and the Saddleback Ministry. But it’s no joke that this program is effective and changing lives. Coming soon, he’ll have a website that will support those not part of the ministry, but you don’t have to wait to get started.
Commit to eating better. Mark’s book, Ultrametabolism, is a good start, as are so many of the excellent books that have come out in recent years. Prevention Magazine is another good resource. There’s a wealth of resources both at the Daniel Plan site and Mark’s own site http://drhyman.com/7-keys-to-ultrawellness/ and http://drhyman.com/healthy-library/.
Commit to moving more. It would be amazing to have the resources of a personal trainer, but you can do almost as well with one of the many sites that show you, step by step, how to exercise properly. Two of my favorite are Livestrong and Mayo Clinic.
Get a support team! Ask a few friends or find a group online. Research has shown that those who have support do much better than those who go at it alone.
Set up your environments to support you. Don’t buy foods that are bad for you. Stock your pantry and refrigerator with easily prepared and grabbed foods. Read and learn about what’s important to your health and why. Stay away from fast food places and avoid the neighborhood cupcake bakery. 😉 Find a walking or exercise buddy and commit to them.
And go straight to health!
Related articles
- 11 Health Habits That Will Help You Live to 100 – MSN Health – Healthy Living (blackbeltbusiness.wordpress.com)
- February is Heart Health Month (thefabgirls.wordpress.com)
- 7 Healthy Heart Tips for 2.5 Billion Beats (diet-blog.com)
- What Does Being Healthy Mean To You? (fitnessandfeta.com)
- Saving Your Health Equals Healthy Savings (integrityplanner.wordpress.com)
- “I’d like to start exercising, but where do I begin?” (cleanfit.wordpress.com)
- Warren’s church tackles obesity (cnn.com)
- Physical Environment V. Built Environment (happyspacesprojectblog.wordpress.com)
- Foods You Should Avoid (everydayhealth.com)