It's Not a Diet, It's a Way of Life!

I was sitting in my doctor's office about six month's ago on a followup visit for a sleeping disorder that I have called sleep apnea. We talked about what would help relieve the symptoms of this disorder and how I could get extra help with it.

He said that if I would lose some weight the disorder would be less affecting on my sleep patterns. Why is weight always a factor in a healthy lifestyle? Why can't we be overweight and healthy (I say with tongue firmly in cheek)? My doctor and I talked about losing weight and being on a diet not as a one time occasion but as a lifestyle change. We concluded that it had to be a change of mind and habits for a lifetime.

I wonder how many of us think about change in that way? Do we think of overcoming anger or other emotional bad habits as a one time occasion or do we envision it as a lifestyle change -- something that we will enact in our lives continually?

How about our eating habits? Statistics show us that many Americans are overweight and out of shape because of the food we eat and the lack of exercise. We can't just go to the gym once every month and think that it is going to change our life. It has to be a sustained, focused practice that targets goals that we have made for a lifetime!

It is the same with our eating habits. How much processed food do we eat compared to the natural fruits and vegetables? How much do we snack on and what do we snack on? These are questions that will shed a lot of light on why we might not have the energy we need or the confidence we need to lead a productive, prosperous life.

We are coming into the time of year when there will be a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables available for us at farmer's markets, roadside stands and co-ops. Be sure to take the precautionary measure to wash all of the produce before eating it and look to make sure that it is good quality.

Sarah Ince takes a look at how co-ops can really help you find affordable, healthy fruits and vegetables. She chronicles it on her blog called Natural Family.

Both Sarah and the NY Times show the benefit of eating fresh fruit in a variety of ways. Here is an article about drinking fruit, (not fruit juice) not eating it. You'll find out why it is important to have enough fruit in your diet. Martha Rose Shulman, fitness and nutrition writer for the Times show how easy it is to make tasty smoothies and add this as a healthy benefit to your family's diet.

Exercise and diet can be accomplished as easily as drinking more water and walking around a park 3 times a week for 20 minutes each time. The web site 7 Natural Laws can show you how to not just lose weight but get into great shape by eating right, exercising, getting the proper amount of sleep and and allotting leisure time for your family. You can receive their newsletter and get on their mailing list.

The program they use is called Balance (it's an acronym). It is a good idea to have balance in our diet and exercise program as well.

You can find archived articles about how diet and stress-reducing activities can help you get in shape and lower the chance of the stress affecting your health. Here's a quote from an article by Alice Abler:

One way to achieve this dual goal is to concentrate on stress-free, healthy mealtimes. Eliminating high-fat, high-sugar, processed foods from the diet and concentrating on making mealtime relaxing can make a huge difference over time.

You can read about it at Vision.org.

Remember, it isn't just a diet, it is a way of life!

Until next time,

Jerry de Gier