Tuesday, July 16, 2013

It’s a lifestyle choice . . . not a diet



Just the word “diet” conjures up some pretty distasteful emotions. Deprivation, doing without, giving up, cutting down, and cutting back. It also brings memories of past failures and mostly unpleasant experiences. There’s a reason “diet” is a four-letter word. And, there’s an even better reason why diets don’t work. A diet is usually, by definition, a temporary condition, until the weight is lost.  But if it isn’t part of true lifestyle change, that weight comes running right back home.

To help us come to terms with our overall condition,  the weight loss industry will see close to an estimated $ 65 billion in revenue this year. (That’s 13 percent of the almost $500 billion a year we spend on groceries.) It includes diet soft drinks ($21.15 billion), health clubs ($19.5 billion), diet books and exercise videos ($1.21 billion), artificial sweeteners ($2.52 billion), and the list goes on.

Now, what happens if we shift the focus from “diet” to, hmmm, say “lifestyle change?” When this happens, we’re also shifting our focus from a pretty negative relationship to a positive one.

So, back to that “diet” word. Consider that today about 72 million of us in the United States are on some kind of diet, spending that $65 billion we mentioned earlier. That’s a little more than $1000 spent per person “dieting” on average. What would happen if instead each of these 72 million people used that $1000 plus to make healthier and more nutritious food choices?  That averages out to about $20 per week. Now, leave out the soda, fast food, pre-packaged and highly processed choices. You’ve saved more still. 

Seriously, doesn’t a lifestyle change seem like a better approach? We know habits are, well, habitual. But we have the option, the choice, of deciding what we “make” habitual. We get used to doing things a certain way, and then it’s not an effort to continue doing them. We just have to decide what’s important and where we place our focus. For example, getting into the habit of eating whole grain products instead of refined grains. Getting into the habit of drinking more water. Getting used to less salty food over the course of several months through gradual reduction. Same for sugar. Making a fresh salad instead of thawing out the frozen pizza. Moving away from screen time and walking the dog around the block, several times. You get the idea.

Suddenly, your healthier choices become new habits, and you have a new food-lifestyle relationship. You’re not “dieting”—but look at the result! And, look at who is now in charge.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Independence Day? Shall We All Declare Our Independence? Yes!




This week we’ll celebrate Independence Day—but are we really—independent? Are we self-determining, self-regulating?  You know this is a wellness and well-being-oriented Blog, so you can guess where this is going.  But, read on... 

Food for thought:  Many of us are already focused on the traditional hot dog / hamburger cookout on the grill, accompanied by chips, soft drinks . . . the list goes on. But, what if we use this Independence Day as the time to shift our “food focus,” just a little bit at time? If we do, we can take a giant step in declaring our independence from chronic illness by Independence Day 2014... and, that’s a goal worth pursuing. 

Here’s why:  The foods we choose to eat on a daily basis contribute 80 percent to whether we will develop diabetes, heart disease, or cancer.  Already, almost one-half of all Americans report having a chronic illness—and those illnesses account for more than 75 percent of our national spending on healthcare (and we are all well-aware of those costs). Furthermore, almost 80 percent of all chronic disease is caused by three preventable health behaviors—obesity and overeating, physical inactivity, and smoking. The good news... weight loss, as modest as 5 to 15 percent of total body weight in a person who is overweight or obese, reduces the risk factors for some diseases, particularly heart disease, by as much as 50 percent! 

How about this? What if this Independence Day (even if it’s after the big feast) we declare our independence from overly-processed, junk and fast food?  What if we look for healthy substitutions? What if we find ways to work in a little more physical activity?  What if we make just one modest yet meaningful change in our nutritional behaviors each month? If we as a nation of individuals can each make the effort to independently create a positive change for ourselves, we will collectively do great things for our country—and  our own long-term health and wellness. “We the people” can take control of our wellness behaviors—and outcomes. “We the people” can become the solution rather than part of the problem. We are all stakeholders in this effort, and together we can begin to turn the epidemic of overweight, obesity, and inactivity around and reduce our risk factors for preventable chronic illnesses.
Isn’t this something well-worth chewing on?