1. Set a date: “Why do something tomorrow that you can put off until next week?” – Unknown procrastinator. Setting a date creates responsibility towards oneself. It also prepares the mind and body for the changes ahead. Getting fit and healthy isn’t a weekend trip or a 6-week boot camp, it’s a way of life. Most Americans live a lifestyle that is inconsistent with optimal health. Set your date and stick to it.
2. Purge: don’t waste. Take out the clutter from the cupboards and cabinets in the kitchen. What are we talking about? We’re talking potato chips, pasta, various wheat products, cereals, soft drinks, processed sugar, salt and flour, microwaves, McDonald’s coupons, etc., and any other man-made concoction that will keep you from reaching your goal. I don’t recommend donating it because junk food doesn’t do anyone any good, just throw it away.
3. Get a rhythm: The planets revolve around the sun, the moon around the earth, and we have to follow their lead. Solar and planetary bodies are similar to human bodies, they need a rhythm and routine that is in harmony with their environment. The body wants to go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time, eat, drink, and exercise all at the same time. Historically, human beings have lived their lives in harmony with their surroundings, in sync with the seasons and the daily rhythms of nature. With modernization we have lost that harmony, but we must find it as the body yearns for it. Food must be prepared in advance. Try to prepare your food on Sunday and/or Wednesday. Buy glass containers to store and transport food. Rule of thumb: Every night you should know what you’re having for breakfast, and your lunch should be in the fridge waiting for you to grab it on the way out. Otherwise, you’ll be starving at 2pm on a Tuesday choosing between a vending machine and the limited edition McRib. Do your grind, and GET A RHYTHM.
4. Eat real food: As a naturopath, this is the question I get asked the most; “What should I eat? Eating healthy is very confusing.” Let me simplify the situation. If it came out of a factory, avoid it, if it grew up in the dirt or had a mother… Eat it. Human beings have been eating food directly from this land for all of history. There is no greater research laboratory than millions of years of perfection in the making. Our planet creates foods that are “lock and key” with our nutritional needs. There is no supplement, additive or fortification that can compete with the food our planet provides. Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Special K are not food. He only eats real food!
5. Get a professional: You wouldn’t walk into a courtroom without a lawyer or run out onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to diversify your portfolio. How many $500 hangers will you have room for in the basement? Get someone to help you. Someone who is an expert and helps you achieve your goals will ask you “why?” when you don’t complete them. You don’t know everything. This belief is shared by the Journal of the American Medical Association. They found that the people who are most successful for the longest periods of time are the ones who paid someone to take them there.