The New Year is almost here and we need to prepare for success. A Healthy 2012, A Healthy You.
The most painful and depression causing life management mistake that you can make is what we call “memory management”. Memory management is simply trying to remember everything you have to do in your life. It is often a losing strategy. There are two absolutely necessary tools we use to show you how to best lay out your path in order to be successful.
The written to-do list: This is a written list of exactly what is needed to be completed in order to achieve your goals. This will eliminate memory management all together. Nothing should be stored only in a mental file. Make a list at the beginning of each week. This is an absolute necessity for living with any degree of success or sanity.
The war plan: The war plan is when you convert the to-do list along with your fixed schedule into a weekly action plan. You take what has to be done and give it a specific day, time, and duration in order to accomplish it.
You’re in a daily war fighting against the manifestations of a world system opposed to you—things like disease, debt, emotions, weight gain, divorce and failed relationships. If you are a parent, you’re also fighting against all of the enemies that your children face daily.
The basic structure of a winning war plan is generally the fixed parts in your life: church, school, and work. These items are generally the same every week. Every week have a specific time set aside for faith, family and fitness.
When you apply these principles your relationships, body and finances should all be getting better and your purpose is advancing. Do this right, and you’ll be more successful than you are busy.
You have to renew your mind so that you can be transformed versus conformed. Without a renewed mind you would likely follow no plan, no matter how great the plan is. Even if you followed the other essentials like nutrition and exercise, without renewing your mind, you would be in good physical shape but a miserable person.
Step 1 Change Your Self-view
No more stinking thinking. People’s view of themselves is much too small and they sell themselves short of their potential. You really are a far better, more capable and more important person that you think you are.
Do you think: I am a fat person, I am a lazy person, I am too old, I am not smart enough, I do not have enough money, I am not good with relationships, I am not organized, I am not a detail oriented person?
For most people, if another person talked to you in the way that you talk to yourself, that person would be a hated enemy. You do not want to be an enemy of yourself. People have millions of thoughts that rush through their brains every minute; most of those thoughts are negative. Regardless of where these limiting thoughts came from, you must begin to renew your mind now.
Step 2 Changing Your Beliefs
Thinking about what we are not is not a good strategy for a happy, healthy life where we are blessing to the people around us. Instead, let’s focus on who we really are and who we can become. It takes thirty days to program a new belief. The stronger and more dominate the new picture of yourself is in your mind, the faster the new belief system forms and the more powerful the process is.
Step 3 New Year Resolutions
You may have been wondering how this intended to be a health column. We are approaching the New Year and many of us decide to make changes in our life. The unfortunate part about New Year resolutions is that they very rarely succeed. The question needs to be why? The most obvious answer to the question is that we would like to see mental, emotional, spiritual and physical changes without changing the underlying thoughts behind the problem.
We promote what is called the five essentials. The five essentials include mindset, neurology, nutrition, exercise and detoxification. These five items are called essential, not just good ideas. When the essentials are learned and adapted into your daily living, transformational changes occur.
Exercise 101
Exercise is very important to maintain a healthy weight, improve heart function, strengthen your immune system and promote healthy brain function. The most common conditions around the world include diabetes, heart disease and cancer. These conditions are significantly improved, reduced or eliminated with the adaptation of the correct exercise program.
When people think of exercise, they commonly get depressed. Exercise is not generally thought of as “fun”. Very rarely one will get out of bed in the morning and think “let’s exercise!”. Exercise compliance is generally based on emotions versus obligation. The purpose of the to-do list and the war plan is to implement a program based on necessity versus personal feelings and emotions.
Nutrition 101
Is it easier to get out of shape and overweight or to get into shape? The solution is not to get there in the first place. Many of our New Year’s resolutions involve improving our health and losing weight however. Unfortunately we are already there. How many days does it take to create a healthy change that will last a lifetime? Thirty days. The next thirty days is a brief period of time in the big picture of things. If you could commit to a change for thirty days that will impact the next thirty years, would you?
Sugar, sweet products and highly processed food items will make you fat. When you consume these items, they make you “feel good” and creates a dependence on these items. Do you get the same “feel good” when you eat a carrot?
Detoxification 101
Do you smoke? Drink alcohol? Eat fast food? Not exercise? Yes, you’re toxic. Detoxification simply means eliminating or reducing the amount of toxic substances that your body does not like. What will happen when you place toxic food, substances and poisons into your body? Disease occurs. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to become healthy; eliminating toxins is a very important essential.
One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to become a better resource for people around the world. I will be placing additional free information on my website and strongly encourage you to email any questions, concerns, or future topics. 2012 is a New Year for a New You!
The website is a resource for you to be able to get additional information on all topics discussed. There are additional newsletters, audios, nutrition and fitness tips available. Recipes are also now available. I will be placing sample exercise plans on the website prior to the New Year.
Changing Mindsets, Changing Lives.
The column is not meant to give or replace valuable medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is designed for educational purposes. If you have questions or would like to request a future topic, email info@drhealthshow.com
Cory Couillard has owned two private practices and has been the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Brand Officer for the largest privately owned clinic in the United States. While doing missionary work in Zimbabwe Africa he fell in love with serving the people and had a vision to help transform how healthcare is being delivered. He worked as a doctor and clinical director of one of the largest clinics in the world. He is pioneering and reforming how healthcare and health insurance is being administered and delivered in Zimbabwe and worldwide. He is active in professional development, education, research and clinical case studies. Zimbabwe has been an amazing venue to serve on the highest level and provide cutting edge health research.
Cory is currently a professional healthcare writer for newspapers, magazines and other publications in over a dozen countries. He is also involved with developing two international television health programs.