I had a friend that asked me to help her lose weight. She was about 60 pounds overweight and it was negatively impacting her health in several different ways. We went through everything…physical, emotional, spiritual, food, activity. You name it, we talked about it. It ends up that the one, glaring item that would lead to the largest positive impact on her weight was reducing her consumption of sugared soft drinks.

She admitted to me that she drank about 6 Cokes per day. I recall hearing quite a while ago that if a person drinks one sugared soft drink per day, that will lead to a weight gain of 10 pounds over the course of a year. Her 6 Cokes accounted for the extra 60 pounds she was carrying. That single item, if deleted, would lead to the complete loss of those 60 pounds over the course of a year, assuming of course that she didn’t change anything else.

She was not really willing to stop drinking them. She hated diet soft drinks, was not so keen on water or iced tea, or really anything else I tried suggesting. In the end, what I suggested was that she start buying the half-size cans. She could still drink 6 per day, but in a half glass that was “full”. She actually did it for a few months and took off 8-10 pounds, but in the end, she went back to drinking all six, full size Cokes.

I’m sharing this story so that you will know that sometimes there is a single thing that, if you can find an alternative that is healthier and for which you are completely neutral emotionally, and you stick to it long enough to reap the benefit of the change, you can make a BIG impact on your weight loss goals. For my colleague Bob, he simply stopped putting sugar in his coffee. He drank about 12 cups per day and put 3-4 teaspoons in each cup. After a year of drinking black coffee, and changing nothing else, he lost close to 40 pounds!

One does not need to turn their life upside down, prepare complex menu plans, and be hungry all the time. Sometimes it’s something really obvious and simple. For me, I like dessert at the end of the day. It ends up that, for me, having 2 dark chocolates at the end of the day is every bit as satisfying as a piece of cake or pie. It’s a healthy trade off that allows me to keep my weight right where I want it.

Perhaps now is the time for you to pick one thing, just one POWERFUL change, and then let it run for 3 to 6 months to see how your weight might change. You may be very pleasantly surprised!

I’ve had a bum, pretty painful shoulder for over 6 years and finally went to an orthopedic surgeon who prescribed physical therapy for a few months to see if it would be enough to keep me from needing surgery. That was about a month ago and I have not been good, AT ALL, at doing my PT exercises. I went back to the doctor to better understand next steps if the PT doesn’t work. We have a more definitive plan, but it still requires 4-6 weeks of PT.

The problem is that I really don’t think the exercises will work, and that has seriously impacted my motivation. But I teach this stuff, right??? Shouldn’t I be able to stick to what’s prescribed for me even if I am skeptical or unmotivated? So, I’ve decided to practice what I preach…change the narrative!

The story I had been telling myself was that the exercises weren’t going to make a difference and that I needed surgery. Plus, they hurt! So why bother? It’s just a waste of time.

My new narrative is that, suspecting I’ll still need surgery, these exercises will strengthen my shoulder such that my recovery will be shorter and easier. I am very active and the thought of not having the use of my right arm for 3-4 months is DEFINITELY not appealing.

This morning I started, and I can tell you that even though it is day 1, I feel completely different about it this time around. While the exercises not only hurt and I don’t believe they will relieve my pain whatsoever after 4-6 weeks, I am completely confident that building the strength of my shoulder will deliver big benefits during my post-op recovery.

And then there’s also the possibility that I might be wrong. What if they work? Who knows?!

So what’s on your plate that’s taxing your motivation? My advice…change the narrative!

Humans are creatures of habit. And that is a good thing. Can you imagine having to think through the everyday simple tasks we learned as children such as how to brush our teeth or get dressed each day? Habits can be great time savers and free up our minds to think about other important, novel things, such as planning our first meeting of the day while getting ready for work. Or thinking about the upcoming family vacation while we mindlessly, out of habit, drive to the grocery store.

And then there are lifestyle habits. Some people walk their dogs. They don’t think about it nor do they have to force themselves to do it. It’s simply become part of their daily routine. My partner’s dog goes to his leash and stares longingly at it. It’s his habit too and between the dog and his owner, they reinforce and keep this habit very much alive.

But as we all know, there are some lifestyle habits we learned that are not so great and that need to be changed. Some smokers no longer enjoy it but it’s a “habit” that is tough for them to break. Others have a habit of complaining or seeing their cup half empty. Some order pizza at an Italian restaurant because it’s what they did as a kid and have no idea what healthier items are on the menu that they might like every bit as much. I have a habit of eating two dark chocolates every night and sometimes I don’t really even taste it. I just slam it down. The bottom line is that some habits are good, and some are not so good.

So why am I telling you this when it’s clearly something you already know? I’m telling you this because no matter how many times you tried with limited success to start a new diet, exercise routine, or other change to facilitate more vibrant wellness, a seed was planted.

Many of us, myself included, get too focused on what didn’t go well, that the needle didn’t move on the scale, or that the exercise bike is collecting dust. I’d like to suggest a different perspective, a more positive and constructive one.

Imagine a gardener who wants to grow a plant from a seed. He or she will first prepare the ground. Perhaps they live in a very fertile valley so not much preparation is needed. But if they live in a city condo or on a property with hard-packed clay, some soil preparation will be needed. In some cases, a LOT of soil preparation will be needed. It may take more time, more attention, more planning, but it can certainly be done as long as the plan matches the circumstances. A person living in a condo cannot grow that plant the same way as someone living on a fertile farm. It just won’t work.

Once the soil is ready, the seed can be planted and then it must be tended. The rate of growth will depend on climate conditions. If one lives where it is cold and dry, the seed may need added warmth through a grow light as well as watering on a regular schedule. If planted in a garden, some weeding may be needed. Sometimes even a lot of weeding is called for. Nonetheless, a seed has been planted and even if neglected and untended, some seeds will eventually sprout.

It’s the same with changing one’s health routines and habits. Once one focuses on wanting something different, a seed has been planted. That, in and of itself, is a very positive thing! The key is to keep revisiting that desire each and every day. Eventually, a week, a month, or even a year later, something will shift. My advice is that rather than focus on the end result, the plant that hasn’t yet appeared, focus on the SEED. Tend to it with your desire, giving it attention with action when you can, trying different things to get it to grow, and sooner or later something will bloom. Whatever else you do, don’t give up. Anyone can live a healthier, more vibrant life and you can too!

Regardless of what diet or health regimen you might be considering, one mantra frequently heard from all is to “avoid processed foods”. I had a client one day tell me she had no idea exactly what this means. After all, since most of us are not farmers, everything we eat is processed by someone in one way or another. A farmer harvested a certain vegetable and arranged transportation to get the item to the market. A rancher had his cattle shipped to a feedlot, then off to be butchered, packaged, and shipped to a store. The pre-made spaghetti sauce was made (processed) by a company. It’s the same for a loaf of bread. So precisely, what “processed foods” should one avoid?

There are several categories of processed foods. The good news is that there is only one category one should avoid. Let’s start with healthy processed food items that you do not need to avoid.

Condiments: Products used to add flavor to food
This category includes salt, pepper, spices, herb, and products like ketchup or mayonnaise used in small quantities to add flavor to food. None of these are used as a main ingredient. A tablespoon of mayonnaise in a recipe is fine but a cup added to 2 cups of chicken in a chicken salad recipe makes that mayonnaise a “main ingredient” rather than a condiment. A tablespoon of flour or sugar to a recipe makes it a condiment but a cup or two makes it a main ingredient. When used as a condiment, even items like mayonnaise, flour, or sugar are okay.

Harvested and Packaged Food: Produce and meat / fish / poultry packaged for sale in grocery stores
These items are “processed” meaning they are picked, caught, packaged, and transported, but otherwise, they are just as nature made it. Whether in the fresh produce or meat section, canned, or frozen, nothing else is added so for the purposes of eating in a healthy manner, this is absolutely fine.

Minimally Processed Convenience Products: A product with no more than 3 ingredients
The best examples from this category include canned tomatoes that are “Italian Style” meaning some condiments have been added. Another example is pre-made spaghetti sauce with no more than 4 ingredients. A classic red sauce is made with tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and garlic (S&P to taste). Soup is another great example. Many soups contain vegetables, stock, and some flavorings. These are healthy options and great examples of minimally processed foods you do not need to avoid.

This brings us to the category of processed food that one should avoid:

Highly Processed Foods: A food product made with multiple ingredients, some of which are highly processed themselves.
Let’s face it, if one had to buy wheat just harvested from the farm, separate the kernels, and then grind the kernels to produce their own flour before even starting to make whatever it is they intend to make, NO ONE WOULD EAT WHEAT! The processed foods one should avoid are those that use processed ingredients like wheat and sugar as MAIN INGREDIENTS. Examples include breads, pastries, donuts, frozen dinners with breaded fish or cutlets, cereal, macaroni and cheese, and so forth.

The goal with healthy eating is to eat foods that are as close as possible to the way Nature made them. You can eat a carrot raw, steam it, season it in a really interesting way, or make it a key ingredient in a soup or stew. That’s all great. But put it in a carrot cake along with highly processed wheat and sugar and it’s no longer a healthy choice. Whether you make it yourself or buy it at a bakery, it becomes a highly processed food item.

Highly processed foods are real culprits when it comes to weight management. Nature did not intend for us to eat large quantities of wheat or sugar, otherwise Nature would not have made it so difficult to do so on our own without the help of big factories to process it into flour and refined sugar.

As always, I’m interested on your thoughts about this, particularly whether it helps you better understand the whole notion of “processed foods”!

Those who peddle in new diets and fads would like us all to believe that theirs is the right way to lose weight, a sure-fire winner. If one follows it strictly, one likely will lose weight quickly. And that is the appeal…fast results and instant gratification.

But there is no one right way to eat and stay at a healthy weight. Consider our ancestors from around the world. People in the tropics likely lived on seafood and fruit. No grains or dairy in those regions. People in Scandinavia had more to choose from, including seafood, beef, deer / reindeer, and dairy products, with ample berries during summer months. Indigenous peoples of central Australia foraged from the land and their diets included a wide assortment of insects and edible plants. Asian cultures had no wheat, but rice was native to those areas.

What becomes clear from these examples is that earlier generations had no option but to eat the healthy options that nature provided. People in the tropics had year-round access to a mostly stable assortment of food. Those closer to the north or south poles had to contend with seasonality and learned to preserve food to get through long, dark winters. During summer months, there were often feasts and over-eating, where people would pack on a few extra pounds that might be needed if winter lasted a bit too long. It is likely one of the reasons our bodies so easily convert every extra bit of energy into stored fat…so that it can survive winter or a famine.

Our ancestors were lucky in a way. Unless they were royalty, they didn’t have to contend with how to curb their appetites and not overeat. Most people simply didn’t have enough, and their primary weight issue was being underweight. In modern times, we have a surplus to contend with, made possible by the industrialization of food production. It’s a double edge sword. We have the good fortune of not having to worry about starvation but unfortunately must contend with the temptations and downsides of an overabundance of food.

If you are overweight and interested in changing that, the good news is that there is no one, right way to eat. Want to skip a meal here or there? No problem. Don’t like broccoli and kale but love steak and green beans? That’s just fine. Like the daily support provided by apps or daily affirmations? Go for it. And if you are a person who had tried a lot of different diets and programs with limited results, there is no shortage of personal coaches and professionals who can help you identify the options that will work best for you.

The important thing is to know your options are almost limitless. Anyone can achieve a healthier weight and improved vitality. Don’t give up on yourself! And if you have, seek out someone to help you, someone who can believe in you, who can hold a vision of a healthier you, until you can once again believe and see it for yourself. Don’t let past history with diets and fads derail your quest for better health and vitality…there is no one right way to get healthy. You just haven’t found yours yet. Trust me though…you can!

Until next time, all the best!

For decades, I read article after article outlining the wonders of high-dose Vitamin C. Not only was it a wonder vitamin, but unlike other vitamins, one didn’t have to worry about taking too much. Excess Vitamin C would simply be excreted. Article after article said to go for it, if for no other reason than to ward off colds or treat them.

Fast forward to my 50’s. I began to have internal pain, particularly with intimacy. As time went on, the pain became nonstop. I was post-menopausal so my doctors attributed this to thinner, drier membranes which can go hand-in-hand with menopause. I began to worry it was something more serious since it did not abate no matter how many creams I tried. I feared the doctors were missing something.

When I was about 62, it really got bad. I was on the verge of insisting on some sort of intervention when I had an amazingly vivid dream. In it, I had purchased a home that had been owned by two doctors. I walked around to the back of the house and on either end were stunningly beautiful, identical offices with floor to ceiling windows. Each was adorned with beautiful copper bookcases and desks. Between the two offices was a cedar-covered, rounded center portion of the house that looked like a womb. I knew in the dream that this was where the doctors treated their female patients.

When I woke, I realized this dream was telling me something about my own condition, so I got out my computer and did a search of copper since it was the most prominent and interesting element of the dream. I am not a nutritionist and while I’ve read and studied a LOT of scientific and medical literature during my careers in diagnostic medicine, pharmaceutical marketing, and consulting, I knew I had never once read or known anything about trace elements in one’s diet.

I learned that copper is a trace element in one’s diet, and it is essential in building collagen and elastin. In addition, its absorption is blocked by high-dose Vitamin C. I was taking 1500mg per day and that was the precise dose mentioned in the article! Of course, I immediately stopped taking it and within 10 days the pain was GONE! Importantly, it has now been 6 years and it has never come back. As I reflected on those brief times when the pain would abate, I realized that those times coincided with when I ran out of my supplement and reordered it by mail.

Since that experience, I have become quite reluctant to take manufactured vitamins. Nature knows what we need in our diets…vitamins, minerals, trace elements, fiber, you name it, and in exactly what proportions.

The only exception I make is for Vitamin D, which is produced by our bodies by exposure to the sun. Since I use sunblock generously, I do occasionally take this supplement.

I am telling you this not to talk you out of supplements, but rather to assure you that to the extent you do or don’t take them, you can have confidence that you are indeed getting what you need from the food you eat. As long as your diet is reasonably Nature-based, meaning some fruits, vegetables, and protein sources, rest assured you do not need to stress over whether you are or are not getting what you need nutritionally. There is enough stress in our lives without stressing about this needlessly! Our bodies are resilient and have, for eons, gotten along just fine with Nature’s food products. In my opining, if budget is an issue, this is one area when one can save money and do so with great confidence that it will not negatively impact their health. One less thing to worry about!

I have a family member in the hospital in critical condition. This person is not yet 40 and is struggling with heart failure. At least, that is what may finally take this person’s life. The heart failure was preceded by diabetes, which was itself preceded by morbid obesity. The obesity was, in turn, preceded by a childhood that was marked by tragedy, abandonment, and upheaval.

As a bright, headstrong, and determined individual, this person was not open to family members offering suggestions or advice, particularly when it came to health and wellness. Sadly, the early years taught this individual that they were not loved and therefore, either had no idea how to love him or herself or felt unworthy of self-love. As I said, tragic, and no amount of attention by extended family could heal that wound.

Sometimes weight issues stem from simple misinformation. “I was told that this or that was healthy, only to find out it’s actually what is causing the weight gain.” For others, it’s a by-product of lifestyle. “I have a husband who is a strict meat and potatoes guy and prefers his dinner, with me, after 8PM. I know this contributes to my weight issues and I cannot figure out a way around it.”

But sometimes weight issues are a symptom of something much deeper and emotional in nature. The higher the weight, the lower the self-love. But it can be learned, no matter one’s age or history. One step at a time. Perhaps even one breath at a time.

I mentioned in a previous blog article a group phone call with a spiritual advisor who was speaking about love. A woman, during the Q&A, said, “This is all well and good, but I don’t have love in my life. No husband, boyfriend, family, or friends. How do I do this?” I have never forgotten his reply. “Tomorrow when you wake up, and notice your first breath, that’s your body loving you, taking in breath so that you can have this experience of life. And when you move to get up, that’s your body loving you, responding to this desire and all that follow it, immediately and to the best of its ability.”

Your body loves you each and every day and gives you the opportunity to practice self-love by inviting you to love it back. Love begins and ends with your body. It makes your very existance possible.

I try to start or end each day with a practice of gratitude and that practice often begins with thanking my body for all it did to make my day possible. And I thank it for its forbearance for those moments or choices when I wasn’t kind to it. If you have any issues with self-love, this is a great way to begin to build this life-sustaining and life-fulfilling muscle.

Learn to love yourself. It’s the foundation for vibrant wellness and life. It is the ultimate spiritual practice.

Until next time, wishing you an abundance of vibrant wellness

I’m moving, and I likely don’t need to work very hard to convince you that moving is not easy. It’s a move I’m over the moon about since it’s inspired by matters of the heart. Nonetheless, yesterday the reality of the work involved for the next few weeks hit me as I began to contemplate certain complications. Some things need to go to storage, some given away, some sold, and some moved straight away. Yikes!

I’m fortunate that my sister was an expert organizer before it was even “a thing”. The most important item she taught me long ago was to pick just one thing and complete it. It should be simple and easy to do so that it comes completely off the list.

With this in mind, feeling completely overwhelmed, I chose the least used room in my house. It’s a small guest room with a tiny 3-foot closet. Within a few hours, I was done! The only remaining items in the room are there for the movers. The artwork on the walls is packed, the walls repaired, closet emptied and items either packed or packaged for CASA, and so forth. DONE!

I can’t describe the surge of energy I felt from getting completely done with that room. In fact, I went on to tackle the guest bath and other guest room. The guest bath is now done and within a few hours I’ll be completing the other guest room. That means the upstairs will be done except for my bedroom and bath. Wow…almost 1/3 done! Not actually, of course, since the garage and kitchen contain a lot more “stuff”, but by square footage standards, nearly 1/3 done. I’ll take the win, thank you very much.

This trick works not just with moves, but with almost anything including weight management, work goals, or throwing a big party, to name a few. When a task seems overwhelming, break it down into pieces, pick one, and complete it. Make sure it’s fairly easy to complete, yet important and contributes to the overall task. Once that first important step has been made, once you have momentum, SNAP! The next step and the one after follows rather naturally.

And this works in reverse! When you move into a new place, set up your bedroom first. It’s your oasis, a place to retreat to where there are no boxes, no work to do. It’s a place to rest, see “completion” surrounding you, and recharge for whatever task is next on your list.

Finally, and importantly, have fun! Change can be scary but like a rollercoaster, it’s also exciting and can be loads of fun. Enjoy the ride and find ways to “play” at it.

Until next time, wishing you an abundance of vibrant wellness!

Yesterday, my boyfriend was helpfully trying to suggest different resources for selling my piano and it wasn’t long before I found myself in tears, unable to stop crying. I was a bit surprised by my reaction, as was he, and as I cried, I found myself drifting back in time.

I cannot recall a time when I didn’t want to learn music. My dad is a jazz musician who passed up numerous opportunities that could have earned him a notable career in music. But he did so because he didn’t believe being gone all the time went hand-in-hand with responsible parenthood. He worked several jobs to not only put food on our table and a roof over our heads, but also to build some cushion for the future. As a result, he was rarely around and teaching music to us was out of the question.

His dad, my grandfather, had a piano, and we would bang at it when we visited, as did my grandmother who lived an 8 hour drive away. Dad practiced his saxophone and other horns frequently at home, usually on weekends, and my mom had a lovely voice, which sadly I lacked. Notably, we also lived one street over from the elementary school and junior high complex. I grew up listening to the junior high marching band practice on that field. As soon as I was old enough to leave my yard, I would race over there to listen and watch. I waited, year after year, for that time when I would finally be in 7th grade and able to start taking music. Music surrounded me and I eagerly but patiently bided my time.

In 6th grade, one year short of being able to take music in junior high and join the band, my plans were derailed when Dad transferred us to a Catholic school. I was devastated! I cried, begged, argued, but ultimately surrendered to my parents’ decision. There was no musical education there except a once-a-week guitar lesson, something that in no way interested me.

Fast forward to my mid-50’s when I was finally in a position to buy a piano and start learning music. I poured myself into it for 4-5 years but was never able to coordinate both hands to play the music with any real aptitude. It was frustrating and I eventually gave up. And now I am downsizing and will no longer have a place for it in my new home.

As I cried yesterday, I remembered all of this—the disappointment of not being able to learn to make the music I could hear in my head, of not sharing this skill with my dad, and the disappointment of having a beautiful instrument that I could not play.

But then I turned to a practice that I teach…I changed the story. I revised the script of the movie of my life that, until my last breath, I am still creating. Or, since this is musical, I changed the score of the symphony…and here it is.

That small girl got her piano, and while she was meant to do other wonderfully fulfilling things in her life, playing piano beautifully and capably was not one of them. It ends up that rather than be able to play this magnificent instrument, she was meant to midwife it to its next owner, perhaps a child, whose dream of playing music is matched by her talent and drive. Would that not be a wonderful way to bring my musical ambitions to a crescendo that is every bit as fulfilling as having played myself? Moving forward, I am now looking for that new home for this stunning instrument, one where it will be loved as it was in mine. Where it will be played passionately and with no small amount of skill and artfulness.

If there is something going on in your life, something that is causing you anguish, frustration, or tears, remember that there are many octaves that can resonate in a heart. There are many, many pathways to fulfilling your dreams. Change the tune, the melody, the score. Rewrite your script. You are meant to be the hero of your life, the star at center stage. Whatever the challenge or disappointment, recast it as just one more tool for that hero to use to make her heart sing. That, my friend, is a sure pathway to vibrant physical, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness.

Everyone knows that they should use sunblock to prevent skin cancer. That alone is a really good reason to take care of your skin by protecting it from the sun, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

You may not realize it, but when it comes to your immune system, your skin is its largest organ. It protects everything inside your body from everything outside of it. Part of the protection is passive…it’s a simple barrier that keeps stuff out.

But your skin is also actively protecting you. Some of your antibodies are inside your body, but even more are in your skin. There are cells that are specialized immune system cells that also reside in your skin and become activated if any sort of bacteria or other infectious agent tries to invade your body. Staying hydrated, eating a healthy diet, and protecting your skin from sun exposure help it function optimally to protect you from the outside world.

Finally, excessive sun exposure does not only cause skin cancer, but it also damages collagen and elastin. Sun damaged skin has a much harder time making new collagen and elastin. This results in thin, crepe-like skin. I know…I’ve got it on my arms and thighs, dang it. How I wish I had known about the importance of sunblock when I was younger!

I have a zero / 20 minute rule. For my face, any sun is too much sun. Each morning, I apply sunblock right after brushing my teeth. Automatic. Every day, rain or shine. If I am going out for 20 minutes or less, I don’t worry about the rest of my body. Our bodies make Vitamin D through sun exposure. So, I allow a bit of exposure from my shoulders down, and usually just on my legs. But anything over 20 minutes? Sunblock!

Finally, how much is enough? Here’s something may help you gauge this. An average size bottle or tube of sunblock is enough for 3 applications for an average size person in beach wear. Most people do not use nearly enough sunblock.

A few years ago, I was having dinner with my brother and his wife. He was near the tail end of one of his extreme diets and made the comment, “When I hit my goal for (the upcoming event), I’m going to treat myself to a double Whataburger with cheese.”.

When did we decide that treats are things that are so unhealthy for us? I asked him this and asked why dinner at a fancy restaurant with a quality steak with a delicious bearnaise sauce wasn’t his treat? He scoffed and we moved on to something else.

About 9 months later, we were again at dinner and he was AGAIN at the tail end of an extreme weight loss diet. He said, and I kid you not, “When this is over, I’m going to treat myself to a steak.”

The next time you are thinking about a dietary treat, ask yourself why that item is a “treat.” Is it healthy or unhealthy? When it became a “treat”, who decided this? Your mom, when you cleaned your room? Is it time reconsider whether it deserves this status at this point in your life?

I’m all for treats…just treats that are true rewards that contribute to the work we have done, the goal we have reached, or the milestone we have reached. Whatever your treat, make sure it brings you true, lasting value. That, my friend, is a TREAT!

You might be surprised to learn that your body has a lot in common with SpaceX — really! SpaceX was designed to have things go wrong and keep flying. So, it was built with two, three and sometimes even four backup systems. If one failed, no problem—another would kick in.

This is precisely how your body is designed. For example, as long as one has healthy kidneys, that person can donate a kidney and still have twice as much kidney function as he or she needs. Similarly, with the lungs and liver. They are designed so that you do not experience a symptom until about 70 to 80 percent of their function is impaired or lost. The good news is that our bodies are amazingly resilient and powerful. Think about it. In the days of the wooly mammoth, with no doctors and very tough living conditions, our species could not have survived had our bodies been delicate or easily incapacitated. Our bodies have continued to evolve over time and each day does its very best to do whatever we want it to do whether we feed or exercise it properly. It rarely fails us or complains.

So, the good news is that our bodies are amazingly resilient and the bad news is that our bodies are amazingly resilient! If we don’t feel impaired until a system is 70-80% affected, once you get a symptom, a LOT has gone wrong. People who smoke cigarettes often mention that not all people get sick from cigarettes. But in fact, cigarettes do affect all of them. Some are lucky to have lungs that perhaps only lose 50 or 60 percent of their functionality and don’t feel sick. Perhaps you’ve heard of people having triple or quadruple bypasses. You might have wondered how that person could have gotten to the point of having 3 or 4 blocked arteries without knowing something was seriously wrong. But now you know. They all gradually developed blockages and only when they reached about 20-30% of function did that person experience chest pains revealing the problem.

If you have any symptoms though, never fear. Our bodies are incredibly responsive and quite skilled at healing themselves. All they need is some care and attention. But it is of course ideal to establish healthy habits so that we don’t become sick in the first place. I learned this information at a medical conference back in the 80’s in a lecture that began with an image of a 747. To this day, it remains one of the most important things I have ever learned about how my body works. And it has continued to motivate me to take care of my body and live a healthy lifestyle so that I can continue to enjoy good health. One doesn’t have to be extreme—a weekly or monthly serving of bacon, occasional angry thought, or a day on the sofa won’t harm such a resilient body. But one should strive to make as many good physical, mental and spiritual choices during the day as one practically can. This also reminds us that our bodies do not demand perfection. Any small changes we make will have an impact. If one never eats healthy food, just one healthy meal a day will be a 33% improvement. Celebrate this! Or if you tend to complain more than you might like, a day a week feeling nothing but gratitude and really focusing on what is good in one’s life equates to a 17% improvement in one’s mental health. In other words, there are unlimited opportunities to exert personal power over your own health that will ultimately and significantly serve you down the road!

Are you old enough to remember Doc Adams of Gunsmoke? Do you recall how he often gave his services for free or gratefully accepted a chicken from struggling folks? What ever happened to those kind, humanitarian healthcare providers and specifically to discounts for the poor? How can so many people be forced to declare bankruptcy because of unexpectedly high medical expenses?

In the “old days”, and by that, I mean before the 1980’s, many hospitals and doctors charged a sliding scale. Those able to pay including those with medical insurance were charged the full cost of care. Patients of limited means were given a discount or lower price depending upon their ability to pay. But in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, managed care came into being. Medical costs had been rising and like now, everyone was looking for answers and approaches to bringing costs down. Managed care came onto the scene and seemed to offer a solution. Kaiser was the first and continues as one of the most well-known managed care organizations. But there was resistance to systems that required use of particular physicians so managed care was extended and now includes open systems that contract with most physicians making it possible to choose one’s own doctor.

The managed care concept is based on bulk pricing. For example, anyone who has gone to Costco knows that the larger the package, the more the product is discounted on a per ounce basis. This approach was applied to health expenses by managed care organizations. These companies demanded discounts from hospitals, doctors and pharmaceutical companies based on the number of “lives” they represented. In other words, they argued for discounts based on bulk volume.

It wasn’t long before the federal government noticed this and decided to capitalize on this trend. Then, as now, Medicare and Medicaid costs were rising quickly and were becoming costly items in the federal budget. So, the government decided that since they represented as many people as all of managed care combined, they should have even better discounts. Legislation was passed requiring a 15% discount for federally paid health expenses from the very lowest price charged to managed care.

How did this affect the poor and uninsured? By definition, a sliding scale is a discount, so if a hospital or physician offered a lower price based on ability to pay, the government could legally demand a price 15% lower. So sliding scales and discounted pricing for those of limited means had to be eliminated. Pricing was changed to the “list price” only.

How serious is the impact? When one adds up all the different elements, a hospital can choose to charge $20,000 to take out an appendix, but in fact charge only $2500 for patients covered by managed care and even less for those on Medicare or Medicaid. This disparity allows these payers to claim they are achieving big discounts but in fact pricing has been inflated to allow for this. Unfortunately, though, anyone without health insurance is charged the full list price for a service, a price that is often grossly higher than that paid by those more financially able to pay.

I doubt lawmakers intended such a dire outcome for uninsured people when it enacted its legislation. I would like to believe that their intention was to make a wise choice for taxpayers who ultimately pay for Medicare and Medicaid. But as often happens, there are often unintended consequences of even the best-intentioned actions. And in this case, individuals who have limited means and lack insurance are often financially crippled or ruined by unexpected medical expenses. In addition, the managed care pressure for discounts has driven prices up so that medical providers can “afford” deep discounting. And of course, the new middle men also seek profit so that is priced into health care.

Recently, uninsured individuals have begun to negotiate pricing for non-emergency surgeries. This often requires a cash payment in advance of the procedure but can make otherwise unaffordable surgeries possible. But healthcare pricing at full price for the uninsured remains a serious issue and for those who have been financially crippled or ruined by this, my heart goes out to them.

What can we do about this? I believe that we cannot count on the system to change anytime soon, so the best defense is, as they say, a good offense. And that means that each of us should take responsibility for his or her own health. Whether it is making better food choices, giving up smoking, starting to exercise more routinely, eliminating anger or negative thinking, or seeking out a deeper relationship with one’s spiritual path, making a change today to live healthier will help us turn back the tide of ever-increasing healthcare costs. You can make a difference!

A few years ago, I was writing a paper. The assignment was “Why be moral?” In the course of researching this paper, I came across a quote by Mother Teresa that has affected how I think about our struggles to stay healthy. Mother Teresa was quoted as saying:

“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”

I couldn’t help but see the truth of this in my own life. I recall occasions where I was impatient or short with a loved one, but went out in public and treated strangers with utmost courtesy. I recall being a child and being courteous with my friends yet coming home and being quite a brat with my siblings.

As I reflected on the issue of health, it occurred to me to take Mother Teresa’s guidance another step further. I observed that it is easier to love and support those in our own homes than to love and nourish oneself. I have been very careful to feed my dog AJ grain-free, corn-free, additive-free food. I also make sure he is properly exercised. At the same time, I have observed that for myself I will sometimes yearn for an unhealthy snack and sometimes give in, something I would never do with AJ because of my boundless love for him and the sense that to do less for him would actually be an act of unkindness.

Achieving and maintaining health is therefore ultimately an act of self-love. Why then is it so darn hard to marshal our self-love and use it to help us make better choices?

I have spent quite some time pondering this and there are no simple answers, and certainly none that apply equally for all. I for one was raised with a lot of confusion as to what love looked like, tasted like, and felt like. I was rewarded by being able to watch TV if I did my homework. The achievement and excellent work were not revered as the reward. Rather, doing something rather mindless was the treat. Coming home from school, I was greeted with a glass of milk and exactly three Oreos arranged in a perfect triangle on a dessert plate. If I was welcomed with a hug and kiss, I don’t recall that at all. What I recall are the Oreos, the stand-in for Mom’s love and later in life, a tool I used to vainly try to recapture warm feeling of affection.

Whatever the events of our lives, our habits come from often well-meaning gestures that over time fail to work their magic. As Mother Teresa taught us, the cup of rice, the Oreo, is much easier than truly connecting with one another and, ultimately with one’s own heart and soul. This is the mother lode of personal power and happiness. This is the ultimate purpose of life—to discover our own sacredness and to minister to ourselves with unbridled love. Walking this path, peeling this onion layer by layer, is a key element in our pursuit of health for there is no more powerful medicine than self-love!

I do however have a theory…to the extent that we associate fun and celebration with good choices, they transform from work to play, from obligations to treats, from drudgery to life elixirs. Imagine if when you returned from school with a good grade, your parents turned on music and danced with you to celebrate your achievement versus sitting with a plate of Oreos? Which one sounds like more of a treat? We get to decide whether self-love, good choices, and achievement are obligations in life or the treats we get to give ourselves. So…what are the treats you will be rewarding yourself with today??

I admit, the title makes this a bit of a no-brainer, doesn’t it?! Some time ago when I had my revelation regarding the sacredness of my body, my mind couldn’t help but focus on the quality of food I gave it. Also, around this time, I heard part of an interview on NPR during which a scientist talked about his own “aha” moment. He was on an airplane and looked at the ingredients on a snack he was given. The ingredients almost couldn’t fit on the package. There were dozens. Of these, and remember, he was a scientist, he didn’t recognize about 2/3rds of them and doubted they exist in nature. He believed that most of the ingredients in this “food” product were man-made in a laboratory. This was the moment he decided to stop eating imitation food and start eating more real food.

I heard another interview on NPR with Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist who believes that sugar is toxic. I believe it was in this interview that I heard something very interesting. I recall him saying that all poisonous or toxic plants are bitter and that since ancient times, mankind has developed and relied on a taste for sweet flavors as a survival mechanism.

What does all this mean when it comes to processed or convenience food? You should know that I am not a person who thinks corporations are necessarily bad. Companies and corporations employ a lot of people, and at one time I was one of them. I am grateful for all I learned and was able to accomplish, not to mention a reliable paycheck!

But despite my positive experience, in an ideal world companies would only supply products that are needed and provide real benefit. But we don’t live in an ideal world. Sometimes companies produce products that are desired by consumers but are not healthy. Cigarettes are a perfect example. With respect to food, suppliers will go to great lengths to supply foods that meet consumer “needs” and to make sure consumers keep needing them. One of those needs is convenience. I tried making pasta once…if I am going to make spaghetti, I am going to purchase prepared pasta, that’s for sure!

Another need is great taste, and often times the secret ingredient is sugar. In fact, it is hard to find any prepared products that don’t have sugar. As previously mentioned, our taste buds are programmed to like anything sweet so we will choose sweeter options over those that are less sweet.

To make sure the products last a long time on the shelf, companies have added preservatives to make sure they can all be sold. They do not want their products to expire on the shelf and have to be discarded. The benefit to the purchasers is a reliable, long-term source of food despite seasonality, but that does come with a cost in the form of chemical preservatives and other additives.

And finally, companies are always looking for ways to control or reduce costs or to ensure availability of raw materials regardless of the growing season. This makes perfect sense. But with many processed foods, this means that more and more ingredients are coming from the laboratory rather than from the farm. And as long as consumers don’t care and keep buying the products, they have no incentive to shift back to products made with natural ingredients.

What does this mean in the context of taking more responsibility for our health? I have reached a point where I cannot enrich a company that is making food that it knows is fundamentally unhealthy for me. I understand all the reasons this makes sense for them but at the end of the day, I won’t get healthier products if I continue to buy the cheaper, high sugar, unhealthy ones. And the cost to me is beyond what I pay them. I also have the potential of high healthcare costs due to less healthy food choices. So, I buy very few processed foods. How do I do this?

When I first started, I found it helpful, when choosing products, to look at the labels and be aware of just how artificial or natural that particular product actually is. It didn’t take long to realize that the more convenient the item, the worse it was. Today I purchase very few prepared food products. The exceptions are good quality soups, a few sauces, and condiments. I do not deprive myself though. Deprivation never works. I am just much more mindful and strategic with what I buy and consume. Bottom line, I try to purchase real food whenever I can rather than something created in a factory.