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    • Focusing on the positives to maintain a healthy lifestyle
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    Focusing on the positives to maintain a healthy lifestyle

    Online Niel Posted on

    Rachel is 47 years old. She came to The Wellness Clinic for a consultation to consider working with us. She had become very concerned because her weight had been increasing by about two kilograms a year for the past five years, and in parallel both her sugar and blood pressure had risen.

    As someone who had never had health problems, this had worried Rachel. Her doctor was quite adamant that unless she was able to control her risk factors through lifestyle changes, including weight losshe’ll have to start her on medication for both high blood sugar and high blood pressure—and, as a precaution, put her on a statin drug for high cholesterol.

    Rachel was clearly frustrated. “What am I doing wrong?” she asked. “I don’t smoke, I’ve cut down on red meat and I’ve cut down on junk food and I’ve cut down on desserts.” She insisted that she really considers herself a healthy person. She even takes extra vitamins and supplements.

    While it is true that Rachel abstained from certain foods considered poor choices for a healthy life, she did not focus on the positive habits and behaviors necessary to achieve good health. It’s not just a matter of abstaining from junk food, cigarettes and excessive consumption of meat and dairy. It is also essential to take positive steps to improve health and prevent or cure diseases in adults.

    One of the reasons typical diets fail is the emphasis on “what not to do.” It’s about eating less, not eating certain foods, and even eliminating whole food groups. These schedules can be quite restrictive, and deprivation and frustration eventually set in.

    Food organized in the refrigerator. (credit: RAWPIXEL)

    These diets are all unsustainable. Sustainability is the number one factor in whether or not any diet will work for you. But what happens when we turn things around and emphasize the do’s instead of the don’ts? The results can be quite amazing!

    There’s no doubt that refraining from bad health behaviors is essential to improving health, but at best, it’s only half the equation.

    Adequate fuel for our body

    In order for our bodies to maintain their health throughout life, they must be fed the proper fuel and nutrients. Let’s say we take some minimal steps on the “don’ts” list, such as cutting down on ultra-processed junk food, cutting down on animal protein, and making soft drinks or any sugar-sweetened drink rare treats, if at all. So, now that I’ve stopped doing it, what positive things can I do? Here are the positive steps you can take to improve and improve our health and well-being. Add the following foods and drinks: • Beans: 2-3 servings per day.

    • Berries: at least one serving per day (frozen ones are good).

    • Fruits: 3 servings a day.

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    • Vegetables: 5-6 servings daily and include at least two servings of cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, green leaves).

    • Ground flax seeds: one tablespoon per day.

    • Nuts and seeds (unsalted and unroasted) in limited quantities.

    • Uses a lot of spices, especially turmeric, curry, cumin and black pepper.

    • Whole, intact grains: Brown rice, oats, quinoa, and barley are among the best choices.

    • Make water your drink of choice and aim for around eight glasses a day.

    The more you stick with whole foods and stay plant-based, the better. Diet products are not whole foods. They can leave you unsatisfied, and many of the artificial sweeteners they use have been shown to cause a number of health problems. And know that, although this is counterintuitive, they can even cause weight gain!

    There are other very positive behaviors we can incorporate to bring about better health and quality of life.

    • Can you start exercising? Even a 30-minute daily walk brings great benefits. If you have a fitness tracker, you can try monitoring your daily steps. The minimum is 7,500; closer to 10,000 is best (ie an average of about six to eight kilometers).

    • Add in some resistance training a few times a week and the benefit is even greater.

    • Can you incorporate better sleep habits? Seven hours of sleep is the minimum; eight is usually better.

    • One last positive behavior to incorporate: Good social integration has been shown to prolong life. So, get together with family and friends as much as possible.

    THERE’S something else that happens automatically when you focus on eating all the right foods, and eating plenty of them: There’s not much room for bad choices. This is called “crowding out” and I’m a big fan of it. All good foods are full of fiber and contain a lot of water, so you always feel full and satisfied. Ask any whole-food plant-based eater—they’re rarely hungry. This is opposed to traditional diets where weighing, measuring and counting calories are the norm and can lead to obsessive behaviors.

    Do you remember Rachel? She started focusing on positive actions and ended up with a positive result. Her prediabetes disappeared, her blood pressure normalized, she lost weight and avoided all the drugs she didn’t want to take.

    At the end of the day, your health, well-being, and longevity will be in a better place—and all without being so concerned about what not to do. Focusing on the positive aspects of your diet, exercise, sleep, and social behaviors will “add hours to your days, days to your years, and years to your lives.”

    The writer is a wellness coach and personal trainer with over 25 years of professional experience. He is a member of the International Council of the True Health Initiative and the board of Kosher Plant Based. He is the director of the Wellness Clinic. [email protected]



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