Principle #2 – Breaking old habits by squarely facing the truth

Like most of us, my friend Jane (not her real name) has more than a little weight to lose. She is quite competent at her profession, and people know her as someone you can go to when you need help.
But Jane recently confided to me that cheese was her downfall. She went on in detail, lovingly describing all the kinds of cheeses that she could just not live without. She might be an organizational wizard at work, but when it came to cheese, she was powerless.
From other discussions, I knew how much Jane wanted to be fit and healthy. She knew the facts; cheese is high in calories and high in saturated fat. With her family history of high blood pressure, she had a concern about the high salt content, as well.
How might Jane address her dilemma?
Here is where the magic of principle # 2 works, right at the point where it seems impossible to change. Squarely facing the truth creates a positive energy that leads to lasting life-changes.
There are three steps to tap into this potential:
- First, clearly assess your reality as it is now
- Next, imagine the future exactly as you want it to be
- And finally, don’t fudge. Let the tension build between the way things are and the future you envision.
For Jane, the reality is putting cheese on everything is just not healthy. Her “vision for the future” is a healthy weight and more energy. If she clearly keeps both in mind, her subconscious will work on giving Jane the roadmap for successful change.
If you are seeking to creatively approach old problems with new solutions, I suggest the book, Path of Least Resistance, by Roger Fritz. It is an inspirational read that can bring the magic of “squarely facing your truths” to your life.

100 SECRETS FOR A LIFETIME OF HEALTH - New healthier lifestyle series
Our vision for Healthy Yuma 2011 is to cultivate the seeds that will create lifetimes of good health.
Our mission is to have 365 days of community support for the individuals in Yuma County who choose to take the steps to be healthier in 2011.
Throughout the year, “Healthy Yuma 2011” will present a series of Principles for Healthy Living. We will sift through the latest medical science, the practical advice from life coaches, as well as the world’s wisdom literature to present clear principles, which if followed will lead to healthier, more fulfilling lives.
100 Secrets; Get the Whole Story for Health.

Principle #1 - Be ready to learn new things about making healthier lifestyle choices
It may be obvious, but just learning about healthier lifestyles may be the most important step to improving one’s health. Before making effective changes, one needs to know the facts.
Unfortunately, the data shows that we know less about healthy options than we think we do.
A recent study on children’s nutrition showed that parents significantly overestimated the nutrition value of what their children ate. Over 80% of the parents thought that their kids ate a healthy diet, but about 80% were eating a diet that did not meet nutritional guidelines. This research shows the importance of staying open to learning.
My own running program is a good example. Twenty-five years ago, I ran road races - I never won anything, but running was always my favorite form of exercise. However, I gave it up because of frequent injuries.
I recently read the book, “Running Until You’re 100” and found out that all my injuries were the result of my own ignorance about how to train without getting injured. I am back running, training smarter, now that I know how, and enjoying it immensely.
Inspirational gurus all stress the love of learning as a key to successful lives –not only in health choices, but also in relationships and business. Open up to learning new things and enjoying a new you and a new life will not be far behind!

Healthy Yuma 2011 - A Remedy for an Ailing America

Employers, local government, media, and even the local Walmarts have joined forces in Yuma County, Arizona, to support individuals who plan to adopt healthier lifestyles. HY-2011 focuses on decreasing obesity, improving nutrition, increasing exercise, and decreasing addiction to smoking, alcohol, and street drugs. The following excerpt from the core story of HY-2011 outlines the motivation for these efforts -

"Healthy citizens are the foundation of a healthy society. However, obesity, malnutrition, sedentary lifestyles and addiction have become too much the American norm.

Our forefathers created a system of governance that shaped America into the predominant economic driver of the 20th century. Our standard of living rose five-fold, giving us the economic prosperity to help rebuild Europe and Japan even after incurring the tremendous costs of WWII. Our strong economic momentum continued, providing the foundation for triumph in the Cold War.

However, our prosperity is in jeopardy. Healthcare costs have been rising faster than inflation for 50 years. The aging population adds further fuel to these escalating costs, as does the staggering burden of unhealthy lifestyles. Obesity, caused by a poor diet and sedentary habits, is an epidemic that we can ill afford. Our food supply has evolved from nutritious whole foods to high fat, high sugar and highly processed but well-advertised junk. Malnutrition is often no longer the lack of food but the result of an abundance of high caloric food with little nutritional value.

Neither our healthcare system nor our government has been successful in improving lifestyle choices, resulting in the first American generation that is experiencing a decline in quality of life. This has occurred despite spending twice as much on healthcare per person as other developed countries. These issues, on top of a high level of public and private debt, create an unstable future.

Healthy Yuma 2011 is designed to successfully address these challenges by creating positive momentum through the integration of multiple local efforts."

The two founding institutions are the Yuma Regional Medical Center and the Yuma Sun newspaper. Since 50% of healthcare costs can be attributed to unhealthy lifestyle choices, local efforts such as HY-2011 might be just what the doctors haven't been able to order.

Expressly yours,