Nothing Stays the Same

 

I have spent a lot of time here addressing health and wellness issues of all stripes and colors. Weight loss, good nutrition, food, medication, exercise, misleading marketing and on and on.  Its been fun and, I hope, useful to at least some people. But nothing stays the same, including me. 

Its been happening for a long time but I will be 73 in a few days and I have to admit that I am old. Don't get me wrong here. I am not complaining. The alternative to not getting old is not especially attractive to me. And for an old guy I am feeling pretty good. Except for a few wear-and-tear issues related to an active life, I am feeling pretty good. I am right at the weight that I should be for my age and height and I am not bothered by any of the diseases and conditions of, ahem, older folks.

I think that "healthy aging" (or, as I prefer to say, "successful aging") deserves more attention, focus and discussion than it gets. After all, we are all going to keep getting older (until we don't). Right now just over 17% of Americans are over age 65 and that is expected to grow to 22% by 2050. That is up from 8% in 1950 and over 82 million people, nearly double the number we have now.

This is my audience, mi compadres. We will still be "Living Our Way to Healthy" just with a longer view toward getting older successfully. I hope you will stick with me as I refocus going forward on everything about growing older in a healthy and happy way.

Resolutions vs Goals

 

New Year's resolutions are so famously fleeting that there is now an official day to abandon them. That's right. Those annoying commitments you made to yourself in the last hours of 2021 can now be guiltlessly forgotten. Monday, January 17th is Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day. (Google it. Its a thing.)

By most estimates (if this doesn't prove that there is a study of everything I don't know what does) your odds of keeping those resolutions are pretty slim. Of those who make a New Year’s resolution, 25% have given up on it after one week. After one month, 36% have called it quits. Fifty-four percent of us are done with our resolutions after 6 months and by the end of the year 91% of resolution makers have forgotten all about them as they make their new ones. In fact, one study shows that of those who make a resolution, only about half of them even expect to be successful in keeping it when they are making it!

What is going on here? Why do so many people fail to do things that they want to do? And given these failure rates, why do we do it over and over again?

The temptation is to conclude that, faced with the reality of the effort required to succeed, most of us are just too lazy to carry on. In fact, it is a little more complicated than that.

Tony Robbins says that the real secret to happiness is not success but progress. People have a need to feel that their lives are progressing. The calendar makes it seem like we can have a new start. It is a natural time to look back and see how far we have (or have not) come and where we want to go next. The problem with that is that it is not a new start at all. It is just an arbitrary date and you are exactly the same person on January 1st that you were on December 31st.

Does this mean we should just give up and accept ourselves as we are? Of course not! We just need to be a little more realistic about how we plan to move forward. Most resolutions amount to nothing more than a wish list, things that we would like to have happen for us. Like winning the lottery, the chances of those things just happening are not great. 

Resolutions also tend to be Big Picture statements. I will go to they gym 4 days a week. I will lose 50 pounds. I will start that part-time business. I will quit smoking. I will reconnect with my family and friends. All laudable wishes. But that is all they are, wishes. Especially when we make all of them at once.

Instead of resolutions, what we need are goals and a plan. To create real change we have to create real change, not just hope that things magically change for us. Success comes from many small steps, not one giant one. 

What are the areas of your life that you want to improve/change/make progress in? Write them down. All of them. 

Then select the 1 to 3 areas that matter most to you, where you feel most motivated to actually do something about them.

Think about where you are now in just those areas. This calls for brutal honesty, but you need not share your thoughts with anyone. How did you get there? Why is that how things are? What things, if you changed them, would move you toward where you want to go?

Now break those changes down into smaller pieces. Be realistic about what you can do. One big reason people fail to achieve their resolutions is that they just set unrealistic expectations and timeframes, things they do not really believe they can do. If you want to lose 50#, you can't do it until you have lost 5 pounds. Anyone can lose 5 pounds in a month or two. Start there. Build momentum toward success by creating small successes, one after another. Then don't stop.

Make a plan for your small steps. What will you do and by when will you do it? What help or support or resources would you need, from who? How will you track your progress? How will you reward yourself?

This way, when you get to February, instead of broken resolutions and disappointment you will have just a few small successes to celebrate. You are on your way! Just keep going.

 

The Year is Dead. Long Live the Year.

 

 

No sharing, educating or preaching today my friends. I just want to take the time to wish you a safe and happy New Year's Eve and a successful and fulfilling 2022. 

This has been a strange year for me, a hard to understand mixture of successes and failures, happiness and loss, excitement and fear. With all the challenges we have faced this past year, it has been in some ways a wonderful year for me.

My next year will be one of transition, leading to major life changes that I have planned for 2023. That is both encouraging and intimidating.

I hope that you have had your fair share of successes in 2021 along with its challenges, and wish you much joy, wellness and empowerment for 2022.

How Long Have You Got Left?

 

 

 

As 2021 moves toward its conclusion, most of us are not thinking about how we all are doing the same thing. We know when 2021 will end. Our own conclusion is unknown to us. But if you are curious about how much more time you have, there are a number of life expectancy calculators online that would be happy to ballpark it for you. 

Some, like the free calculator available on the Social Security Administration web site, are overly simplistic but quick to use. Others will analyze the personal information that you provide on your family, health and lifestyle and provide an eerily specific result.... sometimes right down to the day you can expect to...err, conclude.

If you want a quick (less than 5 minutes) and reasonably good estimation, try the unfortunately named Death Clock. With just a few quick questions it will let you know when to call the undertaker. (March 22, 2043 for me.)

If you want a much more accurate forecast, and don't mind spending a bit more time answering questions (about 15 minutes), the Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator is for you. Unlike many of the other calculators, this one will give you personalized feedback on your answers, customized lifestyle change suggestions and specific things you could review with your healthcare provider.

For the ultimate in life expectancy forecasting, try the Actuaries Longevity Illustrator. Developed jointly by the US American Academy of Actuaries and the UK Society of Actuaries, it will evaluate your answers against the databases used by insurers to set life insurance premiums. Since there is money involved, you can expect it to be as accurate as something this inherently inaccurate can be.

Besides morbid curiosity, what would be the point of doing this?

For me, I find knowing my "use before date" to be personally motivating. It is much harder for me to justify wasting even one day when I know that I have only 7,747 of them left. Yeah it sounds like a lot of days, but once one is gone, its gone for good.

It may also motivate you to make changes that can add more days to your clock. As Ebeneezer Scrooge said to the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come when faced with his own gravestone, "Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change."

Happy New Year.

From "Diet the Verb" to "Diet the Noun"

On my post on March 2nd I reported having been successful in losing 11 pounds during the month of February and asking if my "diet" was over or just beginning. It turns out it was only beginning.

In March and April, just continuing the habits I had begin to form the month before, I lost another 12 pounds to end April at 182#. This was down from 205# at the start of February and essentially right at the ideal weight for my 6' frame. So as far as losing weight, I'd had an unqualified success. You can check back to my earlier posts for the details of what I did and how I did it.

12FEB20     https://bit.ly/3cQcfIQ
17FEB20     https://bit.ly/3cQVdu7
02MAR20    https://bit.ly/37pR5QL

I discovered two things in April. First, its nearly impossible to maintain an exact target weight. After obsessing over it for a week or so I realized that it is perfectly fine to fluctuate a bit. Even over the course of a day one's weight will vary, so to expect to be able to adjust your calorie intake and output to maintain an exact weight (185# in my case) is pointless and probably neither healthy nor possible. So I content myself with remaining in a range from 180# to 185#, which I have been able to do with ease. I still have to count calories (the Cronometer app makes it almost embarrassingly easy) and I still have to exercise every day but that has become almost a habit now.

The second discovery I made was (again because of the detailed reporting that the app provides by default) was that even though I was staying right at my goal weight, my diet still needed some work. Yes, I had the calorie balance right. But a look at the nutritional composition of my diet clearly showed the need for some adjustment in what I was eating and not just how much.

I was regularly consuming too much fat, sodium, sugar, iron and several B-vitamins. I was also coming up surprising short on protein, water, potassium (important for regulating my blood pressure), and several exotic vitamins and minerals. This despite taking Reliv supplements every day.

Awareness is the first step toward action, so now that I know where I can improve I can set about rebalancing what I eat to achieve a better nutrition profile.

This is all a whole let less work than it seems. And the payoff was a "perfect" visit with my doctor for my annual checkup. Time now to change from "diet the verb" to "diet the noun".

Diet Wrapup - The End or the Beginning?

So my month of committing to calorie counting is over and the results are in. Once again it worked, and I ended February at 194 pounds, down 10 pounds over the four weeks. My blood pressure has dropped a bit and I am even sleeping better.

I was certainly not perfect about it. There were some days where I ate too much. But I knew I had done it, and I knew how much I had busted my goals by and was easily able to make it up over the rest of the week. The pounds did not come off evenly over the month either. The first week I lost 5 pounds. The second week only one. But at the end of the month there I was at 194.

I do not feel hungry or like I have had to deprive myself of eating things. I was not on any special "diet" at all. I just ate what I normally eat. The difference was making conscious choices about when and how much I ate, eating standard portion sizes and keeping up with the (truly moderate) exercise. I am feeling pretty happy with the results.

For now I am adjusting my goal from losing weight to maintaining where I am and not putting any more on. I would estimate that the entire process of tracking calories has been taking about 15 minutes a day so it is no burden to keep doing it.

My 50th High School reunion is in October and I am thinking it would be great to show up there weighing the same as I did when I graduated. That would cost me only another 9 pounds over the next 7 months, and right now that seems almost too easy to me. And 185 pounds would be right on the dot for a healthy weight for my height.

So why is dieting so hard for so many people? Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can. If you have been struggling, drop me a message. Maybe I can help.

Stuff I Learned from Counting Calories

As I mentioned the other day, calorie counting is not really something I love. But having gotten to 204# and knowing from experience that it worked, I've committed to it for a month. This time I am using an app (Cronometer) that has really made the worst parts of it much easier while providing a wealth of previously hard to ferret out information about my diet.

Here are a couple of things that I have learned so far.

1. I eat when I eat, not when I am hungry. A lot of my eating was nothing more than habit. Sure I love nachos and ice cream (not together!) but am I really hungry? Many, maybe most, times no.

2. My diet was not as perfectly balanced as I thought it was. For example, I am falling about 15% short of the protein I need every day, while consuming almost 800% of the iron. It's taking some thought to change this, but awareness was the first step.

3. I have re-discovered portion sizes. Its amazing how our perception of a normal portion of food creeps up over time. Even if you are eating all the right things, eating too much of them is going to add pounds over time.

4. Calorie counting motivates me to exercise. You want that pizza for dinner tonight? You can have it! But you have to go burn off 500 calories first. For me that is about an hour and forty minutes of brisk walking. Don't feel like walking today? No problem. But no pizza. It makes these choices explicit and the trade-offs become decisions. I look at exercise as extra calories to eat now rather than an annoying thing I need to do.

5. Success feels pretty good. In my first two weeks I have shed over 6 pounds and am already 2/3 of the way toward meeting my goal for the month. I definitely do not feel hungry all the time, I have tweaked my menus a bit but eat mostly the same foods I had been eating anyway (just a little less), I've not missed a single day exercising and I don't spend hours obsessing over the whole thing.

I also feel more in control. When and what and how much I eat are becoming conscious choices that I make with a goal in mind.

I've still got a way to go, and I also know from experience how easily such progress can be reversed.  But so far, I'm feeling pretty good about it all.

Welcome to 2019

Hard as it may be to believe, another year has gotten behind us and taken its place in history. This is the time of year when we all become like the Roman God Janus, looking forward and backward at the same time. Considering our accomplishments, seeing where we fell short and making our heartfelt resolutions for where and how we will do better in the year to come.

I once heard Tony Robbins speak about New Year's resolutions. It is pretty clear that he is not a fan. The calendar, he said, makes every new year seem like a new start, but its not. We are exactly the same person on January 1st as we were on December 31st. Nothing much changes, because we do not change much.

Here is what he suggests you do if you really want to change something in your life, whether on New Year's Day or any other day of the year that you are ready to get serious about it.

1. Choose an area of your life (just one) where you truly want to make a change. Be honest with yourself. You have to really want to change in this area, not simply think that you should. Describe (writing it down is best) exactly what that area of your life is like for you now. No one else is going to see this, so be 100% honest.

2. Write a list of the habits, routines and rituals that you have that are shaping the current conditions in this area for you. Give this part some thought, it is important.

3. Write down exactly what it is that you want to be different. Be very specific. This should be an emotionally engaging vision of what you want this area of your life to be like. How it WILL be for you. Why do you want it? How will your life be different when you have it?

4. Now write down the new habits, routines and rituals that, if you incorporate them into you life, cannot help but create the changes and bring about the results that you want. What, exactly, do you need to do differently EVERY day in order to have what you want?

5. Begin incorporating these new habits into your day. This is where the work is. It will not be easy. That is an understatement. Your old routines and rituals will not give up easily and they have great power over you. Start small, with a few new rituals, and stay with them no matter what. Your momentum will build with each success and you can add more later.

The only resolution that you need for the new year is to act with integrity. To keep your word. Every time. Without exception. You CAN change your life. Or just those parts of it that you want to change. Your health, your career, your relationships, your happiness, your outlook. But to do so you simply MUST be able to depend on yourself. Your word must be your non-negotiable principle.

For me, I am committing to being a person of my word for 2019. That is it. Just that. I may not say that I will do something and that's fine. But if I do say that I will complete some task, be at some event, show up somewhere at a certain time, then I am going to do that. No more excuses for me. If I say it, I mean it.

I will keep you posted on how it goes.

Attitude is a Choice

People who know me well would not say that I am the most optimistic person on the planet. I've often taken a perverse pride in being a "realist" and avoiding "excessive enthusiasm". As The Who said so well, "If I smile tell me some bad news, before I laugh and act like a fool". A recent experience has prompted me to reconsider my whole attitude about attitude.

I was in Orlando after an exciting Reliv 25th Anniversary International Conference. As I sat in the hotel lobby waiting for my airport shuttle, my phone rang. It was the airline letting me know that my flight was delayed 35 minutes because of a "minor mechanical issue". Uh oh! I've traveled often enough to know that where airlines are concerned there are no "minor" issues, and I had a tight 55 minute connection to make if I was going to get home that day. Noon arrived and no shuttle. A call to the company resulted in an unsympathetic dispatcher telling me that the shuttle had been there, I must have been at the wrong entrance (maybe mention that when I reserved the ride?), and the next one would be by in an hour.

I was now an unhappy person, and spinning all sorts of plausible scenarios in which I didn't make it home till the next day. Then it occurred to me that the 35 minute flight delay just might save the day! Without it the missed shuttle was an automatic loser. 

All along here so far, I was assuming the worst case scenario - several worst case scenarios actually. But why was the best case not possible? On paper, at least, I could still make the flights. So I had a 20 minute argument with myself about it (I must have sounded like Gollum to passers-by) and made a decision that, since these matters were mostly out of my control, I would do the best I could and assume that things would work out for the best.

Suffice it to say that the trip home was much more of an adventure than I'd have preferred. But when I finally walked through my door, I was only 58 minutes later than scheduled. I'd had a chance to meet several people on the way home who were interested to hear more about what Reliv could do for them who I would not have met otherwise. And as I stood in Chicago waiting out weather delays, my new attitude spared me from the stress and anger that was all around me.

But suppose things had not worked out so well? Suppose one of those worst case scenarios had played out? I might well have been presented with new and different opportunities that I would have missed out on had things gone smoothly. Second, the experience could have provided valuable lessons and learning experiences for use next time. And finally, by relaxing, doing what I could and assuming the best, the trip would have been far less stressful and aggravating than it otherwise would have. What was my other choice? Congratulate myself on expecting the worse and being right? Scant comfort that.

The big lesson for me? Attitude is a choice! I can choose to see things from a negative filter or a positive one. I can expect happy outcomes or miserable ones. Being positive and optimistic about things doesn't change the outcome, but it does change the experience. Being a "glass half full" person is just more fun. And I bet it attracts a whole different sort of person to me. Try it yourself.

A Thought for the New year

When I was in the 4th Grade, and dinosaurs walked the earth, there was a boy in my class named Robert. Now Robert had a tough life. He wasn't very popular. He was fat, not especially good looking, or smart, and not blessed with any talent or sports. His social skills were, to be kind, non-existent. Unsurprisingly, he was painfully shy. Fourth graders being who they are, Robert was the victim of ceaseless pranks, teasing and the sort of indifferent and casual cruelties that only other children can inflict. I am not proud to admit that I was one of his tormentors.

That January, right after Christmas Vacation (it was a Parochial school) Robert's mother had a meeting at school about the problem. "This needs to stop," she reportedly said. "I don't know what else I can do. I've told him 'Robert, you have a new shirt, new pants, new socks and shoes, and even new underwear. You're a new boy. Now go into that classroom and act like a new boy'."

But here's the thing. Robert was still Robert. Despite the new shirt, new pants, new socks and shoes and even the new underwear, Robert was not a new boy.

As the clock ticks away the last few minutes of 2011, how many of us are standing in Robert's new shoes? We look back at the year, its triumphs and defeats, and firmly resolve that next year will be better. We'll stop the snackin' and slackin' and get back in shape. We'll improve our diet, and we'll get up and moving more. We'll rebuild that relationship that we have been neglecting. Take our business or career to a new level. Start that new hobby or activity we've always wanted to try. Reduce our debt. Save for retirement. Be better. Be happy.

But here's the thing. You are still you. Despite all the heartfelt good intentions, you are not a new you. If you want 2012 to be different, than YOU need to be different.

I will leave you with a thought from Stephen Covey's wonderful book, First Things First:  "Each decision we make is an important decision. Some may seem small at the time, but the reality is that they add upon one another to become habits of the heart that move us with increasing force toward some destiny. We are not the product of our past, we are the product of our choices."

I wish you a happy, healthy and successful New Year.

My Business Story

When I was introduced to the Reliv nutrition program in February of 2009, my personal financial situation was circling the drain. I'd been involved in an earlier entrepreneurial fiasco that had left my savings depleted, and the HR consulting business I had started in 2006 was not doing well. I was at the point of having to look for employment (a very unpalatable prospect to me as I had been self employed for most of the last 25 years and didn't relish the thought of having to explain myself to a boss again), start selling off personal assets (flying is one of my longtime passions and the thought of having to sell my 1977 Cessna 172XP for living expenses made taking a job seem almost delightful) or take money from my various retirement accounts (which would produce very negative tax penalties next year and leave me short of funds later). None of these were very attractive options. But the worst part of it wasn't even the money. It was the hopeless, discouraged feeling that my life was just not turning out the way I hoped it would at this age, and that I really had no good options for turning it around.

I was looking at Reliv for wellness and prevention, and had absolutely no intention of becoming involved with it as a business. But by April I had pretty much decided to use the products long term because of the health results I was seeing, and thought that it made sense to become a distributor simply to obtain the products at a significant discount. But by the end of May, having put no effort whatsoever into it (I'm not talking "part-time" here, I really made zero effort) I had "made" about $140 selling a few cans of product to family and close friends. I was in a position where even a couple of hundred dollars a month in extra income would make a big difference so I decided that I had better take a more serious look at the business potential of this.

In June and July I began to connect with my sponsor and plug in to the extensive training and support system that Reliv provided. There was a lot to learn, and I was seriously handicapped by a conviction that I already knew most of it. As I became more familiar with the products, the marketing plan and the compensation model I started to see that maybe, just possibly, a person could make some serious income at this. I began to devote some time to it, not a lot of hours but consistently. But I was also making a lot of mistakes, and while I was still making a little money, I wasn't progressing very fast.

Against my better judgment, I attended the Company's International Conference in St. Louis in August. I'd been to a lot of conferences over the years and frankly had very low expectations. I could hardly have been more wrong. Over three days I had the opportunity to see Reliv International up close (literally during the facility tour, and emotionally as it put its best face forward for the 4,000 or so enthusiastic distributors in attendance). But most important was the chance to meet with other distributors, to share their stories and to learn from their experiences. For me it was a completely unfamiliar experience to be among such a positive, confident, upbeat crowd. Almost uncomfortable. Perhaps it was contagious. Or perhaps it was the realization that there was nothing at all magical about the people who had been successful at this. They were sharing the exact same products as me. They had a compensation plan identical to mine. The training and support available to them were available to me. The only difference between me and people who were making a great living at this and having fun doing it was how hard and how long they had worked at it.

I am still circling the drain. My bills still outpace my income. But instead of hopeless and discouraged I am now enthusiastic and confident. Now I do see a way to the life I had wanted to have. Not a quick path, or an easy one. But a possible one. My goal is that by the end of next year, 2010, I will be making enough in the Reliv business to support myself comfortably. And then to become a little more successful and a little more prosperous each year thereafter. I don't see any reason not to be doing this for the rest of my life.

At least that's the plan. Check back now and then to see how it all really works out.

My Health Story

When I was introduced to Reliv International nutritional supplements in February of 2009, I considered myself to be in fairly good health. I was perpetually trying to lose 10 pounds, but not really putting more on. I may have drank a bit too much but I ate well, exercised 5 days a week and had regular visits to my doctor and dentist to keep an eye on things. I had been struggling with borderline periodontal issues for years, but nothing serious enough to warrant therapy. My blood pressure had always been a little elevated, and now hovered right around that 120/80 dividing line. My blood glucose levels were creeping up a few points year after year, but at 106 not yet a serious concern.

My real concern was my genetic heritage. My father, his four sisters and his father had all died of cancer before they were 70 (some of the girls in their 40s). His mother died of heart disease. On the other side of the coin, my mother has advanced Alzheimer's and diabetes. Her brother died of cancer, her father of cardiovascular complications and her mother of Alzheimer's. As I closed in on 60 years, I could hear the clock ticking.

So I had always used supplements. Lots of them. Before Reliv I was taking 12 - 15 pills each day, including a multi-vitamin, fish oil, garlic, vitamin C, Vitamin E, Biotin, Saw Palmetto and various B-complex vitamins. I can't really say I ever noticed any results from lining up at this capsule buffet, nor did I really feel any different if I missed taking them for a few days. And the menu changed frequently as I read someplace about a new vitamin, mineral or supplement that was suddenly a "must take". I just figured that this is what prevention required.

I can sum up the attraction of the Reliv program for me in just four words: Simple, Complete, Optimal and Current. Replacing 12 - 15 tablets and capsules with two (more bio-available) shakes was simple and easy. The contents were complete, synergistic nutrition, with everything I needed in the correct amounts and proportions. They provided optimal nutrition, not minimum daily requirements. And finally, I could stop worrying about whether or not I was incorporating the latest nutritional studies and research into my diet. It was all done for me. Still, based on my experience with supplements, my expectations were low and it was only the 30-day money-back guarantee that sealed the deal. What did I have to lose?

One month into the program I realized that I was sleeping more soundly and waking up less tired, more alert and ready to start the day. I'd lost 5 pounds and was tearing right through the energy slump that usually struck around 3:00 pm. Not life changing perhaps, but results. I never knew nutritional supplements were supposed to produce results. By the end on the second month (March) I had shed 9 pounds and just felt "better", like I was more awake and productive all the way through my day. But was this for real? Or was I simply convincing myself of what I wanted to be true?

In April I had both my annual physical and semi-annual dental exam scheduled, and, being a numbers sort of guy, decided to await the outcome of these more objective tests before deciding whether to stay with this program or not. The results of my physical were surprising and, as far as I was concerned, conclusive.

• Weight: down 12 pounds
• Total Cholesterol: down 9 points to 167
  
• HDL: up 8 points to 54
  
• LDL: down 14 points to 90
  
• Triglycerides: down 5 points to 126
  
• Fasting Blood Glucose: down 12 points to 94
  
• PSA: down 1/2 point to 1.23
  

For the past several years, it was typical for me to have one or two periodontal pockets of 7 and several of 6. These are borderline-problem values. This time I had only one 6, and my dentist commented that my soft tissue "was more improved than over any six month period" that he had been seeing me. He advised me to "keep doing whatever it is you are doing" as it seemed to be working well. The only thing I could think of that I had done differently was to adopt the Reliv nutritional program.

Its a very pleasant and empowering feeling to get these kinds of results. I'd never seen anything like them before. I certainly don't think Reliv makes any sort of "miracle product". Just basic, complete, optimum nutrition. I don't make any claims that there are no other products available that might do the same thing. But based on the results I have gotten, results I can feel and measure, I plan to be taking Reliv products for a very long time.