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As
one-year ends and another starts, I think about my past
triumphs, discoveries, regrets, challenges, misunderstandings, unresolved issues, and goals for the new year. What do you
want for 2020 and beyond? My
hope for myself and you: excellent health, happiness,
balance, and any conflicts that arise lead to a productive
change.
Here are five short pieces I want to share; find your meaning
and draw your conclusions. Perhaps they will influence your
wants and hopes for the new year (they have helped me).
1.
From
Rolf Dobelli "The Art of the Good Life":
"Often, we see other people far more clearly than we see
ourselves (which is why we're so frequently disappointed by
others but rarely by ourselves), so your best shot is to find a
friend or a partner you can rely on to give you the
warts-and-all truth. Even then, your brain will do its best to
soft-pedal the facts it doesn't like. With time, however, you'll
learn to take seriously the judgments of others."
2. Anonymous:
A lovely little boy was holding two apples with both hands. His
mother came in and softly asked the boy with a smile: My
sweetie, could you give your Mom one of your two apples? The boy
looked up at his Mom for some seconds, then he suddenly took a
bite on one apple and then quickly on the other.
The Mom tried hard not to reveal her disappointment. Then the
little boy handed one of his bitten apples to his Mom and said:
Mommy, here you are, this is the sweeter one.
No matter who you are, how experienced you are, and how
knowledgeable you think you are, always delay judgment. Give
others the privilege to explain themselves. What you see or hear
may not be the reality. Never conclude for others.
3.
From
Ellen DeGeneres (3:30 minutes):
On friendship, kindness and politics.
4.
From
David Asch (17 minutes):
From his TED Talk: Why it's so hard to make healthy
decisions.
"Hard work pays off in the future, but laziness pays off right now"
5.
From
a prior HAO Newsletter: On Making Changes
"Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic
that it has to be us." Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead
Truckin' (Click
it!)
Yes, one body, one life, what we do with it - it's entirely up
to us.
We oftentimes have people in our lives who we try to help point
in the right direction. Or maybe it's ourselves, and we
are trying to get where we need to go to attain optimal health.
For people in our lives, as well as ourselves, we have to find
the power, the will, the discipline, to make changes that
improve our lives. Why? Because inherently, we are
not selfish people; we love and care about those who depend on
us, and we need them.
Why do people make a change? What is the event? What is the
trigger? Sometimes,
it's just the sum of many events, making you miserable. For most
people, if miserable enough, they will make a change. Like the
person whose knees hurt so much, and they cannot do the things
they want or need to do, they either use a wheelchair or lose
weight or get a total knee replacement. Sometimes
it's a hurtful comment from someone, or maybe a visual like
seeing a picture or video of yourself. Unfortunately,
the message is often delivered too late, and it's bad news--a
heart attack, stroke, cancer, or diabetes. Looking for more
information? If you did not watch the above David
Asch Ted Talk...now is the time.
It is true that most often, no matter what other people say, the
person who needs to make change has to make the decision
themselves. Nevertheless, I believe that a loving family,
close friends, and health care professionals play a role in
leading up to the moment when the switch is triggered, and then
one finds the discipline, willpower, and strength to go for it. So,
that is part of my role as a doctor, a teacher, a father, a
husband, a friend, a community member - to do what I can to
point the way. Hopefully, trying as best as I can to walk
the same road. The journey is long, one step at a time, and once
you have reached the point of a healthy change, it never,
never, never stops - maintenance of the change requires the
same hard work!
Now
let's talk about BOOM---Boost Our Own Metabolism, we begin again
January 8 at the Columbia Athletic Club at 7:15 AM
Take a moment and ask yourself: where am I with understanding
and practicing healthy eating, getting the right amount of
exercise, attaining restorative sleep and controlling stress?
Consider participating in our program; information that is
presented represents cutting-edge scientific studies that will
improve your total health.
It starts with an intention, then action; make the call
or register online. Participate and be infused with the group
energy which promotes self-discipline and willpower. Here are a
few thoughts about finding willpower and discipline, which begins
and sustains change:
How
to get started?
It starts with an intention, then action; make the call
or register online. Participate and be infused with the group
energy which promotes self-discipline and willpower. Here are a
few thoughts about finding willpower and discipline, which begins
and sustains change:
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Willpower is the single most important habit for individual
success.
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Self-discipline has been shown to predict academic success
more than intellectual talent.
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Willpower, with practice, can become automatic; it is a
learnable skill.
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Unlike many skills, willpower does not remain constant.
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Willpower is like a muscle, the more practice, the stronger
it gets.
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You are in control, set goals, plan your day and see your
health radically improve.
| Understand inflection points that
affect willpower during the day and have a plan,
for example, my plan is that when I am offered sweets at
work ......(the above was adapted from the book "The
Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg |
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Boost Our Own Metabolism---BOOM 2020!
Consider joining BOOM -- which stands for Boost
Our Own Metabolism -- a program that I
developed, and for seven years running, teaches critical
nutritional points and provides tips for improving sleep
and stress levels. We spin on the studio bikes to music
using a High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
format. My assistant, Stacey, is once again leading the
spin portion and this is preceded by my brief talk on
the topic of the week. An email is sent prior to each
BOOM session on the instructive topic of the week. An
in-body analysis is available at the start and finish of
the course. If you're unsure whether or not you are
healthy enough to participate, please send me an email
and I can let you know if BOOM is right for you. There
will be an opportunity to obtain an accurate body
analysis early in the course and at the end of the
course.
Here is a video about BOOM if
you have any questions (please note that the details
regarding days and dates in the video do not pertain
to this upcoming session).
Here are the registration
instructions:
Columbia Association members (no charge):
CA Fit & Play members can sign up beginning at 2:00
pm on Mondays either through the CA
website or
app. Or call the Columbia Gym (410-531-0800)
beginning 2:00 pm on Tuesdays.
PP CA Fit & Play and 1Fit members can sign up for the
class on a space-available basis 5 minutes before the
start of class.
Non-members:
Registration and payment can be made in person at the
front desk of the Athletic Club or by calling there
(410-730-6744). Please note that payment must be made
for an entire month, there is no pro-rating or refunds
for partial months.
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January - 4 classes/$40
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February - 4 classes/$40
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March - 4 classes/$40
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April - 5 classes/$50
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May - 4 classes/$40
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Wishing you good health,
HAO
Harry A. Oken, M.D.
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