Epilogue DYOH BOOK STUDY

*A special thank you to Kathleen Bell for doing this book study and allowing us to benefit from it! 

Discovering Your Optimal Health Virtual Book Club - Epilogue: Taking Back Your Health

 Eliminating stress from your life/Organizing your life around what matters most

  v The things that matter to us can be categorized as

o   Extrinsic – material things

§  Wealth

§  Fame

§  Attractiveness

o   Intrinsic – internal aspirations

§  Autonomy

§  Growth

§  Relevance

What things are most important to you?

Are they intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?

Self-assessment

Occupation

·      Are you satisfied with your current position?

·      If not, are you in control of the ability to change it?

·      Is your position stressful?

Family

·      How would you rate your relationship with your family?

·      Are you spending enough time with your family?

·      Are you setting aside time with your family?

·      Are you attending your children’s events?

·      Are you involved in your children’s interests?

Use this assessment to determine what most matters to you.

Stress Reducers

·         Cultivate your spiritual life

·         Enjoy the arts

·         Meditation

·         Hobbies

·         Outdoor activities

·         Laugh

·         Spend time with friends

Health isn’t something that you create with one technique or skill.  It’s a lifelong process of thinking, momentum, and actions.  Today is the day to start!

DYOH Ch 15 and 16

Discover Your Optimal Health Virtual Book Club - Chapters 15 and 16

Chapter 15 – Discover the Habits of Healthy Sleep

Are you getting enough sleep?  Do you:

  v Wake up tired in the morning?

  v Need a nap in the afternoon?

  v Fall asleep watching TV?  

  v Have trouble focusing on the job?

  v Have difficulty falling asleep?

  v Have difficulty staying asleep?

On average, people should get approximately 6 – 8 hours of sleep per night

Improve Your Sleep

Step 1:  Figure out whether you function better in the evening or the morning and adjust your schedule to ensure healthy sleep.

Step 2:  Figure out what time to get up and make sure that you go to bet at the time at night to assure you are getting 6-8 hours

Step 3:  Plan your day and evening to ensure healthy sleep

- get out in bright sunlight as soon as possible in the morning

         - be active during the day

         - drink caffeinated beverages earlier in the day

         - avoid eating large meals late in the day

         - prepare for “sleepy time”

                  - review the day

                  - decrease stimulation

                  - minimize liquid ingestion

                  - avoid alcohol

                  - make the time before bedtime a “calm” time

                  - create an ultimate sleep chamber

Chapter 16 – Discover the Habits of a Healthy Mind

A Healthy Mind “is the single most important factor in creating and maintaining your optimal health.”

“Your mind is your greatest asset.  In order to succeed at anything in life, you’ve got to be all in.  The old way of thinking is gone.  In the past you let your circumstances dictate your emotion, your eating habits, and your responses to surrounding, but now everything is different.  You are the dominant force in your life.”  ~Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen

The way you think and choose will dictate your health path:

  v Be aware of your emotions

o   Stop

o   Challenge

o   Choose

  v Manage your emotions

o   Take time off to recharge

o   Unplug daily

o   Recharge on weekends

o   Take time off from work

o   Embrace activity

o   Embrace good food and the healthy eating

  v Healthy Self-talk

o   You are the one responsible for your health and your thoughts

o   Stop judging yourself

o   Treat yourself with the same kindness and good intention you would your children, friends, and those you love.

For further reading:  Dr. A’s Habits of Health – Chapter 17 – Sleep:  Nature’s Nurse

DYOH Chapters 13 and 14

Discover Your Optimal Health Virtual Book Club - Chapter 13 and 14

Chapter 13 – Discover the Habits of Healthy Eating

3 Fundamental Outcomes

1   .    Match your caloric intake to your caloric outtake once you are at a healthy weight, to maintain your optimal health

2   .    Eat mostly foods that optimize your body’s functions

3   .    Avoid most food that hurt your body’s functions

High weight:         BMI > 24.9

                           Waist circumference:

                           Women - >32 in.

                           Men - >37 in.

Weigh Loss

                  Slower weight loss (1 pound or so per week)

·      Portion Control – reduction by 25%

·      Lowering the glycemic index

Faster weight loss (1-2 pounds per week)

·      Meal replacements – a cost-neutral clinically proven, effective and safe way to lose weight quickly

·      5 Meal replacements & 1 Whole Food meal per day

Healthy Weight     BMI < 24.9

                           Waist circumference:

                           Women - <32 in.

                           Men - <37 in.

Incorporate the following

Eat breakfast everyday

·         Eat something every 3 hours

·         Use portion control

·         Eat mostly low-glycemic food

·         Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables

·         Approximately 50% low glycemic carbohydrates

·         Approximately 25% healthy, lean protein

·         Approximately 25% healthy fats

Manage and Maintain Healthy Weight

·          Find your set point – amount of calories to consume to maintain your healthy weight

·          Master Satiety – fullness

o   Eat healthy foods

o   Eat low energy density foods

o   Eat macronutrients

o   Drink lots of water

o   Be mindful of high calorie ingredients

Low Weight          BMI <20

The best way to gain weight is through an increase of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and proteins like nuts.

Foods that Optimize body functions

·         Fruits and vegetables

·         Fiber

·         Fish oils

·         Bioflavonoids – antioxidants

AVOID

·         Fried/fatty foods

·         High-glycemic foods

Chapter 14 – Discover the Habits of Motion

Integrating Increased Movement

·         General activity

·         Scheduled exercise

*Before you increase your activity and start actively increasing your energy expenditure, you should visit your physician for an evaluation.

NEAT – Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – passive movement

·         Walking

·         Just say no to machines – do things manually

EAT – Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

·         Scheduled exercise – 30 minutes/day

·         Weight resistance training

·         Stretching

Additional reading:

Dr. A’s Habits of Health

Chapter 11 – The Science of Healthy Eating and Weight Loss

Chapter 14 – First Steps:  Introduction to Dr. A’s Habits of Motion System

Chapter 15 – Dr. A’s Habits of Motion:  Part 1: NEAT System

Chapter 16 – Dr. A’s Habits of Motion:  Part 2: EAT System

DYOH Chapters 11 and 12

DYOH Book Study Chapters 11 & 12

Chapter 11 – Integrating the Habits of Health into Your Life

Create Your Master Plan

Where are you now? – Chapter 2

Where do you want to go? – Chapter 7

Creating a Structural Tension Chart

Step 1 – What is your desired outcome?

Step 2 – What is your current reality in relationship to your desired outcome?

Step 3 – Write the desired outcome and current reality on your chart and simultaneously visualize it in your mind.

Step 4 – Write down your action step or secondary choices that support your primary vision or goal.

Step 5 – Write down due dates that quantify when you will reach the different action steps or secondary choices that support your primary choice or desired outcome.

Cycle of Success

Action

Result

Review

Correct

Repeat

Fundamental Deal Breakers

Smoking

High BMI and Waist Circumference

Chapter 12 – Discover the Habits of Healthy Weight

Loss

Safe and Effective Weight Loss

Reduce the Energy You Put in Your Body

• ·      Count calories
• ·      Visually reduce portions
• ·      Use prepackaged foods
• ·      Use glycemic index
• ·      Use a combination

Increase Your Energy Expenditure

• ·      Mindful and purposeful activity
• ·      Add activity incrementally as you lose weight

Balance Your Energy for Life

• ·      Healthy Eating
• ·      Healthy Motion
• ·      Healthy Sleep
• ·      Healthy Mind

For further reading:

Dr. A’s Habits of Health

Chapter 7:  The catalyst to Reaching a Healthy Weig

ht

Chapter 8:  Dr. A’s Healthy Eating System

DYOH Chapters 9 and 10

DYOH Book Study Chapters 9 & 10

Chapter 9 – First Steps:  Your Choice of Health as a Priority

Our New Health Orientation:  Our Primary Choice, which is the most important to us, guides us to do the secondary actions that support it.  If the Primary Choice is Optimal Health then our secondary choices (healthy eating, exercise, stress reduction, restorative sleep) will support the primary choice for Optimal Health.

In order to bring focus to habits of health (our secondary choices), we need to create skills, strategies, and tools to make optimal health a reality.

    - Mindfulness – be aware of emotions, triggers and stress that can cause us to lose focus

    - Visit the doctor – knowledge is power; find out if there are any health issues that you need to focus on

    - Visit the dentist – dental health is also important as it can be directly tied to longevity

Question:  What secondary action may cause you to stumble on the road to optimal health?

Chapter 10 – Crating Your Healthy New World

    - Modify Your Surroundings

    - Establish a Stong Support Network

    - Put Yourself at the Center – 12-Week Health Transformation

DYOH Book Study Chapters 9 and 10

DYOH Book Study Chapters 9 & 10

Chapter 9 – First Steps:  Your Choice of Health as a Priority

Our New Health Orientation:  Our Primary Choice, which is the most important to us, guides us to do the secondary actions that support it.  If the Primary Choice is Optimal Health then our secondary choices (healthy eating, exercise, stress reduction, restorative sleep) will support the primary choice for Optimal Health.

In order to bring focus to habits of health (our secondary choices), we need to create skills, strategies, and tools to make optimal health a reality.

    - Mindfulness – be aware of emotions, triggers and stress that can cause us to lose focus

    - Visit the doctor – knowledge is power; find out if there are any health issues that you need to focus on

    - Visit the dentist – dental health is also important as it can be directly tied to longevity

Question:  What secondary action may cause you to stumble on the road to optimal health?

Chapter 10 – Crating Your Healthy New World

    - Modify Your Surroundings

    - Establish a Stong Support Network

    - Put Yourself at the Center – 12-Week Health Transformation

DYOH Chapters 7 and 8 (Week 4)

DYOH Book Study Week #4

Chapter 7 – Your Health Guide and Compass

Steps to Create Sustainable Health

Step One – Understand the Role of the Coach

Step Two – Find Your Why - Why do want to get healthy?

Step Three – List Your Health Outcomes - What things do you want to bring to your life

Step Four – Use Your Health Compass – Prepare an Optimal Health Storyboard to visualize why you want to make healthy choices.

Step Five – Avoid Emotional Traps

Question for comment:

Is your desire for optimal health a seven-plus on a scale from one to ten?

Chapter 8 – Your Health is all about the Little Things

 95% of us are headed toward a non-sick state and eventually disease

We can determine our futures with a plan of sustainability versus instant breakthrough.

How can we succeed?  Focus on what is most important and then make a lot of small adjustments over time in your daily activities.

Question for comment:

If a choice allowed you to improve your health in some small way, could you adopt it?

For further reading:  Dr. A’s Habits of Health – Chapter 3 – Motivation for Change

DYOH Book Study #3

DYOH Book Study Week #3

 

Chapter 5 – Why does it seem so difficult?

Change is difficult

10 Categories that influence what we want:

1. Our current world
2. Your new world
3. Your design
4. Your current mind-set
5. Your time
6. Your choice
7. Problem-solving orientation
8. Health orientation
9. Your current plan
10. Your new plan

Questions for comment:

What do you want?

Chapter 6 – From Should to Would

Intrinsic motivation – Are you ready to make health a priority?

Success comes when we are really ready to change

Questions for comment:

Is there anything about my life and habits that could have a negative impact on my health or shorten my life?

Does my health matter enough to me now so I am ready to make health a priority?

Are you ready?

Discover Your Health Chapters 1 and 2 Book Study/Video

Thanks again to Kathleen Bell for leading this book study! Watch video and see notes and next assignment under it.

Discovery Your Optimal Health – Notes

Chapter 1 – Our Unhealthy World

v The deck is stacked against us

o   Pollution, chemicals and processed foods make it difficult to thrive

o   We live in a country where 67% of Americans are either overweight or obese

o   The largest cause of illness is obesity

v There is hope

o   We need to change our focus from reacting to disease (and treating symptoms) to eliminating disease

o   We can do something to protect and arm ourselves with formidable defenses against our surroundings

o   We can move toward optimal health

v Healthy Habits are key

o   Developing healthy habits can make you stronger as you face our unhealthy environment

o   Make health the “centerpiece of your life”

o   Small daily choices develop into habits

o   Replace the bad habits with good ones and then the old habits lost their power over us

For comment:

Ø  What are some of your bad habits?

Ø  What changes are you willing to make to move toward optimal health?

Chapter 2 – Are you healthy?

v Health Continuum Quiz – Your Current Position

o   Optimal Health < 5

o   Non-Sick 5 – 20

o   Sick > 20

o   How did you score?

v Habits of Health Quiz – Your Daily Choices

o   Optimal > 50

o   Healthy 35 – 50

o   Unhealthy < 35

o   Are your daily choices moving you toward health or disease?

v Good News

o   We can start to reverse a downward slope in the continuum by choosing an active role in our health!

v Challenge Your Choices!

o   The small daily habits and choices, not the huge thing, change the state of your health

For comment:

Ø  What’s your current mind-set regarding health?

Ø  Do you take action to improve health every day?

Ø  Are your daily habits leading you toward health?

Reading for next session:

Ø  Chapter 3 – Selling Sickness

Ø  Chapter 4 – Does health really matter?

For further reading:

Dr. A’s Habits of Health: Preface, Introduction, and Chapters 1 & 2

Exciting News!!

I am so excited that my fellow health coach and friend, Kathleen Bell, has decided to offer us this book study she is doing with some of her friends. This is the book I recommended you purchase at the beginning of the 90 Day Transformation. You can get this in an audio version or on your device, or get a paperback copy through me or any place you buy books!! Here is what she has to say about this adventure!!! Watch the video too!



Hi Everyone! I am Kathleen Bell, a Certified Health Coach in Maryland who works with Dana, and I am going to be facilitating a Virtual Book Club starting next Thursday, 23 January. We will be reading Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen's, New York Times Bestseller, Discovering Your Optimal Health. 

Here is how it will work: I will provide a reading syllabus for everyone and each Thursday a short video of me will be posted to the blog discussing the reading assignment for that week. There can be lots of interaction by commenting on the blog or the FB page for any questions or insights that you may have regarding the reading.

You can review/read on your schedule, but each week on Thursday there will be a new video post discussing the reading assignment for that week. Easy, easy, easy!!!

I am so excited about us sharing this book together as we sojourn together on our journeys to Optimal Health!