Published January 10, 2004 in the North Island Weekender
Happy New Year everyone! It has been 7 years since I relocated here from Vancouver and I thank the people of Campbell River and the communities of North Island for supporting naturopathic medicine. The success of the practices of ND’s (naturopathic doctors) is the offer of a choice of complementary health care.
Like you I am wondering how I might best institute a few healthful changes over
the next 12 months. It is very easy to spout off New Year’s Resolutions but
usually by the end of January if not long before, they are dust in the wind.
There is a well known psychological fact that states if you do a thing for 21
days consecutively it will become a habit. The trick is the word consecutive.
If you break the pattern for one day you must start over! I am trying this with
a Pilates video (a form of floor exercises developed by Mr. Pilates) I have had
for several years and not taken full advantage of. I am at day seven doing it
daily which takes 30 minutes. Already I am conscience of my posture and I am
getting curious what other changes I will feel in 30 days when it is promised
that I will feel I have a new body!
What other changes are realistic for you over the next 12 months? If you
institute one 21-day habit each month, then you will have 12 new healthful
habits for 2004!
January habit could be “Move your body 30 minutes each day”. Here are a few ideas to get you going.
February: drink 8 glasses of water per day. This could mean drink two glasses
before noon, two before 3pm, two before 6pm and another 2 before 8pm, trying
not to drink with meals which dilutes digestive enzymes. This can also include
drinking green tea which is cancer fighting.
March: Eat five cups of vegetables per day. This could mean1 scoop of Greens
First in your breakfast smoothie, 1 cut up bell pepper for lunch, one cup of
carrots as a snack after work and two cups of your favorite vegetables for
dinner including a salad or a soup. Two cups of fruit should be easy: one
serving in your vitamin drink and one fruit as an evening snack.
April: Avoid eating carbohydrates with proteins at the dinner meal to start.
This will take you along the path of reducing carbohydrate intake, easing gas
and bloating and facilitating weight loss.
May: Get enough sleep by getting to bed in time to allow for 8 hours, which is the average requirement. Getting one hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours after midnight. If you have trouble sleeping try taking calcium and magnesium before bed. Sleep is critical for the healing process in the body. Allow yourself to take naps on the weekend.
June: Meditation or some sort of contemplative process daily allows us to
handle the day- to-day stresses more effectively. For some this might be a
walking meditation using an audiotape.
July: Add fiber to your diet. This might be in the form of psillium husks
(Howard Hughes took these for years long before it was popular), sunflower,
pumpkin or flaxseeds. The latter can be ground ahead of time and added to
salads and cereals.
August: Take a routine supplement program in order to get enough of the basic
nutrients: calcium, magnesium, B complex and essential fatty acids. For most
this is taken with breakfast.
September: Add herbs to your daily diet. Consider ginger, garlic, cayenne,
ginseng, licorice (except those with high blood pressure) or “Greens First”
which contains several herbs.
October: List five things you are grateful for in your spouse or in your day-
to- day life and keep it in a diary. The more grateful you are the more you
will notice love, joy and beauty in your life and it will improve relations
with your spouse too!
November: Define what is FUN for you, (this is NOT watching television) and
make sure you get a dose everyday!
December: Plan your day each morning
and make sure you include one hour of down time, where you can take time out to
do things that are restful, fun or enjoyable.
Try any of these for 21 consecutive days and see what new habits you can establish to help create a fabulous 2004!
Dr.
Pincott has been practicing naturopathic medicine since 1985 and is currently
practicing in Campbell River. She can be reached at (250) 286-3655 or www.DrPincott.com