WEEK ELEVEN
Hello and welcome to Week Eleven of the Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan. We hope you are having an excellent week!
This is a great time to embrace change, opportunity and hopefulness. If you are like me, your ambition to:
a) get caught up on the past
b) handle the present
c) launch into the future
may be getting the best of you if, and I say if, you tend to get a little impatient. It is hard to get it all done in a short period of time (especially if your eyes are extremely big!). But again, remember we're running a marathon where the ultimate goal is overall improvement and success in the major areas of our lives. And just like compound interest, the slow but continual steps toward your predetermined goals will come more clearly into focus each day.
On the other hand, if you're not engaged in the above process of:
a) cleaning up the past, which releases additional time and energy (it's amazing how quickly time and energy once spent cleaning up unfinished projects can be redirected and invested into accomplishing much more productive and rewarding pursuits and goals)
b) doing the daily activities (this prevents less cleanups of item a) above and keeps you from having to pay the penalties of neglect)
c) engaging in your future (this is where the biggest prize is, only 3-5% are able to make the future investments of time and planning in the midst of doing their very necessary daily activities)
then by all means start the process. A little bit does make a difference. It is the first step that creates the momentum to make the next step. The act alone of engaging in steps a, b and c is the critical beginning place, in spite of how long or far the journey may seem. It's the consistent and steady movement in the right direction that makes the small incremental investments fairly painless and also creates the confidence and excitement to be truly self-motivated and driven toward your ultimate goals and purpose.
In this week's edition Jim and myself cover Essential Number Three Physical Health, Part Two- Nutritional Health/Healthy Foods Education®. As Jim and Chris both point out, and as cliché as it might sound, nutrition is the fuel that our bodies run on. And if given the choice of material gain or the opportunity to live a healthy and vibrant life, I think we can see that the subject of nutrition and health is, or least should be a major priority in our daily lives.
So set aside some time to read and ponder Jim's, mine and Chris's thoughts and complete the workbook exercises below.
By all means make it a healthy and great week--your future depends on it. Take the First (or Next) Step and Make it a Great Week!
Take care,
Donna
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Copyright Victory Management, Inc. with JRI 2004
HEALTH
The Third Essential for Life Success: Health, Part Two – Nutritional Health/Healthy Foods Education®
When we look at health we are looking in the context of humans consisting of three distinct parts or layers: the Body (the physical nature), the Soul (the mind, will and emotions) and the Spirit (the part of us that transcends this world and communes with God).
We'll cover these three layers in four different parts this month and next. This month we’re looking at the four aspects to physical health.
1. Physical Health – Exercise/Metabolism Retraining®. Last week we looked at the very important area of exercise/metabolism retraining®. We discovered that the area that most people initially think of when they think of health is, "I need to exercise", is so very important. It is the first thought that occurs to most of us. And this is true, we do need exercise, and last week we took an even more in-depth look at this important topic, why we need to do it and got some great personal insight tips from Chris.
2. Physical Health – Nutrition/Healthy Foods Education®. Concentrating on the area of nutrition, it is very important to make sure that we fuel our body properly because our body gets its energy from the foods we eat, just as a vehicle runs off of the fuel we put in it. If we put the wrong kind of fuel into our body, it will not run properly. If we put the right kinds of foods in, it will run like the strong engine of an expensive sports car! This week we’ll review this topic.
3. Physical Health- Supplementation. Scientific research proves that our expected life span has significantly increased! A person of 50 or younger today may very live to be a healthy 140 years of age!! Supplementation is the key to not only living longer, but to living really well and happy during that long life! Just think… looking and feeling fantastic as you play with your great, great grandchild in the back yard! The secret is in knowing what supplements are the right ones for you and how to judge them.
4. Physical Health- Life Success and Circle of Influence. Yes, our physical health has EVERYTHING to do with practicing Life Success. And it has everything to do with who we spend time with. Long-term results come when our focus reflects an attitude of being goal directed and results oriented. When we acknowledge all the results we receive on a day-to-day basis, in each area of our life, and how it ties into our physical life, we want to continue to see them and certainly never lose them. Life Success helps us do that. Those we spend time with dictate our physical health up to 85%… good or bad. Understanding how that works allows our health to improve.
Again, this week we will focus on the second aspect, Physical Health:
Nutrition/Healthy Foods Education®.
The body is a fantastic gift we are given at birth, this physical masterpiece that is ours for life. It grows and develops and is the vehicle with which we go through our entire lives. You only get one body, and it's important to make the most of it. This is why it is so important for us to take seriously the issue of physical health. The body is in a natural state of decay. So it is our job as stewards of our body to keep it in tip top physical shape and treat our bodies well; which can help delay significantly the process of aging. With proper care, our bodies can stay finely tuned; especially now with the medical advancements we have available to us in this generation, we can experience the longest life spans in the history of mankind. Today, one of the fastest growing segments of society is the 80-year old and over group! The average lifespan for both men and women living in the US is now in the mid to late 70’s. Incredible!
One of the key aspects of keeping our bodies fit is the nutritional aspect. Now, before we go further, let me say that the following advice should not be taken as specific medical or nutritional advice – you should see your physician for that and/or follow a dietician-directed program – instead these are general guidelines for leading a physically fit lifestyle as it relates to nutrition. With that in mind, let's take a look at some specific guidelines for physical health as it relates to nutrition. Here are my top tips:
Get Back to the Basics. There are two parts to physical health. You know them. You have heard them many times. Together we would all say: Eat right and exercise! In its simplest form, physical health comes down to these two basics: Eat right and exercise. This is the premise on which the Thin&Healthy program is built. When these two are combined, permanently, lasting weight loss and health results can take place. Last week we talked about exercise. And this week we'll cover the “eat right” message. Simply put, we must eat right. This is a key that is pretty simple to monitor. We all have a basic understanding of what it means to eat right. Pick one of the following as a good vs. not-so-good choice for a snack: A handful of nuts or a candy bar?
For dessert: A small portion of fruit or a pint of ice cream? We all know what it means to “eat right.” It is a simple concept and one we would do well to focus on.
A good analogy to help put this issue of nutrition in perspective would be to think of your body as a vehicle. Now, imagine for a moment that you had worked hard and had been able to save enough money to buy the car of your dreams. Maybe it is a fine luxury car that costs $75,000. You love every aspect of it. It gets you where you want to go and it gets you there in style! Now, after driving for a few hours, you are going to run out of fuel. So, you turn to the owner’s manual and find it tells you that you need to use a specific kind of fuel; superior grade unleaded fuel. Would you then go fill up the car with diesel? It wouldn’t run right if you did. It wasn’t designed for diesel. In reading the owner's manual, you would also see a recommended grade of fuel in order for the car to run at its most efficient level. There will be an octane suggestion; it might be 89. Now, the car could probably run on 87 octane, but not as well as on 89. So you would put in 89 octane. The idea is that you must fuel the vehicle properly. The same is true with our bodies! Our bodies are designed to run on good fuel. There are other fuels that we can put into our bodies but they won’t run as efficiently if we do.
Most of the time people tend to eat what they eat because they want something that tastes good at that moment. What would happen if we began to eat not on what we crave but what our body needs for fuel? It would revolutionize our physical health. If we begin to view our bodies with the “body as a vehicle” analogy and the need to fuel it properly, we will find that our bodies respond by running better, more efficiently and for longer periods of time. That sounds good to me! Start to think of your body as a vehicle that needs to be fueled properly.
Consult with a Physician or Dietician. I would strongly encourage you to have a visit with a person or program who has expertise in the area of nutrition. Sit down with your physician or dietician or weight management coach and go over your nutritional plan. Even if you are not overweight and in good shape, I would encourage you to visit with your healthcare professional anyway. Just because you aren’t overweight, doesn’t mean that you can’t improve your nutrition, which will in turn improve your health.
Take in a Healthy Supply of Good, Nutritional Fuel. Unlike the vehicle we drive, our bodies can run well on a wide variety of foods. Could you imagine if you had the exact same kind of food every time you ate? That would get boring very fast! Fortunately, we have vast amounts of foods that can fuel our bodies properly--all of the healthy choices of fruits, vegetables, breads, grains, meats and dairy products that can help our bodies operate at maximum efficiency. Be sure to eat a wide variety of foods and enjoy them!
Stay Away from Things that are Not Good for You. What would you do if you went outside one evening and found the neighborhood kids playing a prank on you and getting ready to fill you car’s fuel tank with sugar? You would put an end to that quickly! Why? Because you don’t want the neighbor kids to have fun? No, because sugar isn’t good for the car! And the point is there are certain things you wouldn’t fuel your car with and there are certain things you shouldn’t fuel your body with either. The more diligent we are in staying away from foods that are not good for us, the better our bodies will run.
All Things in Moderation. That is the old saying. Most of the health
problems, nutritionally and otherwise, come from a lack of moderation. Can we eat sugar, sure – just not too much. Can we eat some pie sometimes? Certainly, but not too much. We have a nutritional problem in our day – anorexia - that many young people fall into. They eat too little and as a result suffer from many health problems. Moderation means we don’t eat too much or too little. We eat in moderation. We fuel our bodies properly. We don’t weigh too little or too much. We weigh just right for our body frame.
Develop Good Eating Habits. Part of the problem we experience in our
nutrition has to do with our habits. What do we do habitually? Do we get in the habit of stopping at a fast food place every day for lunch and eating high fat foods? Or do we get in the habit of taking ten minutes every evening before we go to bed to prepare a lunch we can take with us that is filled with healthy foods? That is a habit that will pay for itself with nutritional soundness. Just as we need to do in so many areas of our lives, we need to develop good eating and nutritional habits. We are a product of our habits in so many ways.
Develop a Lifelong Plan of Nutrition. One of the best things we can do is to sit down and take time to develop a plan of nutrition that is sustainable long-term. I believe one of the reasons that so many diets fail long-term is because people change the way they are eating to ways that will allow them to lose weight, but are not realistically sustainable long-term. Once they have lost the weight and gotten to a weight they like, they stop eating the way they were when they lost the weight and they go back to eating the way they like to eat. What happens? You guessed it – they gain the weight back. To ensure long-term nutritional health we need to have a sustainable long-term plan of nutrition. The plan should be something that is nutritionally sound, one that we personally enjoy and one we are able to commit to. The plan should be one a person can follow for the rest of their life. That’s why including ALL food groups is vital.
Again, remember that just as you invest money and time in the pursuit of health in other areas of your life, to also invest in this area of nutrition as well. Your body will thank you for it!
Until next week, let's do something remarkable!
Jim Rohn (and Donna Krech)
Next week we will cover Physical Health Part Three - Supplemental Health
Hi, this is Chris Widener and in this section we will take a look at some questions and action points that will help us think deeper about nutritional health – but first a couple of more practical points on nutrition!