Peeke Blog

Talking to one of my patients recently, it occurred to me that people still spend too muchtime analyzing their weight issues, and not enough time doing anything about it.

We just have to remember that getting healthy is a lot simpler than we think.  Most people look at the whole process of change and say to themselves: its so much work, or this will take so long, or I dont have the willpower to stick with it.

Well Ive met each one of these types many times, and have helped every one of them succeed.

In my book Fit to Live, I outlined the Seven Stages of Change. Its an easy way to think about the problem, to accept the problem, and to attack the problem.  Lets look at them again:

Obliviousness. Youre not even aware of the need to change. Maybe the pounds crept on slowly You avoid looking in the mirror, and you dont even think about the fact that you dont exercise. Somewhere in the back of your mind you know youre not handling the stresses of your life well, but it doesnt register on a conscious level. Its a good way to help survive a car accident or a war. But it gets in our way when we need our pain to touch us so that we become aware of that need.

Someday I Will  This is when you admit that just maybe you have a teeny-weeny problem. Youll peek in the mirror, but your inner voice says youll deal with it later: when the kids are back in school, or when things settle down at work, or the day after you get back from vacation. How will waiting another day help? It just solidifies that bad habit even more. The sooner you get into positive habits, the sooner youll begin to see real change.

The Wake-Up Call. One day, you finally get it. The time to change is now. You finally saw yourself in that scary vacation photo. Or the doctor put you on medicine for high blood pressure.   The  wake-up  call  arrives when you become  aware that the tried-and-true ways of numbing yourself from the pain of your stressovereating, alcohol, drugs, anger, withdrawing from friendsare not working anymore. Instead, you begin to notice a visceral feeling of discomfort that cannot be neutralized by your health-destructive habits.

When the wake-up call comes, theres a Click! in your head. Its when you realize that the pain youll feel from changing will be far less than the pain of staying where you are.

Humble Acceptance of Needed Actions. This is when you stop fighting this simple truth. To be Fit to Live, you have to do the work in these five elements of your life: Mind, Mouth, Muscle, Money and Macrocosm. You just have to. Period. Just like you dont fight against taking a shower every day, it doesnt make any sense to fight against the actions you need to become Fit to Live.

Scientists have done study after study revealing why people make changes in lifestyle. But in every case, there is a humble acceptance point. After the wake-up call click, theres a peaceful place you settle into where you dont spend any more Body Dollars complaining about the work of changing. Instead, you humbly accept what youve got to do from now on.

Getting in Gear.  Here is when you come up with an action plan based upon small steps. You gradually incorporate them into your daily routines. But when the going gets tough, these routines help you fight off instincts to go back to the bad old ways.

Most of the routines are things you already know how to do: getting out of the office at lunchtime and moving, watching your portions But others youll have to fold into your life.  How, when and where depends on your personal circumstances.

Just create a plan, and add each element in small bites. Theyll blend into your routine more easily, and they effortlessly stay there. If you make a grand plan to change everything on the first day, youll most likely give up by the fourth day. I suggest you start by adding one tip a day, and building from there.

Staying Focused with Your Power Why. Your Power Why helps you when it boils down to a choice to bank those Body Dollars or not. It needs to be really simple, or it wont work when those doughnuts are calling your name. Youre either going to eat the doughnut thats sitting there or the yogurt and walnuts you brought to work. Your Power Why helps you make that choice.

Your Power Why is like an invisible 2 by 4 to your head. It wakes you up from your stress trance, and keeps you mindful of the consequences of your choice.  

I always think of Zoe, a beautiful, smart 13-year-old who inherited her fathers obesity gene. The child of a stressful divorce, she was overweight and unhappy. Shed tried a number of weight-reduction programs, but nothing worked. When we met, I asked her what gave her joy; what she dreamed of. In a word, it was Broadway. She was a fantastic singer and as she fell asleep each night, she sang and danced on Broadway in her dreams. Her Power Why? Broadway or no way. Every time I see her, Broadway has been winning.

Planning for the Rest of Your Life. When times get tough (and they always do) I never say youve relapsed or fallen off the wagon. Every misstep is a golden opportunity to plan a little and move on.

Lets say youre abruptly invited to an 8pm dinner at your bosss home. Do you want to go? No, its too late for you to eat.  So you just have to plan a little. Eat responsibly through the day, and have a little yogurt in mid-afternoon as an appetite suppressant. That way when you go to the dinner, you can eat a salad, some vegetables and a small entre, and quietly manage your food intake without offending your hosts. This way you can quietly stay on track with your routines of becoming healthy.

So many people get derailed by little events like this.  But this little bit of planning is a simple way to manage your intake and not offend your host at the same time.   

These Seven steps seem like a lot--but theyre not. Take every one of them one at a time. Im a firm believer in small steps: if you dont walk to the end of the street, youll never be able to walk around the block. When you take small steps every day, before you know it youre taking lots of small steps every day and youve changed your entire daily routine. You will notice a big change in how you feel, how you sleep and how you look.

In the end, your friends will be analyzing how good you look, asking how you did it, and youll be answering it was simple