Greetings,
In this post I will outline the Five Rules For Healthy Living. Each rule encapsulates the most important habits that ALL healthy people practice every day.
The Five Rules For Healthy Living is NOT a DIET plan. It is the FIRST STEP in your complete transformation to healthy living.
Truly changing one's behaviour is 5% instruction and 95% self-motivation, self-discovery, consistent practice and new habit forming (notice I didn't say self-control).
5% instructions? Such a small number? What do I mean?
Let's use an example to illustrate. I am a huge sports fan. I have always enjoyed watching elite athletes like Michael Jordan, the Williams sisters, Tiger Woods and Lionel Messi play throughout their careers. During interviews or after reaching a milestone achievement, all of them attribute much of their success to an influential coach or mentor from their past.
This used to always confused me. I couldn't understand how a coach with less than a third of the skills of the elite athlete and who only spent a short period of time with them, could teach the now pro anything? How in the world could Richard Williams teach Serena how to return a serve at 100mph? How could Dean Smith teach Michael Jordan how to improve his jump shot or make those amazing dunks during the dunking contest?
I thought that only another elite pro could teach other elite pros how to play their respective sports? But this was obviously not correct. We know that many of the greatest coaches tend to have been mediocre players (if they played at all). Moreover, it is also a known fact that many of the best players turn out to be horrible coaches and even worst general managers (Ask any Charlotte Bobcat fan!)
It was only after unsuccessfully trying time and time again to follow numerous detailed diet plans created and promoted by so-called experts that I realized that no matter how much knowledge an instructor has; and no matter how logical and persuasive they may be - an instructor can't create a program and/or personally teach somebody EVERYTHING they need to know in order to improve their health.
At best, an instructor can only provide a bit of structure, a little insight and maybe some needed encouragement along the way. Many instructors, nutritionist in particular, forget that you know 10 times MORE about being unhealthy than they will ever know about being healthy!
This is where strict diet plans fail; I want to spend 95% of the time talking about why you are unhealthy and only 5% of the time talking about what it takes to be healthy; Because once you understand why you are unhealthy and sincerely have the desire to truly change it will only take a FEW simple steps to start living healthy.
On the contrary, most diets attempt to provide people who have 5% of motivation and self-discovery with 95% instruction in the form of complicated rules and eating schedules.
While all of that advice, is valid and has its place; right now you are operating in the FIRST chapter of your COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION.
Imagine if on your first day of algebra class; the teacher began writing advanced calculus formulas on the board. The ENTIRE class would be lost.
This is why it completely BEFUDDLES me that so-called diet experts expect a person with a POOR relationship with food to suddenly start monitoring the calorie count of EVERY SINGLE piece of food and drink they put into their mouth?!?!?! Yes a small fraction of the people on calorie counting programs are successful, but the vast MAJORITY of them fail miserably.
The reality however is that YOU already KNOW what it takes to improve your own health. The issue is that you are yet to come to terms with what is destroying your health.
To that end, once YOU have made your mind up to change; YOU only need a TINY BIT of INITIAL guidance. Then YOU will fly like an eagle to an improved healthy lifestyle in your OWN way during your OWN time.
This is the ESSENCE of the Five Rules For Healthy Living!!!!
Critics will point out HUNDREDS of exceptions and HUNDREDS of ways to gain weight while observing the Five Rules For Healthy Living.
Those with good intentions will try to ADD rules such as "eat brown rice instead of white rice; or increase your protein intake, or don't eat fried food, or don't eat after 8pm."
Others will say stuff like, "Well if you have a salad with loads of high fat dressing on it; the salad is just as bad as a hamburger." or "What if you soak your collard greens in pork fat; that is a veggie but it is high in sodium and fat right?" or "What about sweet potatoes that are drowned in molasses, and marsh mellows; again another veggie but high in sugar right?"
I like to deal with this by referring to one of my favourite biblical parables adapted by Martin Luther King and modified by me in the context of the Five Rules for Healthy Living.
"One day, one night, a juror came to Jesus and he wanted to know what he could do to be [healthy]. Jesus didn't get bogged down on the kind of isolated approach of what you shouldn’t do. Jesus didn’t say, “Now Nicodemus, you must stop [eating so many simple carbs].” He didn’t say, “Nicodemus, now you must not [eat fatty meats everyday].” He didn't say, “Now Nicodemus, you must stop [consuming so much salt and sugar on a daily basis].” He didn't say, “Nicodemus, you must stop drinking [liquor & soda so much] if you are doing that excessively.”
[Jesus] said something altogether different, because Jesus realized something basic: that if a man will [drink a diet soda], he will [drink regular soda]. And if a man will [routinely eat 3 types of processed meats with sugary pancakes covered in sugary syrup with a side of sugary sweet tea], he will [routinely frequent the Denny's all you can eat breakfast bar].
So instead of just getting bogged down on one thing, Jesus looked at him and said, “Nicodemus, you must be BORN AGAIN.”
In other words, “Your entire [relationship with food] must be changed.”
[Obesity, lack of energy, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer]; All of these problems are tied together.
What I’m saying today is that we must go from this [blog] and say, “[Americans], [your relationship with food] must be BORN AGAIN!”
And those who have been born again or made any such commitment know that the instructions take 2 minutes; the right hand of fellowship takes another 2 minutes; but the journey last a lifetime.
Today I will give you the instructions. Your life long journey to better health will only begin when you are ready.
The Five Rules for Healthy Living are ONLY the FIRST chapter of your new life. First master these habits for the next 60 days. Then explore and adopt things that work for YOU.
YOU will discovery what YOU need to do in order to be healthy and ENJOY life. These two concepts are NOT mutually exclusive.
YOU will discovery what YOU need to do in order to be healthy and ENJOY life. These two concepts are NOT mutually exclusive.
Check out this video; her story epitomises what I am trying to say:
Point #1: "She tried EVERY DIET and they ALL WORKED, but shortly afterwards she regained the weight"
Point #2: "She decided to FORGET about LOSING WEIGHT and focus instead of just being healthier and ENJOY her life"
Point #3: "She taught HERSELF about being healthy and took ONLY the PARTS that SHE UNDERSTOOD" [THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS IN THE WHOLE VIDEO]
Point #4 The road to HEALTH [notice she said health first] and weight loss second is a LONG journey]
Point #5 She was sitting on the couch listening to a speaker talk about living an abundant life [Basically not
only do you need to feed your BODY healthy foods, you need to feed your MIND healthy
thoughts. This may require that you change the circle of people that you hang with.]
only do you need to feed your BODY healthy foods, you need to feed your MIND healthy
thoughts. This may require that you change the circle of people that you hang with.]
Point #6 Her exercises program began with her walking less than TWO blocks and back [so NO excuses]
Point #7 This is YOUR health and YOUR life.
The final and most important takeaway from this video and the Five Rules of Healthy Living is that once YOU finish YOUR transformation and people start asking you what you did; your response should be something like;
"I just started taking small steps to become more healthy. I didn't follow a specific diet program, but I did learn more about being healthy and incorporated some of the tips that I UNDERSTOOD and knew that I could FOLLOW into my daily life."
"I just started taking small steps to become more healthy. I didn't follow a specific diet program, but I did learn more about being healthy and incorporated some of the tips that I UNDERSTOOD and knew that I could FOLLOW into my daily life."
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Five Rules for Healthy Living
Rule #1 NO sugary drinks including fruit juice for the next 60 days.
Rule #2 NEVER eat more than 8 ounces per meal for the next 60 days
Rule #3 NEVER eat a meal that does not include at least 2 vegetables (fruit substitutes are
Rule #4 SURROUND yourself with no LESS than 8 SEPARATE low fat, low sugar and
Rule #5 EXERCISE at LEAST 20 minutes a day 4 days per week. (Continue for the rest of
your life.)
Rule #2 NEVER eat more than 8 ounces per meal for the next 60 days
Recommended number of meals is 4 to 5; but eat as many times as you need to in
order not to get hungry)
Rule #3 NEVER eat a meal that does not include at least 2 vegetables (fruit substitutes are
allowed) (Continue the rest of your life.)
Rule #4 SURROUND yourself with no LESS than 8 SEPARATE low fat, low sugar and
low-salt SNACKS that you can eat AROUND THE CLOCK and not detract from
your weight management goals. (Continue for the rest of your life.)
Rule #5 EXERCISE at LEAST 20 minutes a day 4 days per week. (Continue for the rest of
your life.)
If 20 minutes is too much start at an amount that you feel comfortable with and
gradually build-up Consider starting with 2 minutes per day 5 days a week and add ONLY one minute per day per week. For example; Week 1: 5 minutes of walking per day per week; Week 2; 6 minutes of walking per day per week.
STRICTLY follow these rules for the next 60 days or the rest of your life and use them as a SPRINGBOARD of self-discovery where YOU come to YOUR OWN realization of what will work for YOU for the rest of your life!
And finally, the only admonishment that the critics give which is actually true; is that I can't change a person that doesn't want to change. I can talk and write until I am "blue in the face" but if a person doesn't want to change; all of my effort will be in vain.
So despite being able to eat ANYTHING you want; you are still unwilling to go 60 days without a sugary drink (or longer if that is required for you to understand that a soda is a TREAT which should be enjoyed only occasionally);
If you are unwilling to eat a MODEST portion sized meal even though you are allowed to eat as many meals as you want.
If you are unwilling to include vegetables prepared the way that YOU LIKE them as part of a meal that YOU enjoy.
If you are unwilling to take 15 MINUTES out of your day to prepare snacks that YOU ENJOY.
If you are unwilling to get active for at least FIVE minutes a day until you can reach 20 minutes consistently...
If you are unwilling to do those things...then YOU and I should both know that YOU are unwilling to change..
There is not a diet in the WORLD that you will follow unfortunately.
Happy eating,
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