Your Health, Your Food, and Your Attitude? by Joan Kent, PhD
Your Health, Your Food, and Your Attitude?
by Joan Kent, PhD
Do you have a persistent health issue that hasn’t responded to nutrition?
More people are using nutrition and fitness to help them overcome problems that used to send them to doctors and pharmacies. If you’ve been working on the problem for a while – weight loss, high glucose, headaches, diabetes – you’ve probably tried many strategies. But don’t assume you’ve tried everything. There are more.
Here are 3 tips to help you get the most from your food plan – and your nutritionist’s suggestions.
• Don’t improvise.
Instead: Follow instructions!
A recent client had been to many doctors, but wanted to start treating her diabetes without meds. She was taking 31 different supplements. Really. Some of the supplements were for health issues she didn’t have, like liver and thyroid.
Her fasting glucose was not dropping lower, so her results were poor. But she kept taking 31 supplements.
Among other things, I suggested she lighten the stress on her liver and kidneys by eliminating any supplements that were not geared to lowering glucose. When we met a week later, she told me her glucose had gone up, not down.
Why? She had eliminated ALL supplements, including the glucose-lowering ones. (Sigh.)
• Don’t say “no” for a ridiculous reason.
Instead: Be open to something new. Put your health first.
The same client above was in terrible shape physically. Her workouts barely brought her heart rate to 95 – AND she was exercising only 3 times a week. She needed to work out with some serious intent.
More frequent exercise caused pain in her legs. I suggested she buy a Krankcycle – an absolutely brilliant piece of exercise equipment by Johnny G. I even found a certified, refurbished one for her at a terrific price. It would have enabled her to work out more days each week by alternating upper body workouts with leg workouts.
Alternating the 2 types of cardio would have sensitized upper- and lower-body muscle to insulin. That’s exactly what she needed for solid results.
She refused.
Why? She said they didn’t have room. Her beautiful home is huge, so it made no sense. She wouldn’t consider putting the Krankcycle in a different room or in the large garage. Who knows? Maybe 8 cars lived in it. Or a family of 5.
Anyway, the answer was “no,” and the reason seemed ridiculous. The result? Her glucose didn’t move. (Big surprise.)
• Leave your comfort zone.
Discomfort can be part of one’s comfort zone. Some people even cling to it: maybe the devil they know is better than the devil they don’t know? Self-honesty is key here.
Instead: Decide to DO what it takes to move forward. Then do it.
A former client had a sleep issue, medically diagnosed as low serotonin. That brain chemical promotes relaxation and is the precursor of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
The client rejected every suggestion I made to increase bedtime serotonin – and it’s an easy (and tasty) thing to do. My recommendations even made her angry, and they’re just about food.
The behavioral psychologist on our team said this client felt “special” because of her sleep problem.
A comfort zone isn’t always the best place to be. For your health, do what it takes to move forward, despite temporary discomfort.
Take exercise. Starting is uncomfortable at first because it’s new. As we continue, we adapt – and that’s when the magic happens. Food works the same way.
If you’d like help with nutrition to improve your health and energy, perfect! That’s what I do. Just visit www.LastResortNutrition.com and grab your FREE Empowered Eating Consult. Find out how easy it is to move forward and enjoy great health.
Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar: 7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.
