Developing a Healthy Lifestyle One Day at a Time
Dec 9, 2021
When patients come to me to discuss how they can improve their health or manage diseases, the most frequently asked questions are “How can I lose weight?” and “How can I improve my diet?” I also hear “I’m exercising a couple of days a week and not seeing results. What am I doing wrong?”
These are important questions, but I encourage you to consider that health, diet, food, and exercise are words that mean something different to everyone. Often this is because of habits we learned from our families growing up. It is also very likely the influence of today’s culture, as many of us find social media, conflicting news reports, and “influencer” advice buzzing in our ears almost constantly. Most of this advice is a little or a lot off target - misinformation dressed up in a pretty package, and it’s where many harmful lifestyle habits begin.
I promise you, there is a better way. One that will help you achieve improved health and not damage your body.
You Are Not Alone
I have had a deep interest in the impact of diet on overall health since medical school and even spent time on extra training in Lifestyle Medicine. Food is one of the most powerful tools we have to stay healthy and even treat many of our chronic diseases. My goal is to teach and empower patients to live the fullest and healthiest life.
Environment, lifestyle, stress, fitness and medical problems all play a role in your body’s response to positive nutrition. This is why, after we talk about your goals and expectations, I will provide solid, science-based nutritional and medical recommendations to set you on the path to whole person health. We can work on setting long-term and short-term goals together.
We’ll also discuss what you are doing now. If your life is like mine, it’s really busy. And it’s easy to put yourself last when you are taking the kids to school, missing lunch to finish a project, or working overtime. Slowly this pace pulls you away from the habits you want to develop or good habits you once had.
I also want to emphasize how important it is to understand you don’t have to make all of these changes at one time. Small steps can help to reach meaningful goals over time and tend to build on each other. Most people find creating healthy habits less daunting when it happens over time.
So, let’s talk. Call my office and schedule time for us to meet. I am committed to your success - we’ll take it one day at a time. The right way.
Check back here regularly during the next few months for information and tips for reaching your goals.
Learn more about how Dr. Clay can help you reach your heath goals, 707-467-4327.