Habits of Health Weekly Meeting

Habits of Dis-ease

Are Also known as Slight Errors in Judgment

Habits of Dis-ease apply equally to all areas of life. They apply on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels equally. Poor or bad choices lead to disabling habits, which in turn develop dis-ease and unbalance within the body, mind, and Spirit.

One major causes of disease is "inflammation." Avoid it when possible.
Inflammation can come from many sources, including sugar, chemicals contained in foods, chemicals created during a cooking process (grilling on the barbecue), and eating the wrong types of fat. Sweet sugary chemical laden foods that lead to tooth decay and gum disease, which in turn leads to systemic inflammation. Systemic inflammation is a byproduct of being overweight or obese.

Together (by rejecting habit of dis-ease) i Can

Posture: Walking duck-footed or pigeon-toed leads to knee or hip replacements. Which should be considered a better option: Correcting the posture before the damage occurs or waiting for surgery?

Alcohol: Can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a very miserable lifestyle, and even death. Which should be considered a better option: Stop consuming alcohol before it does the damage or wait for the symptoms to become so great with the damage already done before you take steps to rectify anything?

Diet: Eating sugary foods can lead to Type II diabetes, which could lead to blindness, amputation, and death.
Which should be considered a better option: Changing the diet today and developing better eating habits or waiting until the damage has been done?

Lack of sleep: Can lead to depression, anxiety, fatigue, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and a miserable life.
Which should be considered a better option: Taking all the steps suggested and required to improve your sleep environment and your sleep habits or wait until those habits are so entrenched that they seem to be impossible to overcome? It’s my belief that it is never too late to start.

Poor Hydration: Can result in numerous gut issues, blood disorders, seizures, kidney problems, cramps, headaches, muscle weakness, and dizziness.
It is said that we should drink half our weight in ounces of water to stay hydrated. Which is better: To not focus on how much water we drink (being lackadaisical about our hydration) or making plans and setting the stage for getting enough water each day?

Over-Eating: Stuffing ourselves, getting our money’s worth at every meal.
Which should be considered the better option: Eating reasonably for our health and not eating for our taste buds. Eating every two and a half hours to maintain vitality and energy throughout the day to prevent ravenous behavior. Changing your mindset from meals to fuelings.

Shortness of breath: Asthma, building up toxins in the lungs, inflammation, decreased energy, sleep problems, and decreasing health.
Which should be considered the better option? Improving our breathing through breath exercises, activity, and exercise or letting it continue to deteriorate until we are on medications to help us breathe?
Shallow breathing will determine the CO2 set point in the body. A higher set point of carbon dioxide, due to shallow breathing will lead to more headaches.

Lack of Preventive Measures: Relying upon Re-Hab instead of using Pre-Hab – waiting until the other shoe has dropped. Which would be considered smarter: Developing Dis-Ease and then taking a medication to alleviate the symptoms or taking Preventive Measures beforehand to prevent to occurrence in the first place.

Smoking: Leads to emphysema, stomach and/or lung cancer, and early death. Seems to be a dumb question, but what are the benefits of smoking? Why would someone not quit, knowing the risks involved? Which should be considered the better option: Stop smoking or continue to smoke and except the dysfunctional aspects that come along with it.

Snacking: Not eating a full, balanced, low calorie, nutritional meal every 2 ½ to 3 hours. Snacking typically involves some unhealthy choices of foods. Which would be better: Planning your meals out the day before or just keep doing the same old thing out of habit (a bad habit, I might say)?

Eating unhealthy proteins, such as hotdogs and lunch meats, both loaded with chemicals and unhealthy fat. Why not tell our taste buds who are demanding to be satisfied to shut up? Why not make the choice to choose healthier proteins?

Eating unhealthy starches, such as donuts, cookies, cakes, and French fries—unhealthy starches have one thing in common—a High Glycemic Factor. Which is easier to deal with: Type 2 diabetes or normal blood sugar levels?

Eating unhealthy fats, Omega six - arachidonic acid (excess of which creates inflammation), saturated fats, and hydrogenated fats. Which would make more sense: Focusing on the good fats, omega 3 (EPA and DHA), vitamin D, vitamin A, and limiting the harmful effects of the unhealthy fats or continuing to pay no attention to what we put into our mouths?

Relying upon instant gratification: Feeding our wishes, desires, and cravings with a satisfaction that lasts moments. Or can we put off those cravings, knowing that by delaying them we are gaining a stronger hold on Optimal Health?

Always in a hurry, everything is an emergency, rushing to get things done. Are you always putting our fires, getting caught up in emergencies? Slow down! Instead of trying to Force life to happen, move into Power and allow life to happen. Live in the NOW and take care of situations as they occur. Letting go of procrastination means fewer emergencies.

Lack of Mindfulness by not paying close attention to details, we allow our lives to be run by the committee in the mind (EGO); saying “That’s just the way I am” without thinking “It doesn’t have to be that way, I can change.”

Health is an overall endeavor; it takes physical aspects, mental aspects, emotional aspects and spiritual aspects to improve the big picture. Some may even add in a financial aspect. We sometimes spend money on un-needed items and avoid spending money on items that would bring us closer to Optimal Health.

Many times people want to self-diagnose and cherry pick individual items to bring on instant health and cures (half measures). To me, this concept seems to be based upon false thinking, erroneous knowledge, and false beliefs.
It’s based on the idea of instant gratification rather than delayed gratification.

I understand that we all have to die, that is not an option. But everyone has the option of putting emphasis on their health and taking intermediate steps to improve that health before they die.

It is my desire to die healthy! I am willing to go the extra mile to stay healthy. Are you?

Sloppy, lazy, mindless, dysfunctional living always leads to Dis-Ease and a degeneration of our health status. When repeated over time, this type of living will create Habits of Dis-Ease.

Habits you may want to avoid or, if you already have them, dispose of them.

Having three meals per day (with snacks in-between)
          Start a new habit of having fuelings every 2 ½ to 3 hours.
Having only coffee or orange juice for breakfast
          Add some protein along with your carbohydrates (obtain balance)
Watching TV after 10 PM nightly
          Develop a habit of doing something mind calming and relaxing before bed
Eating pasta, rice, and bread
          Avoid simple sugars that create blood sugar spiking
Enjoying eating out at least 4 to 5 times per week (midday or evening)
          a. If you must eat out, avoid fast food and all-you-can eat places
Getting 4 to 6 hours sleep per night
          Lack of sleep increases the chances of weight gain.
Finishing your meal with dessert
          Dessert adds calories and will possibly spike the blood sugar
Drinking more diet soda than water
          Carbonated drinks deplete the vitamins and minerals in the body
Having a midday candy bar to get you through till dinner
          Blood sugar spikes increase the chances of adding fat (weight)
Wearing clothes with elastic waist bands
          Increases the chances of not noticing when your waist is expanding
Choosing potato chips for a snack
          Increased fat consumption; increased fat storage
Having summer sausage (or other high fatty foods) as a snack
          Increased fat consumption leads to increased fat storage
Avoiding Spiritual enlightenment because of old beliefs.
          Read the Gospels, Proverbs or possibly the Psalms
Avoiding confrontation because you want to protect your feelings.
          Take a chance, feel the Fear and do it anyway.
Procrastinating when action is required to improve the situation.
          Learn to make a decision and move into action
Allowing worry and anxiety to rule one’s life.
          Feel the fear, turn it over to God and let go of worry and anxiety
Being resentful and unforgiving.
          Become aware that God forgives you, therefore, you should forgive.
Put yourself down with disabling thoughts after making a mistake.
          Refusing to think negatively about yourself
Bitching and complaining about situations in your life.
          Taking responsibility for all of the results in my life
Maintaining a BMI over 25.
          Taking responsibility and doing what it takes to maintain a healthy weight
Refusing to allow oneself to make mistakes. (perfectionism)
          Allowing oneself to learn from mistakes and change
Placing blame on others and being a victim.
          Become responsible for one’s results and consequences
Being a co-dependent or co-enabler
          Understand that the only person that you can control, and change is YOU!
Not having an understanding the definition of “SUCCESS” that will maintain that success under any circumstance.

Earl Nightingale - Success is a: “Progressive Realization of a Worthy Ideal”.

I interpret that to mean that if I am one micro-inch or one degree closer to my Worthy Ideal, then I am successful. I don’t have to finish the project or win first prize to be successful.

Change your definition and change your life!

Together (with a Health Coach) i Can Identify disabling habits

 

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Michael McCright
Free Health Coaching – provided by the "Together i Can Group"
Together i Can Inc.
March 1, 2022

Call 619-316-6900