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Four Umbrella Resolutions

Dr. Ralph Ofcarcik, Ph.D.
Director of Nutrition Services

  Ninety-two percent of all New Year's resolutions will never be attained due to poor planning, at least according to resolution guru Gary Ryan Blair. His website, www.10millionresolutions.com, is designed to change that; its purpose, per Blair, is "to create the world's largest change initiative and positively impact the lives of 10 million people throughout the world". His modus operandi: teach better planning. Although 10 million surfers have not, as yet, visited the site, several thousand have. I was the 68,084th visitor to include a resolution in the Blair's growing database. For contributing, I was rewarded with a "Fast Start Kit" (a plan for resolution success), an almost free "Got Goals" t-shirt ($5 for postage and handling), and an impressive certificate with my name, date, and database resolution number.

  Blair, of course, is on to something. If 9 out of 10 resolutions go by the wayside within two months, maybe poor planning is to blame. On the other hand, if most of us were successful in meeting our 2007 goals, there would likely be at least a small groundswell of personal empowerment. And, since we know that success breeds success, the self-perpetuating fervor inherent to having made it happen would likely catalyze new ambitions/new projects.

  Anyone who has been to a goal-setting workshop will likely recall many of the tenets of effective goal design – do-ability, mileposts, scheduling, accountability, prioritizing, contracts with oneself, etc. These were never more applicable than in planning our New Year's resolutions. Since, for many of us, health issues involving weight loss, exercise, blood pressure, etc. are included on our menu of 2007 goals, I offer the following omnipotent "umbrella" resolution suggestions - upstream goals with spin-off potential for assuring other successes, elusive in prior years:

Resolution 1: Detoxify the mind

  Nearly everyone hauls around energy-zapping emotional garbage – thoughts of abusive parents, nepotistic employers, even the schmucks back in grade school who caused us major embarrassment or pain. During rational moments, we may realize these recurrent sources of anger and fear have taken a significant bite out of life's quality – somehow believing that recognition will, in itself, result in a positive reprogramming of our psyches. Not so. We need to employ effective tools from trained specialists to detoxify the mind. From personal experience, I recommend energy medicine (for emotional release) or more traditional psychological therapy. The possible rewards? . . . Making effective peace with your enemies (past and current), deriving greater pleasure in the moment, and enjoying a prevailing sense of relaxed fearlessness.

Resolution 2: Detoxify the body

  The downside of living in industrialized countries is a lifetime exposure to thousands of toxic chemicals – pesticides, air pollutants, and xenobiotic food additives - all strongly related to disease and ill-health. With 24 successful week-long clinical detoxification programs to Red Mountain's credit, I can attest to the numerous benefits enjoyed by participants. It is not unusual, for example, to receive enthusiastic emails from past "detoxers" citing more energy, better sleep, less (or no) pain as some of the primary health improvements.

  In addition to the 4-week program offered at RMS (1 week at the spa, 3 weeks at home), near identical programs are conducted by physicians, naturopaths, and chiropractors who have been trained by the Institute for Functional Medicine (see www.functionalmedicine.org for a practitioner in your area). And, with a little extra effort, clinical detoxification can be conducted entirely at home. (See the August 2006 eBlast, "Detoxification at Home").

Resolution 3: Eat more plant-based foods

  It's been said that the human race has evolved from depending on 880 plant foods (as primary sources of nourishment) to only 3 - French fries, catsup, and iceberg lettuce. Adding inflammatory burgers and fiberless white buns to the equation yields the major nemesis to modern health. To the contrary, those whose daily diets include substantial intakes of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains have reduced incidences of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, etc.

  The current average intake of fruits and vegetables in the U.S. is 4.8 servings per day - a mite low when compared to the current HHS/USDA guideline, i.e. 10 servings per day. Since Rome and a healthy diet were not built in a day, I recommend a resolution of consuming 3 additional servings of fruits and vegetables per day - one more per meal - if your current daily consumption is 7 or less. (Note: Generally, a serving is ½ C veggies or 1 whole fruit). Those plant-based micronutrients that we hear little of (polyphenolics) are continuing to gain research-support for their integral role in side-stepping disease.

Resolution 4: Enjoy exercise

  Logically, there are 2 reasons why people fail to sustain an exercise program:

1. Most exercise programs are initiated to reduce the emotional and physical discomfort associated with being overweight, sustaining poor health, or enduring mega doses of daily stress. Although these are responsible reasons to act, they are also negative motivators – which in the past have never been totally successful in the home, on the job, or in the pulpit.
2. Many exercise routines are boring.

  Suggestion: Find some positive reasons to exercise. To make exercise fun, interesting, certainly not boring, consider: Walking around a different route each day; becoming an expert in classic movies or taking a music appreciation course while exercising on stationary equipment; training to "take the stairs" up the highest skyscrapers within a 200 mile radius and planning trips centered around the "assaults", etc. For most, a brainstorming session with oneself will yield plenty of productive ideas for transforming exercise from a part of the stress to a break in the stress.