Here’s a question:

Would you like yourself better if:

1. You lost any excess body fat you are carrying around?
2. Had a more fit, toned body?
3. Were more compliant with your exercise program and better dietary practices?

Would it have a positive effect on:

1. Your level of happiness and self-esteem?
2. Your quality of life?
3. Your confidence level?
4. Your social and/or professional life?
5. Your energy level and feeling of optimism?
6. Your ability to better manage an existing health problem (e.g. high cholesterol, diabetes, prediabetes, etc.)?

If so, are you committed to taking action, if the action required is not excessive, and does not entail major deprivation, sacrifice and physically exhausting exercise?

If your answer is yes then, how exactly do make it happen? I love what Dr. Dean Ornish said in his May 12, 2016 interview on Medscape. Dr. Ornish is a medical doctor and researcher who developed the only documented dietary and lifestyle program ever shown to reverse coronary artery disease. The same diet also stabilized localized prostate cancer in a recent trial as well. Dr Ornish doesn’t insist that new patients follow his dietary program to the letter at the outset of the program, but rather asks them after explaining the program, what dietary changes are you willing to make right now? How much exercise are you willing to start with right now?

In the end it comes down to what changes you can start with right now. And the truth is that – only you can decide it. Not your wife or husband, or your brother, or your best friend. It has to be what you find acceptable and tolerable, or you simply won’t make any lasting changes. I created the Nutrition Manager Feature on the Meschino Wellness Platform for this reason. If you haven’t used it yet, it’s a great exercise to help you decide what dietary and other changes you are willing to make right now. You can always revisit it in 90 days or so and add some additional changes, but the key is to make changes that are palatable for you right now.

Wellness is a journey, and you can always make other changes in the future once you are ready for them.They key is to start with what you are willing to do right now – and only you can decide that.

I encourage you to click on the Nutrition Manager and set our your initial, personalized game plan to:

• Reduce your risk of cancer.
• Better manage your glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure.
• And take your approach to wellness to the next level.

It’s a fun and inspirational exercise that takes only minutes, but it will strengthen your ability to make changes that will have you feeling better about yourself, looking better on the outside, and being healthier on the inside. Ok… click on the Nutrition Manager… and go and have some fun!

Eat Smart, Live Well, Look Great

Dr. James Meschino
DC,MS, ROHP