5 Reasons People Don't Get Healthy

Today, I'd like to address what I feel are the top 5 primary reasons why people don't get healthy and stay well.  I'll be coming from a perspective that you probably haven't heard before.

1.  It never occurred to them they they can be healthy:  This is a serious problem in our society, particularly in southern WV where we are surrounded by ill health.  I'm sure you've heard the saying "birds of a feather flock together".  Well, look around you.  Many people grow up with parents and family members who don't exercise and don't eat right.  Health statistics validate this.  50% of the population is diabetic.  1 out of every 3 is obese.  We tend to mimic those that we are surrounded by.

On the flip side, this is why people that exercise in gyms and participate in competitions like 5K runs, triathlons and things of that nature stick with their programs better.  This is why people who join weight loss programs that have weekly meetings or doctor's visits tend to do better.

So, what you need to know and realize off the bat is that you CAN be healthy.

2.  They never decide to be healthy:  Even if you realize that good health is within your reach, nothing will change until you make the decision to take action.  I don't think anyone really plans on staying unhealthy.  Most people have the best of intentions to join a gym, do on a diet, eat better, etc...but they never take the initial step.  If you don't take action and start doing things differently, you are going to get the same results you've always gotten.

3.  Procrastination:  I see this all the time.  Patients tell me that they are going to make a change, but they always have an excuse.  They are going to diet and exercise, but it's always "after"...after the holidays, after vacation, after the first of the year...Look, there will ALWAYS be something that is coming up.  The perfect time to get started is NOW.  The bad thing about procrastination is that it becomes a habit.  You must break this cycle!

4.  The inability to delay gratification:  We live in a society that focuses on instant gratification.  If you think about it, this is where poor eating, lack of motivation and exercise comes from.  In the moment, donuts taste better than vegetables.  Watching t.v. is less physically demanding than exercise.  Fast food is quicker than preparing healthy meals.  As a society, we have become weak-willed and weak-minded.  You must make the right decision in THIS moment.  The decisions you make today have long lasting effects.  Which brings me to my last point...

5,  Lack of time perspective:  The average person lives to be 78 years old.  That's 4,056 weeks.  If you take your age, multiply it by 52, and subtract that number from 4,056...that's how many weeks you have left on this earth (if you're average).  The decisions you make in your life right now will determine if that number is higher or lower.

So, what should you do right now to change your health?  Well, here are the 5 keys to good health that you can start right away:

1) Begin exercising
2) Eat clean
3) Get regular chiropractic care
4) Get enough sleep
5) Work your your spiritual outlook

If you need help with any of these areas, feel free to contact me.

In Health,

Dr. Daniel Boggs
1808 Harper Road
Beckley, WV 25801
(304)255-4325
drdanboggs@gmail.com

Is A Little Okay?

Today we are hearing more and more about the side effects of the additives in the foods we eat.  These are the same additives that the Food and Drug Administration has easily deemed “safe” for us, the American public at large, to ingest. 

"Safe" is defined by Congress as “reasonable certainty that no harm will result from use of an additive.”  The list of safe additives is 700 items long and includes the most common artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame, Splenda, NutraSweet, and Equal.  It also contains hydrogenated oils and artificial colorings as well.  All of these additives are human made and the FDA either approves their use, or limits their use.   In many cases, "limiting" the use means that companies can add 1/100^th of what is considered to be dangerous into any one portion of food.  The FDA considers this amount safe, but you need to know that much of the damage that comes from these additives is cumulative.  That means it builds up with each and every exposure!

So you say, “How does this affect me?”  Well do you ever read the labels of candy, ice cream, protein bars or any other pre-packaged foods?  Most of them not only have preservatives for a long shelf life, but have colorings to make you think the food is pretty and artificial sweeteners which are many times sweeter than sugar!

 Did you know that the long term side effects of such additives have been linked to different cancers? 

And short term side effects include the following;

hearing impairment, vision distortion, tinnitus, headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, depression, irritability, inability to maintain focus, breathing difficulty, bloating, aggression, diarrhea, decreased fetal body and placental weights and brain development, etc.  The list does not end there. 

So if the list does not end there for the short term, meaning you could experience any one of these things with one use, and the long term gives way to a possibility of having a deadly disease, what amount is worth it all?

Is a little okay?

Remember the real damage is accumulative.  So how much is okay?

Well the FDA knows many of these additives are not healthy, hence the limitation of their use in single portions.  But is the FDA going to tell you how many portions over your lifetime that you can have?  Are they going to govern what you actually eat? 

Just take one portion that you may eat on a basis of 3 times a week.  Multiply it by 52 weeks in a year and you have eaten 156% of the amount that is considered to be dangerous, in just one year with just one food item of your diet!

Just think the average American drinks 55 gallons of soft drinks per year.  Soft drinks are also the biggest culprits of osteoporosis.  Do you think this is a little amount?

You have to look at the big long term picture on a daily basis!  And you have to be the one to decide what is safe for you to eat!  Don’t leave it up to the FDA.

                                    Created by Kea Popovics, copyright 2004