Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well

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There’s a chiropractor in Vancouver, B.C. named Dr. Chestnut. He coined the phrase “Eat well, move well, and think well” to sum up his approach to a healthy lifestyle. The words “eat”, “move”, and “think” represent three actions which are key elements of who we are and how we function in life. The word “well” is better, I think, than the word ”right” here. “Right” has a moralistic overtone to it, whereas “well” does not.  “Well” is encouraging to me. “Right” defeats me before I have even started.

My approach to creating better health is to ask myself, “What can be done to improve each of these areas in a way which is natural and simple?” The KISS principle is applied: Keep It Simple, Sam/Sadie.

A good diet and avoiding toxins greatly helps the first category. Exercise of some type and moving with good posture and grace deals with the second. The third can include things like meditation, self help techniques, psychotherapy, spiritual practice, and the like.

One approach could be to focus on one of the categories each day or some other time frame — a week, a month, etc. Or you could implement a strategy for each of the three for some amount of time. An example: For the next week I will eat a green vegetable at least once per day, walk around the block twice each day, and I will be aware of the times I get upset for any reason without berating myself. Over time a much healthier and happier lifestyle will gradually and gently be realized.

Thank you Dr. Chestnut for encapsulating into a concise phrase the way to better health! I’ll be elaborating on each of the three aspects of health in the coming weeks and months.

To your health!

Aging with Grace

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One of my pet peeves is the current craze of “anti-aging” strategies and products. It seems that everywhere you look, there it is, that phrase which makes no sense whatsoever, and which only adds to the fear we seem to have about the fact that life as we know it will end, and that as we get closer to that end, our bodies do go through changes which we have for some reason identified as “bad”.

Okay, I know a little about marketing. And the term IS catchy, just the sort of thing needed to attract the attention of a culture eager to avoid growing, and especially looking, older. But come on, folks. The only alternative to aging is DEATH. Therefore to be opposed to aging means to be pro-death. The only way not to age is to die.

So let’s instead embrace aging as a badge of honor. Let’s wear our wrinkles with pride, as signs that we’ve lived through some things. We’ve survived experiences that have made us stronger, wiser. We have earned the title of Elder, and we have the right, if not the responsibility, to share what we have learned with a world that so desperately needs it.

Best and Worst

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When my daughter was growing up we used to play a game called Best and Worst. At the end of the day we’d ask her, “What was the best thing that happened for you today, and what was the worst?” It would always make her stop and think about how her day had gone. She was usually able to be grateful about something pleasant, and able to recognize and hopefully learn from something that was not. Come to think of it, we still play the game once in a while even though she is well into adulthood.

As a chiropractor I’ve been known to ask that question of my patients from time to time…with a little twist. What is the best thing you’re doing for your health and happiness? And what is the worst? Asked each day, the question gives us an opportunity to do better for ourselves. What can I eat to help myself? Is my posture causing me to feel depressed? Maybe I can add a little walking to my day, or go just a little farther. Would smiling help others, as well as myself?

I like this game.

To your health!

Dr. Petty