100 Simple Secrets of Healthy People by David Niven PhD

Author:David Niven, PhD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

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Maintain Your Sense of Control

The greater your sense of control over what you are doing, the less wear and tear you will put on your body. That does not mean that you can simply choose to be healthy or live a problem-free life. It does mean that by focusing on solutions to the problems that arise, you can keep your attention on what you can do in a given situation instead of what you can’t.

When he didn’t get promoted, Dean fell into a negative spiral. “I was in this kind of funk,” Dean said. He felt discombobulated. Out of sorts. “I was just sitting around. I couldn’t focus on anything,” Dean said.

With the disappointment at work came a challenge to his commitment to healthy habits. “I was basically saying to myself, ‘Life is short. Maybe I should start enjoying myself. Why bother doing all the work to lose weight and try to be healthy when I have no direction?’ ”

Nutritionist Ann Norris says life difficulties can overwhelm and undermine health goals. “Consumption of high-fat comfort foods can rise as much as 80 percent when people lose their job or have difficulties on the job,” she says.

“Something bad happens to them, and people may think losing weight right now or being healthy is insignificant in the scheme of things. But it can actually be even more important because it gives them something to focus on that they can control.”

Ann explains, “Exercise helps us deal with both physical and psychological stressors by blunting effects of defensive chemicals produced in our body during times of grief and worry.” She warns against giving in to temptation. “It will only heighten your sense that things are out of control. Putting limits on yourself, on the other hand, is a step toward demonstrating control over yourself—and the first step toward feeling in control overall.”

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