• Healthy eating, including vita-nutrient support
• Healthy weight and a normal waist size
• An active lifestyle, including a daily activity program, a walking program, strength conditioning, flexibility, agility
• Recuperative sleep
• Relaxation
• A micro-environment of health
• Well-being, including social activities, limited stress, a sense of purpose and meaning, spiritual health, and personal fulfillment
• A support system

If you’re like me, you’ve incorporated some of these healthy behaviors into your life; however, the rest of them could use a bit more attention. Yes?

Now That You’ve Chosen Optimal Health…

Most likely, you’ll need to make some behavior changes too — changes such as kicking the emotional eating habit. I know I’m not the only one who reaches for “comfort food” from time to time. In his New York Times Best Seller Discover Your Optimal Health: The Guide to Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Vitality, Your Life, Dr. Andersen advises us to stop our intended action (e.g., reaching for the calorie-laden temptation), challenge our belief (e.g., that it will make us happy or at least numb our pain), and choose to do something else (e.g., walk away from the fridge) when our emotions are “forcing” us to eat something we will later regret.

What other changes might you need to make? Some of these perhaps?

• Becoming mindful of and disciplined about what you put in your mouth as you cook dinner. (My husband teases me about how many raisins I can pop into my mouth when I’m hungry.)
• Becoming intentional about 30 minutes of exercise a day.
• Turning off the TV or computer early enough that you can still get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
• Making sure 50% of your 9 inch dinner plate has veggies on it.
• Eating healthy fats and avoiding the nasty stuff.
• Taking breaks throughout the day to relax and breathe.

If you’re already well on the path to optimal health, I salute you! Please leave a comment below with what you do to stay in shape for life.

If you feel like you need a little help, I salute you as well for acknowledging that, like me, you have room to grow. Please leave a comment below with what you do that works well and what you find the most challenging.

How to Attain Optimal Health

It all boils down to three necessities:

• You need to eat healthy food and healthy amounts of food throughout the day.

• You need to develop healthy habits you can stick to throughout your lifetime.

• You need a support system to help you along the way.

Take Shape For Life®, co-founded by Dr. Wayne S. Andersen, offers a safe, systematic approach to weight loss and optimal health. I’d heard about the company a few years ago, but it wasn’t until I drove to Annapolis to meet Dr. Andersen and his vibrant wife Lori that I finally understood why my friends Kevin and Judith McCarthy were so enthusiastic about everything Take Shape For Life® has to offer.

I’m now fully on board and delighted to add health coaching to my services.

If you need help, check out my co-branded Take Shape For Life® website and let me know how I can serve you best. I’d be honored to be your guide and advocate.

To Your Success!

Jory Hingson Fisher
Certified Health Coach
Take Shape for Life®