By Ron Kirk, D.C.
Ours is the age of technology and increasingly we function as its children.
Many of us explore the realms of wellness and health in cyberspace, on TV or
the printed page. We are knowledgeable about wellness and can talk the health
talk. But how would we rate ourselves in terms of walking the walk, or hiking
the hike, running the run, stretching the stretch and swimming the swim? How
effective are we at the critically important process of translating our knowledge
about health and wellness into consistent healthy choices and habits that comprise
a healthy lifestyle?
Over the past decade or more I have been deeply saddened at the tragedy of a
number of colleagues becoming disabled or dying during what could have been
the prime of their lives. My friends and colleagues suffered predominantly from
conditions such as cardiac or cerebrovascular disorders with preventable risk
factors related to lifestyle. What about you and me? What is our health destiny
and what influence do we exert over it?
As doctors of chiropractic we are conceptually well aware of many of the basic
factors that comprise a healthy lifestyle including: exercise, nutrition, stress
management and neurobiomechanical balance (being free of subluxations). Yet,
in spite of our conceptual knowledge about wellness, most of us struggle with
our health habits. The truth is that it is easier to read about wellness or
watch a show about it than it is to actively engage in a healthy lifestyle.
Reading and thinking about wellness are great first steps to getting there,
but like a marathon, wellness requires consistent action
In teaching wellness-related courses for the past nine years, I have found,
as Charles Corbin and Ruth Lindsey affirm, that goal setting and personal example
(behavioral modeling) are potent processes for empowering individuals to transform
the quality of their lives. Setting personalized wellness goals creates a forceful
fulcrum for lifestyle improvement. Specific, measurable goals help to hold us
accountable to ourselves and to others. Goal setting is an effective tool to
lift us out of ruts like harmful habits or to begin new healthful behaviors.
Goals harness an inner power of accountability. They provide tangible targets
to strive for and accomplish in order to improve our current state of health.
Personal example (behavioral modeling) also provides powerful motivation for
betterment. I get inspired when I consider that many leaders in the wellness
movement began their quest for health in infirmity. Leaders like Paul Bragg,
a pioneer of the health food industry in America, began life sickly and infirm.
Bragg almost died of tuberculosis as a teenager, but through commitment to healthful
goals and a natural, healthy lifestyle, he lived a long fruitful life, dying
young (at 95) in a surfing accident in Hawaii. Others like doctor of chiropractic
Jack LaLanne, though feeble in youth, still live hardy, vigorous lives. In his
late 80s, Jack can still perform backflips and he continues to approach life
with a zest, which many individuals half his age are lacking. He has set rigorous
wellness goals and disciplined himself to achieve them. LaLanne’s life
is a powerful personal example of transformational wellness in action.
It’s been said that our thoughts become words, which lead to actions.
Our actions repeated become habits, which form our character, which ultimately
determines our destiny. The pivot point in this sequence and the real battleground
of wellness transformation is our habits. Habits have great capacity to harm
or heal. Some of us who are the least healthy now (like the young Paul Bragg
or Jack LaLanne) have the capability of making the most significant gains in
wellness, if we are willing to wrestle with our habits. The good habits we develop
in the process will help provide momentum and motivation to overcome deleterious
habits which cumulatively cripple our potential for health.
To begin raising your level of personal wellness, you will first need to take
an inventory or make an analysis of your lifestyle and habits. This will require
some effort and honest introspection. This step is critical to your success
because it will help you to prioritize your actions and prevent you from wasting
your time and energy. Observe your health habits over a period of several days
or weeks. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Once you have completed your
health inventory you are ready to begin setting goals in particular domains
of wellness from physical fitness to spirituality.
For purposes of illustration, because sedentary living and obesity are epidemic
in America with 7 out of 10 adults getting little or no regular activity, I
am going to offer improvement examples and goals geared toward improving exercise
habits and increasing activity. This is an area of crucial need for many of
us doctors and our patients. Currently it is estimated that 60 percent of the
United States’ population is overweight or obese. Rates of type-2 diabetes
are skyrocketing with a 50 percent increase over the past decade. Clearly, too
many of us have been sitting idly by and observing these phenomena. It’s
time to take effective action for ourselves, our families and our patients’
sake. We need to be leaders in this arena.
Once you have defined an area for improvement (our example is activity), you
will need to create some goals for action. First, make sure that your goals
are realistic, specific and measurable. Simply having a goal of becoming more
active is not good enough. To be effective a goal must be measurable. For example,
how many minutes a day will you be active? In what types of activity will you
participate? The U.S. government recommends at least 30 minutes of light-moderate
consecutive activity (such as walking) daily for at least five days a week.
That’s a good place to start, provided you do not have physically disabilities
(such as a cardiac or joint disorder) that prevent activity. If you have a physical
limitation or have doubts about one, you may need further assessment before
you get started. Completing a PAR-Q and You form for physical activity readiness
will help you (or your patients) assess whether or not it’s safe to exercise.
Next, write down your activity goals and keep an activity calendar to record
your progress. You can find an activity calendar (and PAR-Q and You form) online
at www.life.edu/spinal hygiene/index.html. You may download or print this calendar
for your personal or patients’ use. Put your calendar and goals in a place
where they will confront you everyday. Mirrors or refrigerators are great places,
which are not easily ignored. Choose activities that you enjoy. Wellness should
be fun. Perhaps you have had a hobby like hiking, swimming or cycling that you
have left behind. Why not get back into it on a gradual basis? Do the things
that you love to do within your capabilities. Capture your own imagination.
Turn off the omnipresent TV and go for a walk with your spouse or kids. Or workout
while you watch.
If you engage in vigorous activity make sure you warm up and cool down for 5-10
minutes before and after the activity. A “basic back break” is great
for this purpose, while enhancing your spinal health at the same time. Do you
regularly perform some of the spinal stretches that you recommend for your patients?
Many of us take much better care of our teeth than we do our spines. Let’s
make spinal health a habit in conjunction with other forms of activity or exercise.
To explore spinal hygienic activities go to www.life.edu/spinal hygiene/index.html.
As you progress in the activity domain of wellness, you may wish to refine your
goals, focusing on strength, speed, endurance or flexibility. Define your parameters.
Be specific. The website fitness.gov presents a clear comprehensive overview
of fitness activities. In designing a personal wellness plan, make sure your
goals are measurable so that you can be accountable to yourself or someone who
will partner with you. Then, when you achieve your goals, celebrate the victory.
See how much better you will feel and look as you develop the habit of being
more active. You will have more energy and vitality, as you decrease your risk
for the major deadly and disabling disorders of our society like heart disease,
stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer (e.g., colon, breast, uterine). Plus,
you will a build a platform for empowering your patients in health and wellness.
By way of review to improve your level of wellness:
In addition to fitness there are multiple dimensions of wellness to explore,
such as optimal nutrition, stress management, and making sure that our spines
are aligned for optimal neurobiomechanical balance. Who’s checking yours
on a regular basis?
Bibliography
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With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health.
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About the author: Ron Kirk, M.A., D.C., has presented patient-active, health
empowerment practicums and related quality of life research in venues worldwide.
Holding membership in five academic honor societies, Dr. Kirk has served as
the former Dean of the College of Chiropractic at Life University. He currently
teaches health empowerment and spinal hygiene courses at Life University.
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