Coach's Corner

Featured Director:
Jay Rush

"Most of us eat according to habit, even the healthiest folks. The difference is that the "healthy' people long ago researched the foods that did the greatest good and least harm, and integrated those foods into their routine. Now, for them, it is second nature to eat right. The first and most time-consuming step is often education. There are many options out there, and tons of false advertisement to boot. The key to change is taking inventory of your dietary habits and consulting with people that are "in the know."

Often, it takes a crisis to help us focus on nutritional alternatives. Someone very close to me was recently diagnosed with a pre-diabetic condition. Prior to the bad news, I had bombarded this person to take control of their eating and exercise habits, but my advice always fell on deaf ears. Now, they are keenly immersed in the process; everything they eat is closely scrutinized, exercise has taken a front seat in their daily routine, and they have lost 25 pounds in four short months!

In my friend's case, it is no lie to say that fear was the ultimate motivator. Today however, this person realizes how much better they feel because of the choices they made: their attitude has changed dramatically, they have lost weight and the acute pains in their back, hips, knees, and ankles have subsided. They no longer await, with a sense of dread, the burden of insulin dependence, coronary heart disease, neuroma, and the other maladies related to diabetes. More importantly, they have come to the realization that, aging is not about waiting for disease and injury to claim you (my friend is 59). Instead, it is about taking all of the wisdom you have accrued in life and enjoying it with a healthy and functional body and mind!

The bottom line is that eating healthy doesn't require drastic lifestyle changes or even fear; you don't have to start a vegetable garden, listen to the Grateful Dead, or receive a wakeup call from a doctor's office. Small steps, like making sandwiches from whole grain bread (for fiber and vitamins), replacing the potato chips and soda with an apple and some natural fruit juice (for healthy energy throughout the day), and welcoming some form of moderate exercise into your schedule (increased circulation and stimulation), are often enough to start you on the road to a healthier and more productive life."