Living the Good Life according to Dr. Oz
Some of us started the new year with lists of resolutions, promising ourselves that we will make those changes that will lead us to have better, healthier lives. We are all seeking that good life, yet for most, these resolutions entered into with zeal never end up being implemented.
In his dynamic and motivational presentation entitled “80 is the New 50” at the Global Women’s Forum Dubai on Wednesday [24th February 2016], Dr. Mehmet Oz explained why exactly we find it hard to make changes and what those essential changes are.
THE GOOD LIFE
What exactly is the ‘Good Life’? Dr. Oz described it as being “what really matters and drives your happiness”. It is not about fast cars or money, but having fun, good food, being around family, having sleep, and is essentially about doing things that make you live the life you want. “Ask yourself – ‘What percent of who I am today is who I could be?’”, he continued.
Who is the person you want to be and how do you get there?
- Define who you are: Oz instructed the delegates to “pick three people who like you and ask them to describe what they like about you in one word, and then be that person every day”. This was part of the homework Oprah Winfrey had given him when he was on her show many years ago.
- Eradicate that work-life balance myth: We are familiar with the difficulties of trying to find that right balance between work and life, a struggle that pits two opposing concepts of ambition and intimacy against each other. He explains that in ambition, we are trying to be different from others in order to distinguish ourselves while we want to be the same as everyone when we crave intimacy in our personal relationships. As they are fundamentally at odds with each other, we can only be either on one side or the other. Hence, we just need to accept that we are either trying to fulfil: (a) our ambitions by being unique, or (b) intimacy through building connections, and not try to juggle both.
It is this acceptance that helps us reduce our stress; acceptance that we are imperfect, and that it is what makes us interesting to those around us. In order for us to grow and change, we have to stop thinking of imperfection as a hindrance, but to recognize that “what makes us beautiful are our flaws”.
REDUCING THE BARRIERS TO CHANGE
There is no doubt that change is scary and difficult. Dr. Oz outlined the four obstacles that hold us back
from making the right changes.
- Time: Many complain that we do not have enough time, but it is “not about time management,
but energy management,” he explained. If we get energy from what we do, we will feel energized. - Money: The best things in life do not cost money and we should stop chasing after it at the expense of living a good life today.
- Knowledge: We fear change because we don’t quite know how to get there.
- Fear of failure: We worry that if we don’t succeed, we’ll be a failure and people won’t love us anymore, what Dr. Oz calls “spiritual death”.
For those of us who find ourselves in predicaments, we need to ask what is it that drives us to make certain mistakes. He provides the example of Charlie Sheen, a recent guest on his show who announced last year that he has HIV. Sheen has what he calls “mania” that drives him to make mistakes that resulted in his being infected with the virus, and that is the root cause of most of his problems.
While we all make mistakes, we also need to recognize that we can make a “YOU turn” to get back on track.
HOW TO CHANGE
Sharing what Oprah taught him, Dr. Oz informed his audience that in order to drive change effectively, we need to be aware that:
- Feelings change minds more than facts: Since people change based on how they feel, those looking to make a change or trying to convince others to should realize this. For instance, smokers obviously know the facts about cigarettes and lung cancer, but they really need the emotional impetus in order to make that change.
- We need to make it easy to do the right thing: As “we often eat the first things we see in the fridge, I often have healthy food at the front of the fridge”, he said.
- We should adore our solutions: It should not be about eating healthy food, but about eating food you love that happens to be healthy, and it is doing this that will lead to the Good Life.
FIVE BIGGEST LIFE ADJUSTMENTS
“What should I do about it?” is the most critical question we should ask when informed of a problem or negative medical diagnosis. After all, Dr. Oz stated, “while our genes are merely the cards we are given, it is how we play the cards we are dealt with, our lifestyle, that is more important and it is what gives us power”.
According to Dr. Oz, 70 percent of how well we live will be based on the following five biggest life adjustments:
1. Reducing Blood Pressure: While a reading of 140/90 is the zone at which doctors worry, Dr. Oz recommends an ideal of 115/70. This is particularly critical for diabetics whose high blood pressure will increase their risk for heart attacks.
2. Exercising 30 minutes a day: Do any activity (that can be broken up throughout the day) that leaves you a bit breathless.
3. Eating healthy food that you love.
4. Manage stress which will help you sleep.
5. Curtail addictions: Addictions including addictions to food or work can take us away from intimacy and the Good Life.
ACTION PLAN FOR A HEALTHIER LIFE
The life expectancy of women has been rising and theoretically, 120 is our biological maximum age. As such, “80 is the new 50”, Dr. Oz said, “half people who reached 80 can reach 90, but we have to seek to reach that age gracefully”.
Since most of us can expect to live longer than the previous generation, we need to ensure that we live not just longer, but healthier lives.
As it only takes two weeks for our bodies to adjust and get used to changes, we can all start by implementing some of these little steps to help us get closer to the Good Life.
- Waist not weight: Our waist line better predicts our health risk than our weight and it also tends to fluctuate less. “The ideal waist size”, he said, “is less than your height divided by two”.
- Eliminate sugar: Avoid white foods like pasta, bread, or sugar. It will take 14 days to reduce our cravings of sugar.
- Eat protein: Have protein in the morning as it slows down digestion which prevents us from feeling hungry.
- Drink regular, not low fat, milk: It might sound paradoxical, but low fat milk is worse for our health because when they remove the fat, all that’s left is water and sugar.
- Eat eggs: While there is cholesterol in eggs, this does not increase your bo
dy’s bad cholesterol, and eggs are full of helpful nutrients and protein. - Eat nuts: While nuts have fat, they are healthy fats and are full of nutrients. Oz always has nuts in his pockets as they are easily transportable and prevents us from eating bad snacks.
- Get a caffeine boost: While coffee is fine, Dr. Oz recommends green tea which has nutrients and less caffeine. Avoid artificially sweetened drinks which will only make you crave more sugar.
- Exercise: Exercising is critical as muscle burns twelve times more calories than fat. Even as little
ten minutes a day doing core strength-building exercises like yoga, pilates and tai chi will help develop our muscles. “We do not die from cancer or other diseases, but we die from frailty”, he clarified.
He also advocated ‘squat sitting’ which he calls t
he “Homo Sapiens Core Position” as it builds core strength, balance, and helps us stretch.
Get good sleep: Sleep increases growth hormones which help us feel our best especially as we age. We often can’t sleep because of stress. Oz also suggested we sleep before midnight and increase our ‘sleep hygiene’ by wearing loose pyjamas, sleeping at 18 degrees C, reducing ambient noise, and turning off mobiles at least half an hour before we sleep.
- Addressing stress: We all have stresses in our life. However, “it is not about how much stress you have, but how much stress affects you”, he explained. He meditates to centre himself and uses breathing to “move past the pain of stress to the benefit of stress”. Breathing the right way helps with relaxation although most of us breathe the wrong way. We should be inhaling while expanding our stomachs by pushing out the belly button and inhaling by pulling the belly button in. He also recommended Omega 3 fats through fish oils and nuts to help reduce stress.
This article was originally published on February 27th 2016 at http://ww.gulfbusiness.com
Jeanette Teh is a legal and corporate trainer, adjunct (assistant) professor, non-practicing lawyer, writer, coach, and founder of Kaleidoscopic Sky. You can find more about her at http://linkedin.com/in/jeanette-teh-601115.
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