What Is “Wellness”?

Not long ago I gave a talk at our local library.  On the left
side of a white board, I wrote the following words:

Diagnosis
Symptom
Illness
Treatment
Pain

I then drew a vertical line, and on the right side of the
board, I wrote the words:

Wellness
Wholeness
Life
Health
Healing

I then asked the group how they felt as they read each set
of words, and which side of the board they wanted to be on.

How do you feel when you read these words? 

Driving home from an early morning on the beach this week,
I heard Lynn Grabhorn say on a tape of her book Excuse Me
Your Life Is Waiting,

“…it’s fashionable to talk about
what’s wrong with everything instead of what’s right…”,
and I stopped to write this statement down. 

Focusing on what’s wrong is exactly what we’re trained to
do in medicine, which is where most of us turn when we’re
concerned about our health. 

For just a moment, pull up a chair and join me as we explore
new ways to think about your health.

For a moment, forget your diagnosis, your abnormal lab test,
your medications and questions, and your fears.

If you are reading this, you are living and breathing,
and there is an aliveness about you that can be fanned
in to vitality and health.

Let’s begin by shifting your focus…

What are you thankful for?

What’s going well with your body,
your health,
your life?

What did you do well today?

Did you get out of bed–celebrate that!

Did you eat or drink something nourishing–celebrate that.

Did you walk, work out, or exercise in some fashion–celebrate that!

You may be saying, “Yeah, but I still feel lousy” or “My doctor
still says my cholesterol’s too high”–or maybe it’s your
blood pressure or your blood sugar.

That’s okay–that’s where you are today.  That’s your
starting point–but it doesn’t have to be your endpoint
unless you do nothing to change.

However, if you’re with me this far, you’re reading because
you want to change–you want an answer other than what
you’ve gotten so far.  You want to stop focusing on what’s
wrong, and begin to take note of what’s right,
and build on that.

So let’s begin.

Pick one thing you did that was healthy
today, even if it was simply that you took a breath.
Celebrate that, commend yourself, and then choose one thing
that you will do tomorrow for your health.  Will you go
outside for a walk, will you eat an apple, will you do
something else you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t done
yet?

Take that first step.

As we journey together, we will discuss concrete steps
you can take, and I will direct you to some terrific resources.

For today, begin by shifting your focus.

Begin to take note of what’s going well,
and choose something life-giving to do tomorrow.

Your friend and partner in health,

Dr. Ben

Discover the secrets to creating your own Road Map To Health in just minutes a day.

For a wonderful way to shift your focus and
start feeling better within minutes, download the
movie at:

The Secret To You

Enjoy!

Day #5 Turning a downward cycle around

Welcome to Day #5!

(Not already subscribed to this 7 day series?  You can do so here:  Your Road Map to Health In Just Minutes A Day with Dr. Ben)

Now ever feel lousy and just don’t know how to change it, even
though you want to?

Well, today you’ll learn simple techniques that can change how you
feel in minutes.

Once you realize how easy this is, you won’t have to stay in
a “funk” any longer than you choose to ever again!

Here we go:

****

First, how we feel about ourselves affects how we treat ourselves.

Whether it’s our eating habits, exercising, smoking, or
overworking, how we feel about ourselves affects what we choose
to do and is ultimately reflected in our health.

When do you tend to overeat?

When do you binge on sugar or junk food?

When do you smoke?

How do you feel afterward?

Are you ready to break the cycle?

As we’ve already discussed, changing your thoughts and what
you say to yourself is key.

The amazing thing, however, is that we can also reverse the
process–treat ourselves well to start shifting how we feel!

When you’re feeling low, take a hot bath or shower, go for
a brisk walk, listen to an inspiring song, eat an apple or
something that makes you feel healthy.

Changing the “signals” or “messages” you give your mind and
body in this way will put you on the path to life and health,
and as you reinforce these signals with healthy affirmations

“Wow–this feels good!  I feel healthy!  I’m glad I did that!”

you can turn a downward cycle around.

Lastly, experiment this week with looking at yourself in the
mirror and saying, “…you are wonderful, and I love you!”

Whether you feel it or not, say it with enthusiasm, and you
will again give your brain and body, even at the cellular level,
new and healthy signals that will create **new patterns** in
your thinking, your feeling, and your health.

****

Okay, let me know your own experiences with shifting how you
feel, and leave your comments and questions below!

Tomorrow we’ll shift gears to something very concrete:

fat & sugar

and 3 key steps you can take to shift your energy and how you
feel today.

Dr. Ben

P.S.  Now that you’ve begun your journey, want to accelerate your results further?  Take a peak at Dr. Ben’s Complete Guide here.

Copyright 2008-2016 Ben Lo, MD

Day #4 Changing the Rules…

Welcome to Day #4!

Today we’re changing the rules…another key step to transforming your health and your life, and one you won’t normally find in a “health” newsletter.

The following is excerpted from Maximize Your Health In Just Minutes a Day with Dr. Ben, something you’ll continue to receive if you initially opted in for this 7 day series there:

This morning I was discussing with a couple team members the difference between Newtonian physics, which follows a set of “rules” that seem to hold true for most physical situations, and the more recently described theory of relativity and quantum physics, which describe phenomena in newly discovered situations where Newtonian rules don’t seem to hold “true”.

Many of us have grown up with a set of “rules” about earning and deserving–and to an extent, these rules have seemed to hold true and to “work”.

If you work hard, you can earn money, approval, even love…

and conversely, if you don’t work hard, do a good job, do something right, “earn” it…then you don’t deserve money, approval, love, happiness.

But is there another way to live that would bring more fulfillment and joy than the “earn” principle?

I’m recognizing my own tendency to try to “earn” and to resist receiving what I feel I haven’t “earned”.

This morning while sitting on the porch with my wife before everyone else awoke, I realized that many of the great stories from the Bible involved people receiving a promise that went way beyond anything they could see or earn–whether it was a way across the sea, water in the wilderness, or an heir to a childless couple later in life.

In fact, the last 24 hours, the phrase “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” keeps coming back to me.

Abraham’s “approval”, and his becoming the father to a whole nation, was based solely on his believing God–and that when his outward condition gave no evidence that this would be so.

“Earning” works to a certain extent–but it’s hard work and often leaves us still striving and resisting.

What if we could learn to trust and surrender, to believe and receive, to allow our good to come to us based on grace, based on being, based on faith, rather than on our works or our “earning”.

A level of surrender is certainly required–surrender of our pride, our  feeling of control, our habits of thinking and talking to ourselves.

But what joy to really be free to receive!

Whatever your spiritual persuasion, many are now recognizing a Source whom I personally call God that is all around us and is for us.

An affirmation adapted from Florence Shinn that’s assisted me recently is “God is my unfailing supply, and large sums of money now come to me quickly, under grace, in perfect ways.”  You could fill in whatever supply you are seeking–abundant life, vibrant health, and so on.

“God is my unfailing supply, and vibrant health now flows to me daily, under grace, in perfect ways…”

Believe and receive.  Allow your good to come to you.

****

Okay, that’s lesson 4.

Today we “Changed the Rules” and discussed another key factor to healing, receiving, and abundance.

Have your own experience with earning vs. receiving?  I’d love to hear from you below!

Dr. Ben

P.S.  Ever feel lousy and just don’t know how to change it, even though you want to?

Find out how in tomorrow’s lesson!   Not subscribed?  You can do so here:  Maximize your health in just minutes a day with Dr. Ben

copyright 2008-2024 Ben Lo, MD

Never stop exploring, and thoughts on gratitude…

This morning my wife Rachelle shared with me an intriguing vignette: 

 Our 17 month old son is always looking for something to touch or get into–in many ways he’s the most “on the go” of all our 5 children. 

So this morning, Rachelle asked our daughter Emmie, “Emmie, what do you think Benen’s trying to teach me?”  And Emmie answered, “Never stop exploring.”

What a perspective!

No wonder our kids often seem to have so much energy and enthusiasm for life…and what a perspective to be reminded of–never stop exploring!

Recently I’ve also been reminded in several arenas of the power of appreciation and gratitude.

Rebecca Fine in a recent interview pointed out that Wallace Wattles has a whole chapter on gratitude in The Science of Getting Rich, and I just read that Oprah has said the most impactful thing she’s done was to keep a gratitude journal.

Sometimes we want to hear about something more dramatic, a technique that’s more complex or more “secret”.

Nevertheless, the simple practice of finding things to be grateful for–especially at the beginning and end of your day to “tune in” to a spirit of appreciation–can have a powerful effect on your mood, your hormones, your cells, and your experience!

So how about making this really practical?

How about grabbing a spiral-bound notebook (you can get one for less than a buck at most stores), and writing 5 things you’re grateful for at the beginning or end of your day…or both…

How about doing this for the next 7 days…

How about for the next 21 days…

You may just find yourself developing a life-long enriching habit–that will add both quality and quantity to your life!

To your prosperous well-being!

Dr. Ben

P.S.  Get your own free weekly wellness insights and tips  at www.doctorbenlo.com

True Wealth, Beatrix Potter, Coming Alive, Bucky Fuller, and the Science of Getting Rich

Just a quick note to let you know that I recently posted some thoughts on the above themes on my other blog that may interest many of you here.

You can hop on over to read this article on True Wealth here.

 Enjoy!

Dr. Ben

Get your own weekly health insights and tips with Dr. Ben’s Health Insights.