Today is our final guest post with Dr. Wayne Andersen, author of the soon-to-release Habits of Health and medical director for Medifast. He continues to write about obtaining optimal health at his blog. Look for the DietsInReview.com interview with Dr. Andersen in August, where he’ll share more about his new book.
I would prefer to call the journal a journal of your daily choices, rather than just an eating journal. It is more of an overall journal. Habits of Health is about all of your daily choices that affect your health. The day you decide to make a change in your health is the day you can track the differences, and we are going to help you understand your current health. Your current health is a reflection of all of the daily choices you have made in the past. The point in keeping a journal is to understand your current reality.
For example, if you have a cheeseburger or a salad for lunch today, it isn’t going to help or hurt you immediately (as in the same day). But in the long run it will likely hinder your progression toward optimal health.
I believe that there are three key choices we make in our daily lives. They are:
1) Your daily choices in what you are eating, or your energy intake
2) Your daily choices in movement or activity
3) Your daily choices about sleep
These three things are very key components to reaching optimal health.
When we start recognizing our daily choices and how they affect our health, then we will see what is supporting us and that will allow you to determine which choices you need to make to be healthy. Once you make the choice to do better, the daily choices come easier and you are on your way to reaching optimal health.
What do you think of using a journal of daily choices? How could it help you?
You can see all of Dr. Andersen’s featured guest posts here at DietsInReview.com:
3 Tips for Reaching a Healthy Weight
The Pros of Portion Controlled Meal Replacements
Optimal Health Defined