A Simple Key to Happiness

Read the first three in this series:

The Most Important Thing about Trying to Lose Weight
Understand Your Why
Brain Hack for Weight Loss

Isn’t it true we all just want to be happy? Are you happy right now? Do you have healthy relationships? Are you financially ok? How is your health? Are you growing spiritually? How is your family life?

How you answer these basic questions often determines your level of happiness. I want to slow down and have you think about some really basic things I believe can increase your level of happiness.

We all have a basic understanding or belief about how life should be. We all have a blueprint, if you will, on how to build our lives. At any given moment, your sense of happiness is determined by how well your current situation measures up to your blueprint for life. Think about it for a moment. Think of the different areas in your life: financial, health, relationships, family, and spiritual. How happy are you in each of these areas? Rate yourself on a scale of 1–10. How happy are you?

Chances are if you rate yourself fairly happy, your current situation aligns well with your ideas on how your life should be. For instance, if your financial goals are to have six months of living expenses set aside for an emergency fund and you have achieved that goal, you probably have some sense of contentment. I would imagine you have other financial goals as well, but I hope you are getting the point I am trying to make.

Now if you are not happy in some areas of your life, why not? Chances are that area of your life does not match up with your blueprint. Well, why not? Do you feel loved and respected by your spouse? Are you growing spiritually? Why or why not?

Our energies flow to our focus. If you want to be happy, focus on what is important to you, your blueprint for life. If you are struggling in a certain area, it is probably because you have not been focused on that area of your life. Maybe you are a dad who is working hard providing for your family, but you are neglecting your kids and things at home are not matching up to your blueprint. Focus on the family; balance the work-family continuum. I know it is not always as easy or simple as I have made it sound. But I do know it is true: your energy will flow to your focus.

If you are not happy in an area of your life, stop for about 15 minutes today and develop a plan to change your focus. Write your plan down on paper or on your smartphone, and review it daily. It will only take a few minutes. It helps to start the time with thinking about two or three things you have to be thankful for. Develop an attitude of gratitude. In a couple of weeks, take the time and reevaluate your situation. Focus and adapt!

Now the real key to a successful life is to have a lasting blueprint for life. Make sure your foundation of your blueprint is laid on the Cornerstone.

Wishing You an Amazing Life,

Curtis Brown MD

Brain Hack for Weight Loss

Read the first two in this series:

The Most Important Thing about Trying to Lose Weight
Understand Your Why

I really believe most of us can do just about anything when we put our minds to it. Now, I am not talking about crazy things that are physically impossible like flapping our arms to land on the moon. It is a matter of focus and what we focus on.

In recent blogs, I have written about the importance of deciding to do something and then having a compelling vision of your future. This compelling vision should help you overcome in times of struggles, and the struggles always come.

Today, I want to give you a simple brain hack to help you in your struggles in the moment. But first, let’s talk about some ways to prevent getting into struggles.

Why is it we often find ourselves dwelling on the things we are trying to avoid? Adam and Eve had acres of good trees to choose from, but they seemed to focus on the forbidden fruit.

My friend Rick Thompson tells a story about teaching his young son to ride a bike. He found an open parking lot on a weekend that was huge, but it had a couple of light poles in the middle of the lot. His son kept saying he was afraid he would hit the light pole. Now, there were literally acres of parking lot free from the light poles. But what do you think happened? His son went straight for the light pole!

The truth is our energy will flow to where we focus. If you are trying to lose weight and you are constantly thinking about food, where do you think you will end up? Probably at the refrigerator or the cabinet where the chips and cookies are.

The Bible encourages us to dwell on what is good and pure and noble. Keep thinking about your preferred future. How will you feel when you drop the weight? How much more energy will you have? How will your self-image change? Write down your goals and benefits and review them daily. Get on the scale every morning and decide tomorrow will be better. Make it happen!

When you are in the moment of a struggle, and you must decide between pain versus pleasure, now versus later, what can you do to improve your odds? Most of us have patterns we have developed over the years. Our spouses and close friends can often predict how we will react to a certain situation. It is the same with temptations of all kinds. We have thought patterns that usually lead to a behavioral reaction.

The key is to interrupt the thought patterns. We have to disrupt the routines of our neuropathways. It usually takes some energy and action.

One of the things I will do is simply get up and move. Get a drink of water or take a look out of the window. Do something to change my focus.

Our energy will follow our focus. Change your focus. I heard of one guy who would pinch his nose and make a noise. It disrupted his neuropathway and changed his focus. It helps if you immediately think of something funny or otherwise good. This will start changing your neuropathways and with time, the temptation will lose its grip on you.

Decide, create vision, focus on the good!

Wishing You an Amazing Life,

Curtis Brown MD

Read Part 4: A Simple Key to Success.

The Most Important Thing about Trying to Lose Weight

I have had the privilege of helping thousands of people improve their health over my 25+ years of being a family doc. Unfortunately, I have also not been able to help many people. Oh, I can give them the necessary information and/or medications, but many people just seem unable to move the needle. They seem stuck in a rut or even worse, continue down a bad path to decline.

I have discovered a simple, basic principle that successful people have in common. It is so simple that many people will not believe me, but I know it is the truth. It is not hard to understand and yet so many are simply unable to do it.

The simple truth is people who lose weight or otherwise improve their health decide to do so! This is the foundation of making improvements in your life. You must first decide. It must become important to you.

People know they should do something. They know they could do something. How many times have you said, “I should lose weight or I should start eating clean or I should start exercising?” I have “should” all over myself at certain times in my life!

So, the simple dirty little truth to the reason you cannot lose weight is you have not really decided to do so. I know I will get a lot of push-back, but just hear me out.

I know weight loss is complicated and hard. Heck, I have been trying to lose the same 20 lbs. now for a couple of years. I know it is hard and I have planned and strategized to lose the weight and have had some success but not lasting.

The bottom line is I have chosen to be where I am today. The choices I have made have led me to where I am now.

We are basically binary people. Every decision we make is simply deciding between pain or pleasure. Think about it for a second. When you really decide something is important to you, you will find a way to make it happen. Now, I am not talking about unrealistic things such as swimming to Hawaii or flying to the moon.

The problem comes in the moment. When you are tired or stressed, your willpower is not as strong as it would be when you’re not so stressed or tired. In the moment, you chose to relieve yourself of the stress by eating something or doing something that is not so healthy for you over the long haul. You chose temporary pleasure to avoid the pain you find yourself in. Pain versus pleasure. This concept of pain versus pleasure is true in all areas of your life.

So, the first thing you must do is to decide your health is important to you. I found I have this natural tendency in me to judge myself by what I intend to do but to judge others by what they actually do! My intentions are turned into deeds, when I actually decide and take action. I really have not truly decided until I act. The road to good health is paved with good decisions and not good intentions.

If you truly decide to do something, I am betting you can find a way to make it happen. Next time, we will discuss more on how you move from good intentions to taking action.

Wishing You an Amazing Life,
Curtis Brown MD

Read Part 2: Understand Your Why.

3 Supplements for Everyone to Consider

 

Supplements use in the USA are up dramatically. It is estimated that over 70% of Americans are using supplements. There are so many to choose from and so many opinions. It is a multibillion-dollar market and there is a lot of confusion and even fraud. It is hard to know what to believe and whom to trust. In this blog post, I want to discuss three supplements that I think most people can benefit from taking. Please discuss with your healthcare provider before starting any supplements.

Multivitamins

Multivitamins are by far the most common supplements used today. There are many to choose from and many excellent products. I think of multivitamins kind of like insurance. I am not sure when I will need my insurance or how much of it I will need. The way we grow and consume our foods today increase the chances that we are not getting the basic vitamins and minerals from our diet. By taking a multivitamin, I think I am covering the basics.

One of the first things to consider when thinking about multivitamins is iron. If you are low on iron or tend to be borderline low, take one with iron. If you have iron deficient anemia, take iron. Most women who are having regular periods would benefit from a MVI with iron. Iron can be constipating and some people have GI sensitivity with iron. If you are sensitive to iron, you may want to try to eat more leafy green vegetables.

There are also different vitamins recommended for different stages of life. You can find vitamins for men over forty that can help with prostate issues. There are multivitamins for menopausal women. There are vitamins for children. There are also vitamins that are designed to support eye health.

It can become confusing to know which vitamins are best for you. For most healthy people, you can pick a good basic multivitamin and be satisfied that you are covering the basics. I have found Thorne.com to be a good resource for information and for products. I take one of their products for men over forty called Al’s Formula.

There are several one-a-day vitamins on the market. I do not believe that you can adequately supplement with just one pill a day. There are so many micronutrients, minerals, and vitamins that we know are beneficial. There is simply no way to combine them into one pill. It would be difficult to swallow that size of a pill.

The bottom line is that there are many good multivitamins on the market. Find one that you like and one that meets your basic needs based off your age and life situation. 

Fish Oil

Fish oil is another common and popular supplement. Recently there has been some negative press on fish oil. I believe that fish oil is still an important supplement with many positive benefits.

Fish oils are compromised of the essential fatty acids eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexanoic (DHA). These are classified as Omega 3 fatty acids.

With most things in life, you get what you pay for. The higher the quality of fish oil, the fewer side effects, the more it costs. In general, the higher the levels of EPA and DHA, the better the fish oil. Look for around 200mg of DHA and 1,300mg of EPA in your fish oil. The main reason most people stop fish oil is secondary to burping. If you get a high-quality product, it should decrease the burping.

The beneficial effects of fish oil have been studied for over 20 years. Fish oil has a positive effect on triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Fish oil also has a positive effect on platelet aggregation. These effects are believed to improve your cardiovascular health.

Fish oil also may help with other problems. Our brains and our joints are bathed or lubricated with omega-3 fatty acids. In my experience, about 30–40% percent of people get some form of arthritis relief. There is also some evidence that fish oil may help with depression and even Alzheimer’s diseases. I do not think the effects are very dramatic, but any help is appreciated.

There are studies that suggest EPA and DHA help the body in suppressing cancer cells and improve insulin sensitivity for prevention of diabetes.

I would recommend that you start with 2 grams of fish oil daily for a high-quality source. There are lab tests that can be done to measure your omega-3 for more precise dosing. These can get somewhat expensive, and insurance does not always cover it. Eating a good cold water fish a couple of times a week is also a good way to get some added omega-3 into your diet. 

Probiotics

Probiotics are bacteria that are good for your intestinal tract. Our intestinal tracts are full of bacteria. They can become overpopulated with bad bacteria, and this can lead to several problems. Supplementing with probiotics helps keep the balance of healthy bacteria in place and helps prevent an overgrowth of bad bacteria.

Probiotics can help maintain the delicate balance of the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system. When the balance is disrupted, disease and inflammation can break out. Normal beneficial bacteria competitively inhibit inflammation and over stimulation of our immune system by pathogenic bacteria.

Probiotics are supportive in the treatment of many medical problems including irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, diarrhea, eczema, and maldigestion, to name a few. 

Probiotics can also help support weight loss. I recently reviewed a weight loss study of 300 patients all on the same program. The only difference was half took a probiotic and half did not. At the end of the six-week study, the group that took the probiotic had lost 4.6% more weight.

Conclusion

I hope you have found this quick review on 3 supplements that everyone should consider to be helpful. If you have any questions, please drop me an e-mail and I will try to answer as quickly as I can. Wishing you an amazing life.

Attitude Determines Altitude

Attitude is everything. Attitude dictates your altitude. Your mind is a powerful tool for you to have an amazing life.

Clarence was an elderly patient of mine. He has since passed away, but he was an amazing man who lived to an old age. He was vibrant and had a never-give-up attitude. He had a big impact with those he came into contact and taught me many things, but the main lesson I remember is his attitude.

He suffered from severe arthritis in almost every joint in his body. He had a concoction of things that he would mix up and rub on his joints. One of the ingredients was Old Spice. He must have used a lot of it. I did not have to look at my schedule to know when he was in my office. The smell of the “Clarence concoction” would permeate the atmosphere of our office upon his arrival.

During one of our frequent encounters, I asked him about exercise. Now this was extremely difficult for him because he was wheelchair bound. In all of my years of seeing him, I never saw him out of his wheelchair. I was trying to encourage him to improve his upper body strength so that he could assist better with his transfers. During our conversation, he told me that he got on his treadmill every day. He would spend five to fifteen minutes, two to three times a day. Mind you, I had never seen him walk. I was amazed and confused. How could he walk on a treadmill? His family finally made the connection for me.

He would start the treadmill and then roll his chair to the end. He would then place his feet on the treadmill, while sitting in his chair, and pick up his feet as the treadmill turned! He never gave up. He did what he could and made the most of his circumstances. He taught me “motion is lotion.” The more you move, the better you feel.

Clarence’s attitude kept him alive and vibrant in spite of a failing body. He squeezed all of the life he could out of the body he had. He had an amazing attitude that led to an amazing life. His attitude led to correct actions and he lived high above his circumstances. He learned to accept the things he could not change and to work on the things he could.

Is your attitude about your circumstance holding you back? Remember motion is lotion. Remember Clarence. Work on the things that you can change and accept the things that you cannot.

Enjoy your journey to an amazing life!

Risk: Don't Play It So Safe

Vera was in her eighties when I first met her. She suffered a stroke that left her mostly wheelchair bound. My wife was her physical therapist who worked with her in her stroke rehab. There was something special about this lady, and she really took an interest in my wife and ultimately our family.

Her husband was a loving, caring, wise, gentle soul. They essentially adopted us into their tribe. They loved to take us to dinner and their favorite place to go was Luby’s. They had great home-cooked food (buffet-style), and we always enjoyed the food and the company.

I learned a lot from just watching them interact. I watched as he would patiently push her through the line and help her with her tray. I watched as he helped her in and out of the car. I saw the twinkle in their eyes when they spoke kindly of one another. They were constantly bragging on the other. Their faith was important to them and they really lived it. The love they had for each other and for their family and friends was self-evident.

It was at one of these many dinners that I asked Vera what she would do differently if she could relive her life. She did not hesitate and with an intensity you could not only see but feel, she said,

“Take more risk in life. Don’t play it so safe.”

Those words have stuck in my head. Many times I have wanted to take the safe road and did. But there were times when I did take a risk, a chance. Vera’s advice has always encouraged me. I have not always experienced the success I wanted, but I have yet to regret taking a chance. Even in my failures, I have learned something about myself or the process of getting better.

What is keeping you back? Keeping you from taking a risk? Most often for me, it is definitely fear of failure, fear of looking stupid, of being found out. Fear.

Fear will dictate your boundaries and can be a good thing. But it can be paralyzing. Fear of failure keeps many from even trying.

I am not suggesting that you take every chance that comes your way, but do take some chances, take some risks. Do not always play it safe. Remember what someone whom has lived nine decades of life would tell you. Take a chance!

Enjoy your journey to an amazing life.