Zen & the Art of Health – Part 2

In our last article on Zen & the Art of Health I proposed that optimal health is much more than a lean physique and great blood profile. While exercising regularly and eating a balanced and healthful diet may improve your chances of avoiding disease and living a longer vibrant life, factors such as dissatisfaction with your career, relationship, living situation, stress level and your purpose in life should not be ignored. Life is much more than getting up, going to work, going home, watching TV and going to bed. Asking yourself a few important questions and honestly answering them can do wonders for your health beyond that of exercise and nutrition. So the next time you’re on a run, ask yourself, why am I here? What’s the purpose of my life? Shouldn’t there be more?


I mentioned this in the last article and I’m going to say it again. This article is in no way an attempt to tout any certain religious belief. Don’t be scared, religion is simply a general set of beliefs explaining the existence of and giving meaning to the universe, usually involving devotional and ritual observance, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. You can take it or leave it but you can’t argue that there are some fundamental truths that religion teaches which make philosophical sense and helps us understand how our connection with others, our mind and the world affect our personal health. The good news is that with a little bit of contemplation and reflection we can improve our health without even leaving the couch. How great is that?

Most of us are taught to get good grades, go to college and land a high paying job. It’s about looking good, feeling good and having the goods right? I’m not sure about that. I’ve seen many people who look good, seem to feel good, have all the goods but are miserable individuals.

When asked about components of health most medical and fitness professionals would list the following components as important markers: blood pressure, lipid profile, body-mass index, body-fat percentage, family history of disease, tobacco use, alcohol use, regular exercise and good diet. Obviously these are just a few physical components there are psychological factors. Many have this common misery that we’re stuck inside our skins and we distract ourselves from thinking about it. Sometimes we think that there’s a difference between what’s inside and what’s outside but I don’t think that’s the case; we need to develop a healthy mind and healthy body. Some people refer to a healthy mind as bliss; some refer to it as enlightenment.

A school of Mahayana Buddhism asserts that enlightenment can be attainted through meditation, self-contemplation, and intuition rather than through faith and devotion. Dr. Dean Ornish, best known for his holistic approach to reversing heart disease is a big advocate of regular meditation and the role it plays in stress reduction and developing overall clarity. So what does one meditate about? There are a few fundamental truths that are perfect for contemplation and meditation and they are; equanimity, love, joy, and acceptance.

Equanimity means equality or treating everyone as equals. Let me ask a question, if everyone was treated equally, how many wars do you think we’d have at the moment? What if we treated each member of our family equally (even if you can’t stand your mother-in-law), our customers, our friends? We all have favorites and may tend to attach ourselves to one or two close friends or family members and there’s really no dire problem with that. However if something happened to that specific relationship that you attached yourself to it could cause tremendous pain. I’m not suggesting you dilute that relationship however I am suggesting that you try and treat everyone the same. Doing so helps remove attachment from one person and helps spread the love. Awe, now you can breathe the next time your mother-in-law visits!

Love is more than just love for another; it’s also love for ourselves. I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve worked with over the years have struggled with their health because they didn’t really feel that taking care of their own health should be a priority and/or they didn’t think they deserved to be happy. We all deserve to be happy and our actions should reflect that priority.

Joy can be different than happiness. True joy can be experienced through that of another. If you’re a parent and you’ve watched your son or daughter complete a major accomplishment you know what I’m talking about. Learning how to experience the happiness of others is a joyful experience. Helping others succeed will help bring more joy into your life.

Acceptance in my opinion is the most difficult as it requires us to set aside our pride and ego. If we’re having a difficult time with work, relationship, current financial situation, or our health, it may be time to realize that we put ourselves in the situation to begin with. Taking responsibility for our actions or lack thereof removes blame from others and places it on our shoulders. However, now that we’ve learned love and compassion we won’t be too hard on ourselves now will we? Taking responsibility will now allow us to move forward and create what it is we truly desire. Be compassionate with yourself but don’t be too polite with the state of your health. Think about what’s going wrong. How can you improve?

Spending 20-30 minutes a day quietly meditating on equanimity, love, joy and acceptance can do wonders to quiet your mind, your soul and ease tension and stress. You may find that following this practice will help you live in the moment and help you minimize focus on the past or an unhealthy obsession with the future. Ultimately, our success or our failures are our own creation. Our life is self-created and what we experience is our concept of the world.

Zen & the Art of Health

I was driving to work the other day and was thinking about the variety of health-related non-profit organizations out there; the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Lung Association, American Diabetes Association, etcetera, etcetera. It’s amazing when we think about how much time, effort and resources each of these organizations contribute. What’s also interesting to me is just how closely many of these disease processes are related. Granted, I understand that cancer is different than heart disease yet how different are they really?

Before I delve into answering this question let me share a little about my past. My parent’s divorced when I was young and so I spent time between my mom and step-dads house in Oregon and visited my father in Ventura County during the summer and holiday season. I grew up in a fairly conservative religious household with my mom and step-father, and my dad was…well…not what you’d call conservative. Year after year I grew up with mixed messages; you should believe this, you should believe that, this is wrong, this is right, don’t do this or else, don’t worry about that, that’s OK. Are you getting my point? A few weeks ago I asked a member of our club (who happens to be Muslim) a couple questions regarding her religious beliefs. At the end of the conversation she said, “You know, we all have much more in common than we do differences.” I couldn’t agree more. While some may disagree, if you spend any time studying religious history and philosophy you may find yourself surprised. It’s taken me years to finally become comfortable with developing my own belief system and I think my experience has also shaped my view on health.

This discussion is not an attempt to tout my personal religious philosophy; rather, it’s an attempt to set the stage for a larger concept. Given that we have limited space I’ll continue this column in the next issue. We’ll continue by discussing the concept of health and then consider how our concept may limit or hinder our ability to attain optimal health. We’ll then discuss some other viewpoints that may help us to expand our perception assisting us in creating a more holistic approach to our personal wellness.

What is Health?

This may seem like a simple question but if you know me, I love to overcomplicate things. I know plenty of thin people who can eat and drink whatever they want, never had braces, have perfectly straight teeth, no cavities, don’t exercise and have good skin. Yes, I know, these people are quite annoying to us regular folks but just because they look good without trying it doesn’t mean their insides look pretty. On the other hand I know of several people who I considered to be the epitome of health who succumbed to cancer or a sudden heart attack. Health is not just the absence of disease. True health permeates all levels of being and include how we deal with stress, how we communicate, how we accept love, what we accept in general, our level of education, our social circle, how we treat others, how we deal with how they treat us…and then of course our lipid profile, nutrition and exercise. I’m not trying to minimize the importance of exercise and a balanced diet; I’m simply suggesting that it’s wise to realize how our thoughts, emotions and fears impact our health. Let’s take a little quiz to explore.

Is This You?

You’re unhappy with your job. Everyday is boring and you simply can’t wait to get home. Weekends are the only thing you can think about since it means being away from work. If you could, you’d quit at the first opportunity but it just doesn’t seem like the best move right now so you just suck it up and deal day in and day out. If one word could sum up your emotion it may be ‘numb.’

Does this seem eerily familiar? If so, how is your situation affecting other aspects of your life? Do you feel a sense of unhappiness, fear, frustration or disappointment? Have you looked into how these emotions affect your level of stress or health?

I have a close family member of mine who has been a business owner for years and over the last 6-8 years has absolutely despised going into work everyday. This lack of connection with his career has seeped into his relationships with family and friends. While it’s easy for me to see where he may be able to improve things he isn’t comfortable asking for help and generally turns down any offer to do so. So where has this left him? He’s unhappy, has had a heart attack, and has high-blood pressure and Type II diabetes. He’s miserable in his career and unwilling to do something about it. He’s afraid of change and this fear is killing his opportunity to truly be happy and live a life where work ceases to be work and becomes a passion.

If you’ve managed to create a quite different scenario, one where you’ve found yourself in a meaningful career, a circle of close loving friends, a beautiful family, challenge yourself intellectually, find time for your own health, exercise and communicate well than you deserve a pat on the back. Be proud and grateful of what you have and where you are as many people haven’t yet realized this potential. The point thus far is that everything is connected. We tend to forget that this world has been here a lot longer than we have and will continue to be here a lot longer after we leave. Sometimes we view life, health and spirituality through a finite lens rather than viewing life as one with infinite possibilities. In my first paragraph I discussed many different health related organizations and that each has a very specific focus on health. Wouldn’t it be interesting if we just had one organization such as the Worldwide Institute for Health & Happiness? Certainly within this organization we’d be forced to contemplate not only our health but also our happiness and everything that true happiness entails. They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world; someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. I will argue that these three things will also lead one to optimal health. In our next discussion we’ll continue to discuss more in depth some of the key areas of Zen and how they are related to wellness.

Your Attitude...Is it Affecting your Health?

Are you frustrated with the progress of your health and fitness goals? Are you losing weight slower than you had hoped? Before you start blaming your program or your trainer, let’s give some thought to your attitude.

It has been long suspected that a client’s attitude and belief system can make or break any serious attempt to lose unwanted pounds. A recent study on overweight adults, published in the March 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, gives more weight to the power of positive thinking.

With the goal of determining whether personal beliefs would predict weight change, researchers observed 48 obese men and women on an 8-week, low-calorie diet. Changes in body mass index, waist circumference and blood pressure were significantly different among the subjects. “Less weight reduction was associated with poor self-efficacy…and the beliefs that obesity has a physical origin…and is not under behavioral control,” the researcher wrote.

So what does this mean for your weight loss goal? The study and authors had this to say. “These results suggest that the outcome of dietary interventions may be improved when adjusting beliefs, especially self-efficacy. A better outcome could possibly be accomplished if unfavorable beliefs…are recognized, discussed, and adjusted to realistic beliefs, preferably before the actual start of a diet intervention” (excerpt from IDEA Fitness Journal, 10/2005).

In a nutshell, what the researchers are saying is that if you’re confident that you can follow through with your new diet or exercise regimen, than you have a better chance at success than someone who thinks they may fail. So what can you do to improve your odds of success?

Try a few of the following tips and advice.

• Exercise is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun
• Find an activity your passionate about; if you don’t like what you’re doing, you won’t do it.
• Set a realistic goal within a realistic time frame
• Make an appointment with yourself to exercise and don’t let anything get in the way.
• Train for an event
• Hire a trainer or coach. He or she will hold you accountable and ensure you’re progressing
• Follow a well rounded program and include resistance training, aerobic exercise and flexibility.
• Eat healthfully 80% of the time and have fun 20% of the time.

“When you start thinking and saying what you really want then your mind automatically shifts and pulls you in that direction.”

“It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.”


Zig Ziglar

The Power of ZZZZZZ’a – The Need for Sleep

I must say that this morning has been a rough one. I came into work two hours before my first appointment today with the intention of writing two columns. As I sat to type, I lost all thought and inspiration and entered the black hole of “writer’s block.” Days like this are frustrating because I had good intention of powering through my tasks but for some reason I hit a wall. What happened? Let’s be honest, last night I slept terribly and it has completely affected my day. I had one of those frustrating restless nights consisting of little more than tossing and turning. With more than half of the adult American population sleep deprived and reports of sleep deprivation association with everything from weight-gain, heart disease and diabetes, it’s time to revisit the topic.

Let’s first go back to school and review the stages of sleep. I’ll be brief so try and stay awake while you read this OK?

Stage 1 – Stage 1 sleep is light sleep. You experience a drifting in and out of sleep. You can be easily woken up. Your eye movement and body movements slow down. You may experience sudden jerky movement of your legs or other muscles.

Stage 2 - During this stage, eye movement stops and your brain waves become slower. There will also be brief bursts of rapid brain activity called sleep spindles. Around 50 percent of your time sleeping is spent in stage 2.

Stage 3 - Stage 3 is the first stage of deep sleep. The brain waves are a combination of slow waves, known as delta waves, combined with faster waves. During stage 3 sleep it can be very difficult to wake someone up. If you are woken up during this stage, you may feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes. If you wake me up during this stage I promise you I’ll be grumpy.

Stage 4 - Stage 4 sleep is the second stage of deep sleep. In this stage the brain is making the slow delta waves almost exclusively. In this stage it is also very difficult to wake someone up. Both stages of deep sleep are important for feeling refreshed in the morning. If these stages are too short, sleep will not feel satisfying.

REM sleep – Rapid Eye Movement - REM sleep is also the phase of sleep in which you dream and begins about 70 to 90 minutes after you fall asleep. When you enter into REM sleep, your breathing becomes fast, irregular and shallow, heart rate and blood pressure increase, eyes will move rapidly and your muscles become immobile. Researchers do not fully understand REM sleep and dreaming but do know it is important in the creation of long-term memories.

Why is sleep so important?

Immune system. Let’s face it, we’ve all pulled all-nighters studying for exams or working on a big project and then came down with a cold the next day right? That’s no accident - sleep is essential to the immune system. Without adequate sleep, the immune system becomes weak, and the body becomes more vulnerable to infection and disease.

Nervous system. Sleep is also a time of rest and repair to neurons. Neurons are the freeways of the nervous system that carry out both voluntary commands, like moving your arm or tkping on your computer, (I mean typing, that was a joke) and involuntary commands, like the digestive process or breathing (which is important).

Brain, cellular repair, replenishment and growth. With most of our brains working feverously throughout the day (I said most just in case you spend your days eating chips while mindlessly watching cartoons), it would seem that it would need a break right? Recent studies have suggested that sleep may replenish dwindling energy stores that cells need to function, repair cellular damage caused by our busy metabolism, and even grow new nerve cells in the brain (American Psychological Association).

Hormone release. Many hormones are timed to release during sleep or right before sleep. Growth hormones, for example, are released during sleep, vital to growing children but also for restorative processes like muscle repair and metabolism. Two other hormones that have been related to weight control are leptin and ghrelin. Leptin and ghrelin work in a kind of "checks and balances" system to control feelings of hunger and fullness, explains Michael Breus, PhD, a faculty member of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and director of The Sleep Disorders Centers of Southeastern Lung Care in Atlanta. Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates appetite, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the brain when you are full.

So what's the connection to sleep? "When you don't get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food," Breus reported in WebMD.

The two combined, he says, can set the stage for overeating, which in turn may lead to weight gain.

Sleep keeps the ticker healthy. Researchers at the University of Chicago report in the Journal of the American Medical Association that too little sleep can promote calcium buildup in the heart arteries, leading to the plaques that can then break apart and cause heart attacks and strokes. Need I say more?
It’s no surprise that Mom had it in our best interest when trying to get us to bed before 9 PM. Sleep has so many benefits that its importance is undeniable. Take a look at the quiz below to see if you’re sleep deprived. If you are, it may be time to re-consider if burning the mid-night oil is as necessary as you think. Heed the advice above, close the curtains tight and get a good nights rest.

Am I Sleep-deprived?
From Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program that Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance, by James Maas.

Indicate true or false for the following statements:

• I need an alarm clock in order to wake up at the appropriate time.
• It's a struggle for me to get out of bed in the morning.
• Weekday mornings I hit the snooze button several times to get more sleep.
• I feel tired, irritable and stressed out during the week.
• I have trouble concentrating and remembering.
• I feel slow with critical thinking, problem-solving and being creative.
• I often fall asleep watching TV.
• I often fall asleep after heavy meals or after a low dose of alcohol.
• I often fall asleep while relaxing after dinner.
• I often fall asleep within five minutes of getting into bed.
• I often feel drowsy while driving.
• I often sleep extra hours on weekend mornings.
• I often need a nap to get through the day.
• I have dark circles around my eyes.

Results: Two or more "true" statements may be signs of a sleep problem.

Your Good Night’s Sleep to-do list
• Stick to a schedule
• Exercise regularly, but not closer than 3 hours before bedtime
• Avoid caffeine & nicotine
• Limit alcoholic drinks and avoid a few hours before bed
• Avoid large meals & beverages late at night
• Avoid medicines that delay or disrupt your sleep
• Don’t nap after 3pm
• Relax before bed
• Take a hot bath
• Maintain a good sleep environment
• Make notes of worries and solutions before you go to bed
• Get exposure to the sun
• Don’t force it
• Use a good mattress
• Sleep on good, clean sheets (Egyptian cotton are great!)
• Drink a glass of warm milk. Mild contains tryptophan and may make you drowsy

Your Healthiest Year Yet!

Over the last few months my business partner and I have been reviewing our companies financials, marketing plan, organizational structure and overall feelings about the direction and health of our business. From our discussions we’ve come up with goals and strategies for a successful 2010 by creating specific financial measures and departmental objectives and discussed what we could modify, change, continue or improve for next year. Of course our team has been with us every step of the way and has provided valuable input and support. Each week we have a habit of reviewing our following week’s performance as well as each month and each quarter. As a business owner it’s vital to keep a pulse on our company’s performance as everyone’s livelihood is at stake. Have you figured out why I’m sharing this information with you yet and how it relates to health?

The fact of the matter is that so many of us go through the appropriate steps to ensure our success as an employee, a manager or a business owner. Each day we wake up, shower, and eat breakfast (I hope you eat breakfast...but more importantly I hope you shower!) drive to work (or bike), review our daily dash board, answer emails, communicate with the appropriate authorities and diligently go about our tasks. With time and effort we hope that our months and years of hard work will pay off so we can continue moving forward with life in beautiful San Luis Obispo County. The question I’d like to pose is this; do you have the same strategy when it comes to your health? Do you take time to review your “health performance” throughout the year? Do you also review your blood panels as you do your profit and loss statement? Do you place as much importance on your daily workouts as you do your daily performance at work? Have you created a specific plan and strategy for reaching your goals? As a responsible member of your team, manager or owner I know you take time to have team meetings at work to discuss the health of your company; have you taken time to discuss the personal health of your family?

The trouble with much of our educational system is that it attempts to teach us the skills and concept to get ahead in the workforce but not necessarily the skills and concepts to sustain and improve our health. For example, how much emphasis do you see placed on health and physical education compared to science and math? I understand that great mathematic skills may help our students land a high paying job but it really doesn’t matter much if they have a heart attack at the age of 40 due to unhealthy behaviors. Much of this personal education is left up to chance. The reason I say “chance” is because health has a tendency to be passed down from generation to generation. If your mom and dad were overweight there’s a good chance that you’re overweight as well. If your mom and dad were active and took you on a daily bike ride and encouraged you to participate in sports or other physical activities there’s a good chance that you’re a healthy and active individual. I grew up in an environment where sports and physical activities weren’t necessarily discouraged but the benefits, planning and education behind good health wasn’t taught. My mom was the epitome of healthy cooking but unfortunately she didn’t take the time to teach me anything about it (I’ve since taught myself). And while most of our family friends considered my mother a “health nut,” she sadly succumbed to cancer at the young age of 41. Unfortunately my mom missed her annual medical exam one year and forgot to reschedule until the following year. It was during this time that a tumor had the opportunity to grow. What if she never missed that appointment? If the doctor had located the tumor earlier would he have been more successful with the treatment plan thereby improving her chance to live? I’ll never know the answer to that question but I do know that if a business owner or manager skipped their budget and marketing planning process for 2010 they would have an unsuccessful year or perhaps fired for his or her negligence.

The take home message from this article is a simple one and a good reminder. We take many things for granted but let’s not let our health be one of them. While last year was a challenging year for many of us we have the opportunity to create a successful 2010 and I encourage you to take the same care with your health and the health of your family as you do with everything else in your life. Take time to discuss health with your significant other, your family, children, and your children’s friends and with your co-workers. Take as much care and planning with your health as you do the education of your children or your retirement plan. If you do, you may find you’ll have to contribute more to your retirement as you may add years to your life.