Welcome to Straight Talk on Health. I’m your host Dr. Chet Zelasko. Straight Talk on Health. is a joint production with WGVU in Grand Rapids MI. I examine the practical application of health information. Nutrition. Exercise. Diet. Supplementation. I look at the science behind them, and let you know whether it’s something to consider or not. You can check out other things that I do on my website Drchet.com and sign up for my free emails.
Undertaking a lifestyle change is challenging to say the least. This is especially true when it comes to changing the type and volume of the foods you eat as well as sticking to an exercise program. As I’ve said in recent episodes, you just have to find a way that works for you and maybe only you, to make the lifestyle change permanent. That includes the foods you eat, the time of day you eat or exercise, the type of exercise you will do, even the best time of day for you to take dietary supplement if you take them. I’m going to give you an idea of what one guy did to deal with the biggest obstacle most people have. Then, I’ll give you a strategy for implementing changes after dealing with the sly obstacle that impacts us all.
I read one of those stories with a big tease. How someone lost 60 pounds! I generally avoid them but this time I took the bait. I’m glad I did because it gave me perspective for what seems to be the biggest challenge for everyone: time. If you’re going to eat right, you have to cook for yourself most likely. And where can you find the time to exercise when you have a busy career and as a single parent?
In reading about this man in his 40s who lost 60 pounds, with a child and a busy career as well, he used a couple of approaches that helped him conquer the time factor. They may not apply to everyone because you have to be able to afford it but here’s what he reportedly did.
He saved time preparing meals, particularly lunches, by ordering food delivery from places that provided the correct serving sizes of healthy food in the proper portions of carbohydrates, protein, fat and calories. There are more and more of these places that focus on healthy foods from just about any type of cuisine you like. That also saved time and money because he didn’t have to go to restaurants, eat less healthy foods together with diet killer alcohol.
He conquered the “time” for exercise issue by hiring a personal trainer. The trainer had him save time by walking to and from locations during the day instead of driving. That may work for some people but if you work in suburbia, not going to help. But the trainer also had him walk while talking on the phone. Most business people have professional calls or even group calls on smart phones that also have video. That alone resulted in increasing aerobic exercise as he got 10-15,000 steps per day instead of none. It depends on where you work and the climate in your area but that sounds like a winning exercise plan as well. And it wasn’t done either. The trainer designed a specific weight training program that optimized large muscle groups with specific sets, reps, and timing. There are hundreds of different approaches to a weight training program that can be done in less than 30 minutes a couple days a week, You just need to find one that works and a good, certified personal trainer can help you do that. Most importantly, he stuck with it. I think the results were a little dramatic as the time to weight loss was only 4 months. I hope the writer checks back with the guy in a year or two. But no matter, it’s one way to deal with time: hire professionals to help you.
There you have it. Another new approach to help you if you’re having problems finding the right approach for you. For me, because I work for myself, I prefer dedicated time to exercise while listening to podcasts. Because I favor using HIIT twice per week, it’s just easier to dedicate the time to it and focus on the effort. But that’s me.
All this sounds great. I can hear you thinking Yes, But Not Now. What? How do I know that. Listen on.
As Paula and I were discussing something we should do the other day, I said, “Yes, but not now.” That wasn’t meaningful in the moment, but a little while later, Paula commented that she knew she should cut back on sugar, but not now.
Bam. How many times have you said that? Not something you know you will do later but something related to your health: beginning to exercise, beginning to track your foods, beginning to organize your supplements to ensure you take them on a regular basis, and so on. Pick any lifestyle change you want to make; have you ever said, “but not now”? Look, there’s always something in our lives that makes it challenging to change our lifestyle–I’ll begin after my birthday, or after vacation, or some other event that makes it inconvenient to begin right now.
You know you should do it. You fully intend to do it. There’s no reason you can’t, and still, you tell yourself “but just not right now.” Procrastination at its finest!
There will always be something that we feel we should finish first. Once you actually begin, that will shift to something that interferes with your plan every day. If you can’t deal with beginning now, what makes you think it will be any easier later?
Maybe what you need is some sisu? I first heard the word in a movie of the same title. It was about the most feared Fin, an assassin during WWII. The character is not real but rather a way of dealing with life. What is sisu? It’s a Finnish word that has no real translation. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get a sense of what the word could mean. The reason I did is in our constant postponing the necessary. How can we overcome that?
To several authors, the characteristics of sisu goes along these lines:
Sisu is applied in everyday life to describe perseverance in personal challenges. It is seen as an action-oriented mindset that emphasizes persistence without boasting about it. If you want an entire book that examines the nuances of sisu, check out Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage by Joanna Nylund.
Weight loss. Cardiovascular fitness. Pre-diabetes. Hypertension. Mild cognitive impairment. Many more degenerative diseases and conditions. While they have a genetic component, they are primarily diseases of eating too much of the wrong foods while not moving any more than from the recliner to the refrigerator and back. No matter your current physical state, you can be better than you are right now.
This is your life. You know what you have to work on; how many years have you said, “If I could just...”? This is about taking the personal challenge of doing what you need to do, day in, day out, until you’ve got the health and lifestyle you want. Persistence, consistence, courage, resilience, grit, tenacity. Or you could call it stubbornness, which is often considered a negative trait, but one that can be used for good, too. And one more thing: an unwillingness to quit. Ever. Sisu.
You’re on a quest to find the elements you need to get yourself healthy, fit, with the ability to live life, not merely be alive. Here’s a strategy you may find helpful. Pick a way of eating. Say the Mediterranean Diet or the Ketogenic diet. Commit to following the principles of that dietary strategy for 6 weeks or 4 or 8 but no more or no less. Or pick a way of exercise you can incorporate into your day like the guy who walked during phone calls. I could go on but I hope you get the point. Hold true to the change, doing it the best you can, learning as you go. Keep track of how you do on a daily basis. Then, analyze what you’ve done. What were the strengths you showed? What were the weaknesses? Could you maintain it 90% of the time? 80% of the time? Not that there is magic in the 80/20 Rule, if you could do it that well for 6 weeks, you may just need to refine it. If you’re at 50-50, try a different approach. The difference this time is that you committed to a specific time and stuck to it. Now keep going, trial and error, until you get to the lifestyle you can sustain. It would take a book to cover every permutation but I don’t want to write it.
Start now and here’s why. What about your story? I’ll bet you have a story in you. If not, why not write yours now, this year in 2025, so you can share it. It may inspire others. If you have one that’s worked for you, let me know how you did if you want me to share it. Science only takes you so far. It’s how you make the science work for you that’s important. Eat better. Eat less. Move more. Starting right now
That’s it for this episode. If you like this podcast, please hit the like button and tell your friends and colleagues about it. Until next time, this is Dr. Chet Zelasko saying health is a choice. Choose wisely today and every day.
Reference: Marla Broadfoot. 2024. The Ones Who Need Little Sleep. www.knowablemagazine.org
