9. Rule For Better Health-Put away the scale (save for special occasions)

     Before we get started, let me say just a few words on scales and their use. There is nothing wrong with scales to help you monitor your weight. I have one that must be twenty years old sitting in a corner of my bathroom. I also used to be a member of Weight Watchers. For all of you who are in Weight Watchers I'd like to say it's a great program. I wish you all luck in your journey to better health. Part of my weekly program with Weight Watchers was that I would go in for a weigh-in. The weigh-in's were confidential. I didn't have to take off my shirt like on the "Biggest Loser", and stand in front of other contestants as well as millions of viewers, but it was still a lot of pressure. I wanted to please the support staff, and I would get depressed if I didn't reach my goals. Some weeks I would lose weight, sometimes I'd even gain, and other weeks I'd stay the same. It often felt like I was on a physical and emotional Yo-Yo. I understand why the scale is an important part of weight loss programs. It gives you goals to achieve. It can also be use as a source of recognition and pride in your accomplishments. Most weight loss programs use scales and weigh-ins as a mean to strengthen the support structure and help foster camaraderie among its members. This can be a good thing. It's tough losing weight alone. A lot of people depend on other people to help them get through the tough times. For all of you who find scales to be a valuable tool, I won't say to abandon them. I will give you some of my views on why I only use them for special occasions.

Vitamins

     If you walk into any supermarket, department store or drug store you will find row after row of Vitamins and supplements. You'll see so many different kinds and brands. Some are multi-vitamins and some are for specific things. I've even see vitamins targeting the eyes, fingernails and hair growth. It's very confusing. How do you determine what vitamins you need, and in what quantities? Let me give you a little primer on vitamins before we move on. In the simplest terms vitamins are; "organic compounds required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by any organism." Some of these compounds are synthesized by our own bodies, while most must come from our diets or through vitamins in manufactured forms. Remember that vitamins are different from other essential nutrients including, dietary minerals, essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids. These are required in greater quantities, and we receive almost all of them from our diets.

8. Rule For Better Health-Make the Right Choices

     When I look at my own life, I look at it as a long and winding road that often leads to forks in the road where we need to make a choice. Sometimes as in the picture above there isn't a clear choice. Both roads look pretty much the same. They're aren't any signs to help us make our decision. You would be surprised at how many choices we make every day. We all face three types of choices in our lives. They include good choices, bad choices and ones that are neutral. An example of a neutral choice is taking a walk on the beach or one in a park. We all understand some of the choices we make in terms of dieting or watching what we eat. How many of us have had a choice between an apple and a delicious donut with a jelly filling and sugar on top. The choices also include things which affect our emotional and spiritual health. We not only make physical choices every day we often make moral ones. One of the keys to better health is to begin to learn to become keenly aware of every choice we face whether it is a big one or a small one. Sometimes the smallest choices can be just as important. I've learned that small choices have a way of piling up on you and weighing you down. Imagine that each bad choice is a small brick which is placed in a bag which you carry over your shoulders. Every time you make a bad choice another brick is added to the bag. When you make a good choice a brick is removed from the bag and your load is lightened. You might think to yourself that the weight of a brick isn't so bad. Now imagine you've made bad choice after bad choice until the weight on your shoulders becomes so great that you collapse and you can't get up. Just remember that sometimes small choices are more important than they initially appear.