Dr. Oz: WHAT I’VE LEARNED

N early a decade of The Dr. Oz Show has meant one thing for sure: “I don’t have to tell people that quinoa is spelled with a Q anymore,” Oz says with a laugh. More lessons: 1. The value of recharging. “The show is incredibly demanding; I can’t afford not to be 100 percent. I use music and meditation to relax.” 2. Feelings motivate people more than facts. “You don’t tell cigarette smokers to stop because they’re going to die. They know that already. I get them to realize that if they love themselves as much as the people around them do, they’d never do that to themselves. It puts an emotional underline on it.” 3. The power of habit. “Figure out what you love that happens to be healthy—and focus on doing that regularly.” 4. Everything's connected. “The body is the temple of the soul, so your spiritual journey includes your health.” 5. Insomnia is a huge problem. “When I was training in surgery, we were taught that if you could train yourself to do things without sleep, it made you a better doctor. It’s the opposite! You’re more creative and able to perform better if you sleep more. It’s not a sign of weakness. Prioritize it. And you should be sleeping long enough to dream.“6. Nothing is healthier than having friends. ”After looking at the data, I’m convinced. So don’t isolate yourself. We have an epidemic of loneliness.“7. Be weight smart. “Reduce calories to lose weight; exercise to keep weight down. Not vice versa.” 8. Reinvent your relationships every seven years. “If you don’t grow together, you will grow apart. My wife [Lisa, of 33 years] and I are doing this right now, carving out time together.” 9. Ask questions. ”If you’re having issues, ask, What’s causing people to do that? What do people need to feel better about a situation? In medicine that’s how we do it. By asking the right question, you might get the right answer.” 10. If you give people a chance to surprise you, they will. ”It’s amazing how much we overestimate what can be accomplished in a week and how much we underestimate what can be accomplished in a year.”