The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Work for healthier tomorrow
Whether you’re obsessed with your flaws or oblivious to your health challenges, you want to remake your POV about your appearance so you can be your healthiest self — with a much younger RealAge!
Your first step? Stop scrutinizing yourself. No more selfies. No more likes or dislikes of pics on social media. Put down your phone. Let defensiveness go. How? Meditate. Practice for 15 minutes at least once daily. Your goal is to make it automatic that you use meditative de-stressing when needed. Then you’ll be able to take charge of your moods.
Step Two: Say hello to your body. It’s time to get acquainted with what your body can do for you — no more punishing it with extremes of either sedentary behavior or relentless working out. Start a walking routine (it can be very meditative).
Feel your legs as they take steps; enjoy the sense of muscles working, appreciate the sweat trickling down from your hair across your face. Badges of honor. You got this! It’s working! Your body knows.
Then, start a stretching routine. The Monday Campaigns Chair Yoga program can help. Get acquainted with where you feel tightness — and slowly direct your thoughts to that area, saying silently to your body, “Relax, flow out, let go.” You will realize that you can make yourself feel better. Your body is not your enemy; it’s a tool you can use to build a better quality of life.
Next, go for strength-building. Want to see evidence of just how you can reshape your body? A six-week plan, with two to three 30-minute sessions weekly with stretchy bands or 2-pound hand weights will produce visible results in the tone and mass of your muscles in your arms, upper chest and torso.
But remember everybody and every body has beauty — as it is, and as it may become. The true beauty is your power to improve your health.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.