Balance and Longevity: Starting with RESET

Produced by: Dr. Roberta Kline (Assoc. Editor of the Women's Health Digest)

We all reach a point in our lives where we've gotten stuck in ruts where it seems really hard to even conceive of CHANGE. Change can be very scary, especially when, when it's on a larger scale. You know, the way we eat, the way we exercise our whole lifestyle is often very intertwined with our social interactions, with our work, with our expectations of how we're supposed to behave, how we're supposed to live our lives in our current world. That pressure to do and produce and be busy all the time is actually very detrimental. 

These habits that we create as coping mechanisms sometimes don't really serve us in the long run. So when it comes time to change, how many of you have tried a drastic change in diet, decided to take on a really rigorous boot camp exercise program, thinking that, "okay, I'm going to do it this time". And most of the time it fails. And it's not because you fail, it's not because you don't have the willpower. It's not because you don't have the strength. It's because success comes from building upon success, building upon your inner strengths, rather than trying to push and punish yourself into something that may not work for you.

The idea of reset comes from a different framework. It's about making small changes to reset how we think, how we feel, how we act. That is more in alignment with our goals of where we want to be. In our evolution, we're always, as a species hitting a point of needing to grow, needing to change in order to adapt to a new environment, in order to be better at whatever it is that allows us not just to survive, but to thrive. Initiating a reset at these points in time also applies to our lives. It allows us to take a step back and say, "what do I need to change to grow, to become the person in whatever way that looks like for me, that I wanna be next. Where do I wanna go in my own growth and evolution so that I can have the energy, the vitality, the enthusiasm for living life the way I want".

WELLNESS PHILOSOPHY 101 

LONGEVITY is not just a race to get to however old you can be in terms of chronological age. It's not a competition, but it's rather a form of self-love... and that comes with BALANCE. Life throws us all sorts of curve balls, whether it's internal or external in our lives. Balance is something we need to work towards- in order to give us resilience.  Nature teaches us to (automatically) try to regain balance when we fall or when we stumble. 

As an example, if you've ever tried standing on one leg- it's a challenge, right? If you add to that challenge by maybe lifting that leg higher or doing some other pose that adds more challenge to, to your balance.  When you're focused and you're grounded and calm, it's much easier to stay in that balance. But if your mind starts wandering about, "oh, I gotta do this today, your to-do list" or something that happened yesterday, it's very easy for those thoughts themselves to throw you off balance. And then you'll either put your foot down because you need to some extra stability, or you might fall altogether. The goal of balance is not to be able to stand on that one leg for the rest of your life. That's not possible, but it's about, okay, how do you get back into that place of balance when something throws you off? That's RESILIENCE. And that, to me, is the core of creating health for as long as we can. 

RESET to me, is a very forgiving way that is full of self-compassion to make these decisions without judgment, without guilt, without all the 'woulda-coulda-shoulda's.  We are very good at that negative self-talk. But it really doesn't help us regain balance. It doesn't help us in our RESET. We can take these moments as "the past has passed". I've gotten where I am today with all the choices. What choice do I want to make now to take me down the path that will give me the health and the life that I am desiring now?

PART 1: RESET & EXERCISE
When it comes to longevity of however you're going to RESET your life, whatever new programs, new behaviors, new habits that you decide to incorporate in your health program, the worst thing to do is to do something because you think you should... you usually end up making it boring. Follow somebody else's instructions without really thinking, "is this really the right thing for me?"  As an example, I find that using creativity is the best way for me to exercise is to make it fun. Now, exercising on the treadmill is boring. You're not going anywhere. You're just walking in the same place for 15, 20, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, however long you do it. When you are walking outside, you have an ever-changing landscape. You're out in nature. But indoor in the treadmill. Yeah. Not so much.

This is one of the reasons why so many treadmills purchased with great intentions end up serving as clothes hangers, storage places, uh, you know, get donated or sold on eBay. It's because it really didn't fulfill a need that we all have. And that's for creativity and fun. So the first thing I do when working with clients is to find out what is fun for them. For me, when I started ballroom dancing, I realized this was an exercise I could do forever and never feel like I was exercising. It was just fun. So when, on the days that I work out on the treadmill, I decided to be creative and translate that into my workout. So now I chacha, I salsa, I swing, I foxtrot, I do these dance moves, obviously modified for the treadmill so I don't fall off. And I've done that in the beginning. <laugh>, it helps me have fun. It gives me joy. And before I know it, whatever time I'm on that treadmill flies by because I'm not focusing okay, on how many miles or how many minutes. I'm just one with the music I'm feeling the music, I'm moving with the music. And that for me is the best way to get my exercise in.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ROBERTA KLINE, MD (Educational Dir. /Women's Diagnostic Group) is a board-certified ObGyn physician, Integrative Personalized Medicine expert, consultant, author, and educator whose mission is to change how we approach health and deliver healthcare. She helped to create the Integrative & Functional Medicine program for a family practice residency, has consulted with Sodexo to implement the first personalized nutrition menu for healthcare facilities, and serves as Education Director for several organizations including the Women’s Diagnostic Health Network, Mommies on a Mission. Learn more at https://robertaklinemd.com/