Being Healthy in 2026

The Basics of Better health

   In  2026, I am going back to the basics, again. I do this each year with varying success. I was asked to publish my journey. Please come along and post any thoughts that might help the group. Do one thing: sign up, and take a moment to read or listen to the three posts a week. Posts and audio are short and to the point. It will help, and you may be reading your own comments.

Beginning is half done. Take action!

   This time, with renewed optimism, I start 2026. For me, I need to remind myself of the basics, then look at my purpose, how we motivate ourselves and our friends, and then how to put a plan together and put it into action. That sentence will take many months to cover. Note that I wrote "we" when it comes to motivating ourselves; we do better when we are not alone.

    Where to start? Yes, the basics that will drive us to be healthy and feel great. I'll sum it up in one sentence:

"What you eat is 85% of your health; the other 15% can be broken down between getting adequate sleep, working out your muscles, and being driven by a purpose." 

   I need to explain, so don't give up your LA Fitness memberships just yet. Working out is essential, but you won't be motivated to do anything if you don't understand what, when, and why you eat and drink to sustain yourself, and if you don't have a clear, defined purpose for doing all this. Remember, "Purpose is stronger than a goal!"

   I have a goal to weigh a certain weight and increase my muscle mass, but why? What is my purpose? What is yours? My purpose is to get back in the kind of shape I used to be, so if I walk onto a movie set discussing the script around my book, someone says, "I know the movie stars have three trainers and a chef, but how do you stay in such good shape?" I have formed a mental picture of that scene. I wrote it down in a notebook I keep with me, and I even have a picture of the scene's location. Thank you, AI.

   What's your purpose? Write it down. An Indian chief said to me years ago, "The palest ink is better than the very best memory." He was right. Our minds have a way of working out what we write down. Number one: define your purpose. I could spend precious minutes talking about the rest, but a man or woman without a purpose is a ship without a rudder—an army without a leader. What is your purpose?

   We will have another post in two days. For now, let me encourage you to do three things. Just three things your mind can latch onto. I encourage you to send this post to someone and ask them to do this with you. Any comments, we want them. Three things:

   First, plan to eat the food that you know is bad for you—that stuff with too much sugar, the wrong fat, you know, the stuff making you less than optimum—until next Wednesday. My point is, pick one day to eat the bad stuff. I'm not asking you to give anything up. That means you need something to write the day! Paper plates work!

   Second, do three physical activities every other day, but limit it to three days in any one week. Mine today are push-ups, squats with some hand weights, and bicep curls. Push-ups till you can't, squats till you are tired, and bicep curls in three sets. Books, a bag of dog food, or anything can serve as a weight. Write down what you did. If it is only one of each, that is fine. "Beginning is half done!"

   Third, if you aren't spending several hours in the gym, set a goal to quit eating at 7:00 PM, then have a late breakfast the next morning. When you get up, drink water and two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar; it will kill the hunger. Make it to 10:00 PM, and you just fasted for 15 hours. Fasting will shed off visceral fat, which we call belly fat, and if you fast, your skin will draw up tight around your muscles. Don't consume things that taste sweet.

   What happens? You have a purpose; it's a start. You should feel a little burn from doing something physical, and with no sugar and a little fast, you will lose some weight, and I hope you feel a little better.

   With all things health or medical, I am supposed to say, "Be sure to consult a doctor before doing anything."  If you are on medication, don't do something stupid. I will be discussing how to avoid getting sick, something I have managed to do for decades, except for the results of a bunch of bee stings.

   Today,  I take no prescription drugs, and like many, I end with a to-do list that gets longer each week. But there is hope: together, we can all make 2026 a year when we feel our best and maybe help each other be in better shape.

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