Tag Archive for: goals

We’re Back for Another Year!

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I hope you had a happy holiday season and a great start to the New Year. I’ve got plenty of great things planned for 2025 designed to help you get and stay healthy, and I’m going to start by reinforcing the Memo I sent a week ago in a slightly different way.

About 60 years ago, a new wellness movement was just beginning. I read an article about it and was fascinated. It was written by the then director of the Department of Vital Statistics in 1959, and while the article is several pages long, it was summarized in a chart.

Here’s the main idea. Traditional wellness relies on people taking care of themselves through diet, exercise, stress management, etc., if the environment allows it. Traditional medicine relies on treating disease through medications and surgeries. They are not opposites; optimal health requires both approaches, not the exclusion of one over the other. The key is that they both must be based on science.

The Department of Vital Statistics is now part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Whoever becomes the head of that department must understand that the wellness of the nation depends on continuing health and medical research; there can be no pauses or time outs. That person must also understand that wellness includes both approaches; we need to know more about personal health and the necessary healthy habits, but we also need continued research in medical approaches to treat disease. They are both critical to the health of our nation.

For your part? Your wellness begins with making healthy diet, exercise, and supplementation a part of your healthy habits, in addition to seeing your medical professionals on schedule. It all begins with one question:

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Am J Public Health. 1959 Jun;49(6):786–792. doi: 10.2105/ajph.49.6.786

Happy New Year!

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The beginning of a new year! Even though calendars are man-made, the new year signals a time for new goals to be accomplished in the next 365 days. I’m sure that health goals are included in those goals. Getting fitter, getting leaner, adding muscle, improving balance and flexibility, and addressing digestive issues, but that’s not all. Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and getting a solution for chronic joint pain. Addressing dental health to improve chewing­—so important for getting adequate nutrition. Don’t forget vision when glasses aren’t enough.

Some solutions can be found in diet, nutrition, exercise, and supplements, but they can’t solve every issue. Medications and surgery may also be required, because they can be a part of health as well. They are not competitors; they can complement one another.

As I see it, we all can do better on our end to optimize our health, and healthcare professionals certainly have room for improving how they treat patients. I’ll do my part by giving you the tried-and-true methods as well as the latest science so you can reach every health goal you set.

Happy New Year! Let’s make this the year you achieve your health goals. Together we can do it.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Happy New Year!

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Another year has begun, filled with our hopes and dreams of what is possible. It’s a time of setting goals, developing a plan, and then working on seeing those dreams become reality. Most of you probably have a revamped healthier and fitter body on your list.

The question is: what does that mean to you? How do you define health? How do you define fitness? The answers could be different for everyone. That means that you may need a specialized plan to reach those goals.

For 2020, I’m designing the information and programs you need to do just that. As the month and year proceed, I’ll tell you how I’m going to help you achieve those goals. One thing for sure is this: it will all come down to how you answer one question.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

I’m Alive V2.50

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When I opened my eyes yesterday, I said the same thing I’ve said for the past 26 years: I’m alive! When I wake on May 10th every year, it means I have at least one more year of life. It makes no sense in the real world, especially for a guy who talks about science so much, but I can’t change the way I think about this one thing.

I can’t believe it’s been 50 years since my Dad died on May 10th, 1969. But ever since I opened my eyes on May 10th when I was 41, the age my dad died, I believed I would live another year. It makes no sense, but it’s what I believe.

This year is going to be a special year, and not just because I have a special little guy who’s counting on me. I have three specific goals. Physical. Financial. Professional. I’ll give you some insight into part of one: I want to triple the number of Memo subscribers. To do that, I’m going to need your help. If you benefit from what I write by learning something new, getting the real story behind health headlines and research, and improving your health—tell people about it. Encourage them to subscribe to the Memo today. It’s free and I’ll never sell or share my list info, so there’s no risk in giving it a try.

I’ll keep you posted as this year continues. I’m excited and glad you’re a part of this journey. We have a nation that needs to get healthy. Let’s get about doing it right now.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

My Weight Loss Experience and Goals for 2019

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As the author of the Optimal Performance program, I want to tell you about my experience with the Weight Loss Cycle. I had used the Basic Program to train my body to use fat as a fuel. I use the strategy in Energy on Demand when I need to be at my best whether for a time of day, an entire day, or for an event that lasts a week. I’ve used the approach in the Fat-Burning Plan for years. Here’s my experience on the Weight Loss Cycle.

My goal was to lose 16 pounds in six weeks; normally I recommend no more than two pounds a week. I determined my caloric intake based on my exercise program and activity level. When I didn’t meet my weekly weight loss goal, I decreased calories for the next week. In those six weeks, I lost 12 pounds and almost three inches off my waist. I missed my overall goal, but because I began after already losing over 30 pounds and maintaining it for a couple of years, it was unrealistic to lose the remaining weight in that short a time; don’t make the same mistake if you choose to use the Weight Loss Cycle.

The Weight Loss Cycle explains how to maintain the lost weight and what to do until you decide to do another cycle. I chose to ignore it and went back to my typical caloric intake just to see what would happen. It took eight months to gain back the 12 pounds. The reason I did that was to show that if you’re going to lose weight and maintain it, you have to defend the weight you lose by adjusting your calories to maintain that weight.

The Optimal Performance program isn’t based only on my personal experience. In addition to keeping up on the science on weight, metabolism, and physical training, I have over 30 years experience in the field of weight loss and physical performance. This isn’t one of those “do as I say but not as I do” situations; I’ve lived it, I know it’s possible, and you can do it, too.

My Goals for 2019

I’m going to limit my goals to physical changes; my blood pressure, blood lipids, and other metrics have stayed in the excellent range.

My goal is to lose 18 pounds by April 15th—15 weeks. I’m going to break it into two six-week cycles with three weeks of maintenance between cycles. The reason for that weight loss goal is that it will put my BMI into the normal-weight category. I’ve never been there in my entire adult life.

At that point, I’m going to spend the next six months adding seven pounds of muscle while losing the remaining fat around my waist to get it to an actual 34 inches. I’ll use the Fat Burning Plan in a three-day cycle every week. That takes me to October 15th.

If I can accomplish those goals, I’m going to maintain the weight, muscularity, and body fat to the end of the year.

Those are my goals and I’ll write about my progress. But while this Memo was about me, the real question is what are your weight loss or weight gain goals and how are you going to achieve them? Remember, you can use any diet you want with the Weight Loss Cycle. It’s the process that will make you successful to get to the weight you always wanted and to maintain it.

Join me for the journey.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet