We often overcomplicate the whole health thing. Well here’s a really simple system. I call it the “- 0 + system” and it’s based on a golf scoring system called “par”. Essentially in golf, if you play a hole in par (handicap taken into account) then its called a 0 or half. If you make a birdie or better then it’s a + and if you have bogey or worse it’s called a -.

From the moment you wake up in the morning, you keep giving yourself  scores, just like you would in a golf round. e.g. went to sleep before 10am +. Or went to bed at midnight – . Woke up and went for a run + versus woke up and had a donut – . In the middle there are health neutral choices. Woke up and had a piece of wholemeal toast with vegemite. Probably not that bad but neither is it all that good.

At the end of the day, you need to make sure that you are in the positive or at the very worst neutral.

Ok, as an example, here’s my tally yesterday! Promise not to tell anyone ok?

• went to sleep at 11.30 –
• got up at 7.30 and went for a 4km run ++
• toast and vegie sausage for breakfast 0
• coffee at 11am 0
• nachos and pasticcis and 1 beer whilst watching footy with my brother 0 or -. I will call it a +!
• whisky with dad in the evening + or – depending how you look at it! i will call it a +!
• roast vegetables and pasta for dinner +

Tally +4!!! That’s a great day!

Ok, you may say that I’ve been rather lenient with myself! Well, I take a fairly pragmatic view towards health and wellness. Every week, I see people who have lead all kinds of lifestyles with varying levels of health and disease. I see patients in their 90’s who have smoked and drank and never developed any serious problems. I see patients in their 40’s who develop life-threatening cancers. I see patients who have lead a perfectly pure life who develop disease. And I see patients who have lived a moderate life who live long and healthy lives.

You maybe aware of the Harvard study on longevity that showed that relationships were as important as normal cholesterol when it came to cardioprotectivity. Having poisonous relationships are more toxic than anything else. Hence a beer with my brother and a whiskey with dad I consider +’s because  there’s something very healthy about sharing a drink and having a chat whilst nurturing those relationships.

Anyway, give it a go. I tried it with my kids and it was interesting how one of them made a choice not to have hot chocolate because it would incur a – due to the high sugar content! Maybe I’m onto something!!!

In Health and Wellness

Ranjit

PS- You know I’m not advocating unhealthy habits. It’s just that some folk get to hung up about being pure!