These eight essential components of health meld together to form the blueprint for health we yearn for and the life we are intended to live. Some of the concepts presented in the CREATION Health acronym will seem like common sense—because they are exactly that. Other concepts you may not have been as familiar with but will learn through the evidence of science. As the pieces of the picture come together like on a jigsaw puzzle, you’ll begin see a simple, yet profound unifying theme. We’ve tried to isolate the individual elements in the past, but they belong together for optimal living. You’ll soon discover your own picture taking shape and with it the tremendous potential to live life to the full.
Remember, the CREATION Health Breakthrough begins the moment you can see the various parts of your life coming into balance and you catch a glimpse of your ultimate design. Once you’ve experienced a health breakthrough in your own life – and through these eight principles I’ll show you how - you’ll know when there’s something in your life that needs a little tweaking. With this book you’ll have the tools you need to make healthy changes for a lifetime.
THE PLAN“Happiness lies first of all in health.”
~ George William Curtis
The CREATION Health Breakthrough is not a one-time occurrence in which you suddenly break beyond all the bad habits you’ve ever had in the past. The Breakthrough invites you to embrace new and exciting changes as you experience life as it was
intended. Yes, there will be times when you will get off balance, times when you’ll recognize the Lifestyle Disease is rearing its ugly head. But that’s what this health plan is about helping you recognize the disease and giving you the tools you need to return to your best health.
If you feel there is a particular area or areas that need immediate attention, you can go immediately to that chapter, keeping in mind these three things:
• Good choices are the cornerstone of all lifestyle changes. Therefore, the Choice chapter should be read first.
• Creating health is about complementary changes in the mind, body and spirit. For the greatest results make sure you cover all eight principles.
• If you don’t have time to read the book now, you may turn to the back immediately, plan the CREATION Health 3-day Rejuvenation Therapy and follow the guided steps to reading the book during your getaway!
SPECIAL FEATURES
The CREATION Health Breakthrough has been designed with a number of special features to help you get the most out of the material. These features include:
• MY PERSONAL STORY. I know the benefits of lifestyle change while living in the face of the tremendous challenge. In fact, I will be sharing the intimate successes and failures of my own health journey in Chapter 2. Walk with me and let my story touch yours.
• LIFE IN THE GARDEN. Each chapter has an engaging look at life in the Garden of Eden and how it relates to the CREATION Health principles. Also included are timely medical facts and scientific research to support the principles of whole person health.
• THE THREE M’S. Rather than embarking on too many changes at once, I recommend focusing on an area you know is out of balance in your life. Then consider three simple steps featured at the end of each chapter to bring about immediate success. The three M’s are: maximize, moderate, and minimize.
Think of the 3M’s like a traffic light. Maximize is a green light. Move full speed ahead on these healthy habits. Moderate is your yellow light. Continue moving but proceed carefully on these behaviors. Minimize is your red light. Try to stop these unhealthy habits as soon as you can.
• BREAKTHROUGH STORIES. At the end of each chapter I have included a case study that illustrates the personal struggles and triumphs of real people who have applied the CREATION Health principles in their own life and have been transformed by the experience. I call them Breakthrough Stories and I hope they encourage you.
• CREATION HEALTH BREAKTHROUGH SELF-ASSESSMENT QUIZ. Once you understand the powerful principles behind CREATION Health you may wonder how to start implementing them in your life. This self-assessment tool helps you understand which areas of your life need the most attention and where you need to concentrate your efforts. For each letter of the Creation
acronym you will be asked five questions. Each question is rated on a scale of 1-5, then your CREATION Health Score is tallied. A key is provided to help you understand your score and what areas you may want to work on. (Appendix A).
• 3-DAY REJUVENATION THERAPY. For many of us, our lives are so wildly out of balance we can’t even remember what it feels like to be calm, peaceful and clearheaded. To help you gain this vital experience I have put together a 3-day Lifestyle Rejuvenation Therapy that will slow you down enoughto experience peace, rest and a taste of balance. This plan is meant to completely structure a 72 hour period so you can experience first hand the benefits of CREATION Health. Some have called it a lifestyle detox weekend. I believe you will see immediate benefits from doing it. Detailed instructions for planning and experiencing this program can be found in Chapter 11.
• 8-WEEK LIFESTYLE TRANSFORMATION PLAN. This is a step-by-step approach to incorporating healthy behaviors into your life. It is a gradual approach that can be used after the 3-day therapy to slowly integrate all the practices of whole person health (body, mind, spirit, and relationships) into your daily life. (See Chapter 11)
• CREATION HEALTH FOR LIFE. Once you understand the concepts, behaviors and habits behind the 8 principles you can use them independently to bring your life back into balance when necessary. This section of the book will show you how to use the CREATION Health Breakthrough whenever you need it most for the rest of your life.
GREG’S STORYDo you remember Greg from the opening of the chapter? With his 50th birthday approaching, Greg scheduled an appointment with his doctor and received some shocking news. He had cancer. The news shook Greg to the core. He wasn’t expecting it. He wasn’t ready for it. He wasn’t even 50 yet.
After the diagnosis, Greg decided it was time to make some serious lifestyle changes. He was willing to do all he could to live well – now.
Greg sold one of his businesses and cut back on his hours at work. Though weakened by his chemotherapy treatments he read all he could about healthy lifestyle habits. When the cancer went into remission Greg regained enough strength to start exercising. He stopped drinking coffee and avoided alcohol as much as possible. He changed his diet by cutting out all red meat and sticking to mostly fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts and whole grains. He decided to take the weekends off completely and spend one of those days visiting with his four kids and two grandkids. He even agreed to attend church services every so often with his grandkids and started reading from scripture.
Two years into his remission Greg remarked he had never felt better in his life. Despite the diagnosis of cancer, his stress level had decreased considerably. He could not believe the energy he now had and how much better he felt about himself, his family and just about everyone he met. Though many of his relationships had suffered, he began reconnecting with the people that were important to him. Even his sense of humor returned. “If I’d known life could be this good I would have started living it years ago,” he said. “I have more energy now than I did in my 30’s.”
Greg had three good years in remission. Sadly, his cancer returned when he was 54 and he died just before his 55th birthday. But even to the end Greg was not bitter. “I’ve had three great years that were probably the best of my life,” he said. “I wouldn’t wish cancer on my worst enemy, but it’s taught me how to live. Life is precious. That’s a lesson I might not have learned any other way.”
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER“Optimal health is not based on the sculpture of your physique;
but on the sculpture of your lifestyle.”
~ Dr. Myron Wentz
Without question, Lifestyle is the number one “disease” that threatens the lives of Americans today—and there's no drug, surgery, or procedure to cure it. The good news is there’s a health plan that will. Achieving your health breakthrough will increase your vitality, lift your spirits, prolong your life, increase your fulfillment and minimize the risk of life-threatening illness. In the pages ahead you will discover that plan and how it can help you achieve a health breakthrough to fully experience life as it was intended.
But before we delve into the details of CREATION Health, I want to tell you the story of the most difficult patient I’ve ever had to work with – me. You may have heard the expression that physicians make the worse patients. It’s true. Let me take you through some of my own struggles. Perhaps the story of how I achieved a CREATION Health Breakthrough will encourage you as you pursue your own.
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