by DR. MARK KESTNER

A 30-something man (aka "Joe") was in my office several years ago. As I performed a physical examination, I noticed that his pulse was about 50 beats per minute, indicating exceptional conditioning. He had told me that he ran several miles daily.

Everything about his body had the appearance of being a lifelong running enthusiast. He was trim, weighing in the 160's. His muscles were toned and balanced, his skin was taut, his breathing was slow and even, he had very good flexibility and sense of balance.

I made a comment about him being a life-long athlete. He looked at me with surprise and immediately chuckled. "Doc, you missed that guess." When I asked what he meant, he said, "A few years ago I weighed over 300 pounds. I could barely walk from my car to the lunch buffet. My doctor told me I was killing myself."

I couldn't believe my ears. There was nothing about this man's physical appearance, posture, or behavior that would have revealed this history. How had he managed such an amazing physical transformation?

As we talked further, I learned that he had been severely overweight. Beyond being inactive, he had become practically inert. Little by little over the years, his weight had increased, his joints hurt worse, any exertion felt like completing a marathon, and gradually he had become someone he never intended to be.

Gradual changes went unnoticed or ignored, and time had slipped by quietly enough that before he realized it, he had grown into someone he wouldn't have recognized years ago.

As I listened, the man in my office told me the rest of his story. He had gone for a routine medical visit and had been told by his doctor that if he did not change his life, it would be unlikely for him to live past 40. Furthermore, the quality of his life would continue to decline as he found more and more daily activities too difficult to perform.

As the gravity of these comments sank in, he realized that he would either have to decide to change his life or accept his fate. This was a decision that was easy for him. His love for life outweighed the difficulty of trying to change.

Although the initial decision was easy, changing his habits was not. Habits are powerful, especially when reinforced by pleasurable rewards for habitual behavior. Our habits are formed either by intention or by accident. Either we choose to behave in a specific way repeatedly or we simply develop an unintended habit by default as a result of our accidental repetitive behavior.

Joe elected to begin his transformation by intentionally choosing one accidental habit at a time, examining it and making a thoughtful decision about how to replace it with a preferred intentional habit.

He examined how he spent his time, who he spent time with, what conversations he had, where he went, what he bought, even what he watched on television. He began creating new habits of eating different foods, spending his time more productively, allowing less negative input into his life and rejecting negative thoughts.

He began exercising a half-hour daily. Initially his exercise consisted of simply strolling slowly around his block. He gradually increased the intensity as he made progress. Because he had elected to change his thinking habits first, he never allowed any thought of quitting to stay in his mind more than a second.

Because I have already told you what condition he was in when I met him, you know how his transformation turned out. Here is what I learned from Joe. If you want to transform any aspect of your life, there is no reason to ever believe that it is impossible. I think Joe said it best, "I learned that if I decide to think I can, then I can!"

Next week I have some news that will impact the health of every person in the area; you won't want to miss it. Until then, if there is a transformation you would like to make, go for it!

Dr. Mark Kestner
mkestner@DrKestner.com