The Three Things Theory - a practical approach to better health

For busy career professionals aspiring to be young at an old age....

For three decades of my career I was a busy IT professional with a specialty in software process quality engrossed in a corporate world. When I hit my mid-forties, I began to struggle with my health.

My body wasn’t supporting me in a way I could fully enjoy my (limited) time away from the office. Getting in a workout became just another stress.

Digestive distress became a daily occurrence from eating wrong foods in all the wrong places and at all the wrong times.

I tried new workouts and diet programs only to scrap them all because work and life just kept getting in the way.

At this point in my life I thought I knew what to do to be healthy and fit. But it just wasn’t working anymore.

MY AH-HA MOMENT - A Quality Mindset

You see, western approaches alone weren't healing me. My conditions were getting worse. So I went on a mission to learn and try natural healing methods of the east and integrate them with the best practices available in today’s modern world.

The biggest hurdle I had wasn’t uncovering what to try. Advice and variety seemed limitless.

It wasn’t understanding the directions and protocols. So much information and details available – it was overwhelming.

It was how to fit in what I was absorbing about natural healing into an already over scheduled, over loaded, overworked me and my over flowing calendar.

When I was getting ready to give up, my AH-HA moment showed up. From my formal training and background in Quality Systems, two principles hit me like a ton of bricks one weekend:

1. The Law of the Vital Few. The Law of the Vital Few (or Pareto Principle) states that 20% of our activities are responsible for 80% of our results. The other 80% of our efforts create the remaining 20% of our results.

If I could uncover the 20% that was causing 80% of my results, both from what was making me ill and what would propel me into better health, I would have the vital few activities that most impacted my chance for improved health. The other 80% I could work on at a later time.

I felt like I hit the jackpot. If you can’t fit it in, it’s not going to work. But I could fit in “a few” that provided “best results”. Better health became an even better possibility.

2. Kaizen. Kaizen is a strategy of proactive, incremental changes made to a specific process or set of processes in order to continually improve and eventually transform it / them.

Bingo. That’s what I needed. Transformation all at once was daunting. But when I began to apply Kaizen to the process of health, I knew it was a bulls eye idea.

Through consistent and sustained application and awareness of results, I began to understand and treat health differently. I began to start thinking in terms or cause and effect which lead to better choices and better results.

THE THREE THINGS THEORY

My goal for the next year became to incorporate three things – three small changes each month – that I could commit to. My reasoning was that if I changed three things each month, by the end of the year I would have made 36 changes. 36 changes each year can lead to significant results over time.

As soon as I began to apply these two quality principles along with natural healing protocols integrated with modern advances, the results I experienced were nothing short of amazing!

What I found was that as with application of The Vital Few and Kaizen to a corporate or IT process, consistent application of small changes created tremendous long-term value and sustained transformation.

My career was not an excuse anymore. Not having the time or not knowing what to do were no longer holding me back from living a life healthier ever after.

It resulted in less guilt, less stress, better health, and more freedom.

THE THREE THINGS TACKLED THE FIRST MONTH

If this resonates with you and you want to apply The Three Thing Theory to your own processes of health, you first need to identify your health goals, drivers, and current challenges.

From there you can pick your top tier health concerns to work on and prioritize the First Three Things for the First Month. These would be what you want to stop or incorporate each month.

And while everyone is different, the ones that I chose to work on first are practices that all can benefit from. My first month should also give you a sense of the ease of it.

My Three Things - Month 1

1.    Hydration

The indicators: Low grade constant thirst, dry mouth, severe leg cramping at night, skin dry and flaking, variable hunger. 

Why hydration is one of the vital few: The majority of our body is water. This water is stored both inside and outside cells to dissolve nutrients, carry waste, regulate body temperature, send brain messages, and lubricate all our moving parts. It is also linked to good digestion, one of the foundational systems of a healthy body.

Kaizen: Improve hydration. Quality and quantity of the water - Incorporate alkaline water and drink half my ideal body weight in ounces each day. Concern about frequency that would be required to visit ladies room. Running to the bathroom every 10 minutes was not an option and was root cause as to why water intake was limited -causing dehydration in the first place.

The solution: Needed to drink 65 ounces of water daily. Consume water early - drink 12 - 16 ounce glass of water first thing in the morning. Then instead of gulping a glass of water down, sip warm water throughout the day. This doesn’t overload the kidneys and the small increments allows the body to absorb the water naturally.

The results: Dry mouth and leg cramping disappeared within the first week and my skin began to feel plumper and look younger. Age defying.

2.    Toxins

The indicators: Allergies to inorganic substances upon contact, skin rashes, fluid retention under the eyes.

Why toxins is one of the vital few: From my background in software quality I knew the principle – garbage in / garbage out. Natural healing stresses a similar principle – toxins in / disease throughout. When I heard that, I knew if I didn't change my exposure (what was coming "in"), outcomes would continue to worsen (disease throughout).

Kaizen: Get control of what was going in and on my body. Inventory and removal of toxic substances from the home. Review labels - when I began to focus on the ingredients, to my horror I was killing myself! The colors, dyes, preservatives, all front, center, and needed to go!

The solution: Don't change out everything at once. Exchange commercial dish soap, laundry soap, floor and window cleaners for more natural friendly brands (such as Meyers and Seventh Generation) when you need to restock a particular product. Start using Ayurvedic soaps, toothpastes, and deodorants.

Although all of the changes I made were much better than what I was using, over time I found it still wasn’t enough. I now use Norwex. They offer a body cloth that cleans the skin without using soap so you don't strip the skin of its natural oils. They also offer other products that are all natural and reasonably priced.

The result: I have significantly reduced my exposure to chemicals in the home and on my body - reducing my risk of toxin build up and onslaught of disease. I no longer suffer from allergies (yes, GONE!) and no more headaches from the chemical laden fumes every time I clean a window or floor.

3.    Oral Health

The indicators: Even though I brushed and flossed daily and was diligent about annual check ups, I still had a mouth full of fillings and dealt with bad tastes in my mouth. I knew that how I was taking care of my oral health wasn’t enough and would soon cause havoc elsewhere.

Why oral health is one of the vital few: One of the first things Ayurveda teaches is the health of the mouth is an indicator of the health of the rest of the body. When our oral health is compromised, several key organs —namely the pancreas, heart, brain, and joints—are directly correlated with diseases that western medicine has linked to oral health. These include diabetes (the pancreas), cardiovascular issues (the heart), Alzheimer’s disease (the brain), and osteoporosis (related to the joints).

Kaizen: Tongue diagnosis indicated that I had a coating of ama (built up toxins) on the tongue. Brushing it with my toothbrush was causing damage to my taste buds. Leaving the ama would continue to cause damage to my health and increase my risk for other issues to arise.

The solution: Tongue scraping every morning after brushing teeth. It was easy, quick, and sometimes gross – the milky substance being scraped off was thin some days, thick on others, and not so pleasant to look at.

The result: After a few weeks, there was less and less ama. My mouth felt fresher longer. The run on cavities slowed down and then finally stopped. Now, in addition to scrapping, I oil pull. To make the oil, in a few ounces of sesame oil as a base, mix 5 drops each of sweet orange, clove, cinnamon leaf, frankincense, and peppermint essential oils. These two natural protocols keep my mouth cleaner, breath fresher, and my teeth whiter longer than ever before.

CONCLUSION

Stop arguing for your limitations! It is possible to transform your health even with a hectic, no free time reality most career professionals are living.

By applying The Three Thing Theory, continuous improvement in your health is a way of life.

But beware. You will, without warning, notice a transformation you never thought possible.

 CONNECT

If you are done with the excuses, done with the starts and stops of on again – off again health resolutions, and are truly ready to become healthier despite what seems “normal” aging, I invite you to incorporate easy, natural, preventive care into your routine.

If you don't know where to start, don't want to go it alone, or just need support, Your Way Wellness provides the expert education, guidance, and inspiration you need to make positive life changes that are simple, powerful, sustainable, and transformative.

To learn more about how Ayurveda can enhance your life, contact Sharon by email: [email protected] or phone: (508) 254-2561.

Ayurveda. Practical ~ Proven ~ Powerful.