Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. Lifestyle Program
Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. Lifestyle Program is an acronym that stands for Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude, and Nutrition. Lifestyle is how we manage our time and our lives, including the work on our job, our relationships, the way we spend our leisure time, how much sleep we get, how we experience stress – even our spiritual life. Some of these things we believe we can’t change, but we can. We all know that smoking and excessive drinking are bad for our health and we won’t belabor the obvious by listing the hazards of each. Cutting out these habits is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle can also be defined in a positive sense, a life filled, as much as possible, with work, relationships, habits, and activities that make a positive contribution to our well-being:
L is for Lifestyle:
This means healthy living without smoking, excessive alcohol, or other unhealthy substances.
E is for Exercise:
One of the healthiest ways to maintain good health is to exercise. The more muscle you have, the more fat calories you can burn (See Health Benefits of Exercise).
A is for Attitude:
Smile, laugh and look at life in a positive light. Think about things that are positive and trim the fat in your feelings by keeping your mind off counterproductive stuff (See Improving Your Attitude).
N is for Nutrition:
Emphasize a right-fat diet, not a low-fat diet.
L.E.A.N. lifestyle program uses synergy
Synergy with Dr. Sears L.E.A.N. lifestyle program exists when all four keys (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude, and Nutrition) work together, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. In this case, 1+1+1+1 = 5, or maybe even 10! Synergy is a principle employed both in biochemistry and in human relations. Put a group of nutrients together in a well-balanced meal, and the body absorbs the nutrients better than it would if the same vitamins and minerals were isolated in a vitamin pill. Think-tanks put a group of people together in a room, each one with a different field of expertise, and they feed off one another, developing ideas together that none of them could have thought of alone. This is why Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. lifestyle program works. When you put all the four components together, each individual one works better.
L.E.A.N. lifestyle program is self-motivating
Diets fail because people tire of the program, get bored, or resent all the things they have to give up. Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. lifestyle program works because the returns are so great that you don’t feel that you’re giving up anything. Once you begin implementing the simple ideas L.E.A.N provides and see all that you gain, it becomes self- motivating, which means is is easier to maintain your goal once you reach it. You will have reprogrammed your mind and body, and your internal monitors will steer you to what’s good for you and away from what’s bad. You’ll not only eat right, but you will have a basic drive to continue eating right. You’ll crave exercise, and you’ll be satisfied with less food.
Being lean does not mean being skinny. It means having the right amount of body fat for your body type. This means around 15 percent body fat for most men and around 18 percent for women. Individuals who are more muscular, athletes in training, or genetically slim people may lower this by two or three percentage points and still be healthy. Being lean involves more than just carrying around less fat. It means making good choices that will positively influence your health.
L.E.A.N. lifestyle program focuses on the positive
With Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. lifestyle program, there are more things you should do than not do, and the results last. Most diet and fitness programs that promise quick results don’t deliver in the long run. With L.E.A.N. you will feel FIT, a three-letter word that economically describes what healthy living is all about. You not only fit better into your clothing, but also with your family, your job, and yourself. L.E.A.N. principles have enriched my life, as they will enrich yours.
Educating families through the L.E.A.N. lifestyle program
It can be hard to distinguish between the many messages circulating in the media about how to lose weight, feel better and keep fit. What message is best for your family? Should you eat foods that are low-fat, low-carb, high in protein, or just eat a certain amount of calories each day? The problem is that each of these strategies may not work for everyone; and although they may provide short-term results, most are not long-term.
L.E.A.N. focuses on fun, simple, affordable strategies that help everyone in the family have more energy, improved learning, better behavior and focus, lower medical expenses, etc. A healthy lifestyle begins with education.
When you attend a L.E.A.N. Workshop or take a online course, you will learn how to boost your immune system, the truth behind ingredients in foods and how they affect mood, behavior and overall health, easy label reading techniques, how to save money while eating healthy, and much more!
Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. lifestyle program and stress
It is important to realize that no one is able to live a stress-free life all day, every day (That would be boring). But we can make choices about how to cope with stress; do the best we can, pat ourselves on the back for the positives, and don’t dwell on the negatives.
If you have a job that drives you to junk food, makes it impossible for you to exercise, and grinds you down with daily stress, you need to make some changes. You may not be able to run off and join a vegetarian monastery, but what can you do to improve your life? Walk to work? Keep an apple in your briefcase? Do deep-breathing exercises for five minutes at your desk? Put a little more energy into relationships that build you up and shed those that are tearing you down? There are always things you can change to make your life better. The Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. Lifestyle Program encourages you to make these changes for the health of both your body and mind.
Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. lifestyle program and change
You may need to make some drastic lifestyle changes. Isn’t your life worth changing jobs? The “L” in lifestyle could also stand for “love” and “laughter.” If there are not enough of these two “L’s” in your job, relationships, habits, or activities, think about what you can change so there is more love and laughter. For some people, change is difficult. Since the body and the mind often resist change, remind yourself we’re talking about change for the better, not for the worse.
To learn more, visit www.drsearswellnessinstitute.org
Dr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his “little patients” call him, has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years. He received his medical training at Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital in Boston and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the world’s largest children’s hospital, where he was associate ward chief of the newborn intensive care unit before serving as the chief of pediatrics at Toronto Western Hospital, a teaching hospital of the University of Toronto. He has served as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California School of Medicine, and University of California: Irvine. As a father of 8 children, he coached Little League sports for 20 years, and together with his wife Martha has written more than 40 best-selling books and countless articles on nutrition, parenting, and healthy aging. He serves as a health consultant for magazines, TV, radio and other media, and his AskDrSears.com website is one of the most popular health and parenting sites. Dr. Sears has appeared on over 100 television programs, including 20/20, Good Morning America, Oprah, Today, The View, and Dr. Phil, and was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine in May 2012. He is noted for his science-made-simple-and-fun approach to family health.