What Motivates You?

Motive is defined as a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious.

Understanding this is vitally important because motivation is one of the biggest keys to achieving anything in life.  With the proper motivation, one can achieve almost anything.  For example, people have done some pretty amazing things to save the life of another, even if it cost them their own.

The same is true when it comes to diet, exercise, and staying healthy.  The first question is—what’s your motivation?  The biggest problem is—like the definition states—real motivation is often one that is hidden or not obvious.

Let’s face it, oftentimes people exercise and eat a certain way to look good— their motivation has very little to do with improving their health.  Now, this is not a bad thing… as long as the things you are motivated to do to look good ALSO create good health.

Some do and some do not.  Here is a little motivation that might help you look better and live a healthier, longer life…

Researchers have published many papers on calorie restriction (CR) over the past 75-85 years on animals (including primates), and the evidence and studies have demonstrated many beneficial effects of CR on health, the rate of aging, and longevity.

Now, a new study from Tufts University shows that restricting calories by 25 percent in healthy, non-obese individuals over two years, while maintaining adequate protein, vitamin, and mineral intake, can significantly lower markers of chronic inflammation without negatively affecting other parts of the immune system.

Lead study author Dr. Simin Nikbin Meydani writes, “Previous studies in animals and simple model organisms over the past 85 years have supported the notion that calorie restriction can increase the lifespan by reducing inflammation and other chronic disease risk factors, but with mixed results about whether it has a negative or null effect on cell-mediated immune responses… This is the first study to examine these effects over two years on healthy, normal- or slightly over- weight individuals and observe that caloric restriction reduces inflammation without compromising other key functions of the immune system such as antibody production in response to vaccines.”

Clearly the combination of eating the right foods and eating less might have a dramatic effect on your overall health and life. Plus, it may also help you look better and feel more youthful—if that’s what motivates you…

Best,

Dr. Binder