Dr. Libert’s 5 Non-Negotiable Health Habits

This year I celebrate 20 years of being a physician, and over a decade of being in the natural health, integrative and functional medicine space.

Over the years, I’ve passionately explored ancient health practices, modern, cutting-edge technologies and treatments, and the spiritual path to help heal myself, my family, and my patients.

Now, more than ever, I’m convinced that lifestyle is our most potent and cost-effective medicine.

In fact, you can expect side benefits, not side effects from these important practices. In this blog post, I share five of my top non-negotiable health habits. These are the principles that I am committed to living out in my own life, and teaching in my clinical practice and beyond.

I hope you find this reflection helpful, and may it spark in you some inspiration to take the next step forward in your own health journey.

#1 Non-Negotiable Health Habit – Eat Whole Foods 

A wise mentor once taught me…

Let your Food Be Your medicine
Your Kitchen Your Pharmacy
Your Lifestyle Your Physician

Eating well in the world today is a daunting challenge. Sadly, most of what people are consuming in the modern urban diet is actually a chemical slurry with highly processed ingredients that are devoid of vital nutrients, laden with pesticides, artificial dyes, cheap oils, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup and preservatives.

Consumption of these foods is driving inflammation and chronic disease.

So how do you break free from these addictive substances and transition to a whole foods diet?

The answer is one baby step at a time…

Here are a few beginner tips to get you started on your path to a diet richer in whole foods that can transform your health:

• Try a new recipe. Check out nutritious and delicious recipes here. You can also subscribe for more free recipes here.
• Make grab-and-go snack bags with berries and/or chopped veggies to keep in your refrigerator for a quick nutritious treat.
• Shop the perimeter of the grocery store for real food (produce, nuts, seeds, meat, eggs, dairy, etc…) Skip the center aisles so you won’t be tempted to buy processed junk food!
• Check out my next Jumpstart Your Weight Loss Workshop and get access to my 21-Day Real Food, Real Fast eating plan. 

#2 Non-Negotiable Health Habit – Prioritize Sleep 

As a whole, we are a sleep-deprived nation.

According to the American Sleep Association:

• Nearly 70 million Americans have a sleep disorder
• Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, with 30% of adults experiencing short-term insomnia
• About 10% of people have long-lasting insomnia
• Almost 40% of people report accidentally falling asleep during the day
• About 5% report falling asleep while driving

Sleep is when our body repairs itself and our brain clears out metabolic waste. Even 30 minutes of sleep deprivation per night can significantly increase inflammation in the body. When we don’t get enough sleep, we are prone to eat comfort foods, consume excess calories, have a lower stress tolerance, more prone to infectious illness and chronic disease.

My personal goal for sleep is 8 hours per night. I’m grateful to say that despite being a mom of three (tween and teenaged) daughters, wife, business owner, and busy physician, I have been able to prioritize sleep and reach my goal almost every night.

My heart goes out to those who suffer from insomnia, especially new moms and other caregivers who sacrifice their sleep for others… I’ve been there! It’s often not always easy to get a good night’s sleep, with so many things vying for our attention and other factors potentially disrupting our sleep, but here are some of my strategies to get the sleep that my body and brain need:

Create a sleep sanctuary:

I’m in my mid-forties now and perimenopause symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) have disrupted my sleep in the past year.

Thankfully I’ve been able to remedy this challenge so far by keeping the bedroom nice and cool, avoiding alcohol (which can contribute to hot flashes and disrupt sleep), and using some gentle herbal and nutrient formulas (e.g. magnesium, fish oil, L-theanine, and adaptogens).

I also try to have a consistent bedtime and do some relaxation breathing exercises, gratitude reflection, and prayers before drifting off to sleep.

My little dog can make noise and wake me up, so instead of sleeping next to the bed, he now gets to sleep in the living room! I know he’s cute, but my sleep is worth it! 

Track sleep stats:

I started tracking my sleep with an Oura ring a few years ago, and have found it to be quite helpful. The ring measures the following sleep contributors and offers customized feedback suggestions to improve my sleep:

• Total sleep
• Sleep efficiency
• Restfulness
• REM sleep
• Deep sleep
• Sleep latency
• Timing
• Average blood oxygen saturation
• Breathing regularity

Doing this tracking helps keep me accountable to myself and gives me insight into how my lifestyle habits affect the quality and quantity of my sleep.

#3 Non-Negotiable Health Habit – Plan Physical Activity 

“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” —Plato

Regular movement is one of the most important things you can do for your health. The benefits of physical exercise are myriad. Studies show that just 150 minutes/week of physical activity for adults can prevent and treat chronic diseases like cancer, type II diabetes, and heart disease. The health benefits of physical exercise are scientifically proven. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help prevent weight gain, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen your bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities.

Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. It can also reduce your risk of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better. If we could put these kinds of benefits in a pill, it would be unethical for a physician not to prescribe it to every single patient!

A sad fact of aging is that starting in middle age, humans lose about a pound of muscle mass per year unless we do something significant to counteract this phenomenon. Having a healthy body composition with adequate lean muscle mass and normal body fat levels has a profound benefit on our cardiometabolic health. Diet, sleep, and stress management play a role in body composition, but regular exercise, especially resistance training helps build muscle mass and improve our health as we age.

My fitness routine consists of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) 2-4 times a week for an hour, daily walks, and stretching. I use my Oura ring to track my recovery index and adjust my activity levels to match my body’s readiness daily.

Here are some things that have helped me to be consistent over the years in my exercise routine:

• Have fun! Pick physical activities that bring you joy.
• Find a buddy. Ask a friend to set goals with you and meet regularly to get fit together.
• Track your progress – you can use a fancy device like an Oura ring or an inexpensive pedometer to track your progress and push yourself to the next level of fitness.
• Get professional help. I find great benefits from working with a personal trainer to customize my workouts and help with injury prevention. For my local friends, I highly recommend the team at Asheville Personal Training. 

#3 Non-Negotiable Health Habit – Take Every Thought Captive 

“Beyond just creating an optimistic attitude toward your life and long-term overall health, science has shown that positive thinking may improve cardiovascular health, inflammation and stress responses, the immune system, and even genetic makeup!”

– Institute for Integrative Nutrition

I’ve learned that our thought life becomes our reality. What we consistently focus on will grow. We can overcome unhealthy thoughts and behaviors and gain self-control through the renewing of our minds. No one is immune to cognitive distortions, a.k.a. stinkin’ thinkin’ or brain ANTS = Automatic Negative Thoughts. These inaccurate thoughts tend to pop into our heads and make us feel bad about ourselves. Having an awareness of brain ANTs and learning how to tame them is critical to our mental health and spiritual walk.

My Christian faith has proved to be the single greatest positive influence on my health, especially in managing stress and building psychological resilience.

In the famous Bible verse Romans 12:2, the apostle Paul gives the following instruction:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2 NIV

We can renew our minds by taking every thought captive and holding it up to the light of God, asking if this thought is true, helpful, loving, beautiful, constructive, and encouraging.

If not, then take the steps below.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. -2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

Here are four steps to tame Brain ANTs and stop these destructive negative thoughts from escalating and affecting our mood and decisions:

1. Pray: when you notice you are feeling down or anxious, simply pray for wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit to help you see the cognitive distortions.
2. Record: write down your thoughts around the negative event. Do this in excruciating detail.
3. Rationalize: address each irrational thought and try to label the cognitive distortion. Some brain ANTs may actually be rational, but most won’t. Then ask yourself, what’s the evidence for this response? Will the world end because of this?
4. Replace: respond to each brain ANT. Learn to speak kind and compassionate words to yourself!

Sadly, we’re usually much more rational and compassionate when talking to other people about their worries than we are with our own selves. Try to imagine what you’d say to a loved one struggling with this brain ANT. How would you comfort and encourage them? Finally, replace the ugly irrational thoughts with more rational ones that speak truth, love, and light.

I invite you to sign up for my Joy Prescription newsletter and receive *FREE* weekly help to renew your mind. 

#5 Non-Negotiable Health Habit – Commit to Community & Connection

We are social beings. Social isolation and loneliness are detrimental to our health and are associated with a greater risk of chronic disease. Social support is good for your heart! It is associated with less inflammation, better control of high blood pressure, and reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. Scientific studies also show the following benefits of a social support network:

• Improving the ability to cope with stressful situations
• Alleviating the effects of emotional distress
• Promoting lifelong good mental health
• Enhancing self-esteem
• Promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors
• Encouraging adherence to a medical treatment plan

I am deeply grateful for my family, friends, work team, patients, and church community. I truly believe that we carry each other’s medicine inside of us.

Here are some tips to increase your social support network:

• Join a book club or start your own!
• Volunteer for a good cause.
• Schedule time to talk to your long-distance friends.
• Take a class to learn about something you’re interested in and meet new people.

I believe in the power of community to heal us. To this end, I have started offering group medical visits and workshops in my practice. Check out my new offerings here.

My passion project is a faith-based ministry called the Joy Prescription. I wholeheartedly believe that the answer to our chronic disease epidemic can be found in biblical wisdom and lifestyle medicine.

My goal is to inspire a paradigm shift in healthcare. Our mission is to equip people with the education, tools, and support needed to recover their health. I invite you to join us inside the community for our next soul care virtual retreat. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. May you find something here to spark positive change in your life. Please reach out if I can be of assistance to you or a loved one.

Here’s to your health!

Cynthia Libert, M.D.

P.S. I’d love to hear from you! You can ask me questions, and I’ll do my best to answer you on my podcast. Send your questions via email to thejoyprescription@gmail.com or by calling our podcast question line at (828)412-0599.