January 2022

Symbolically, the new year is the annual opportunity to kick-start good new habits and get rid of old bad ones. The reality, however, is that many people fail to stick with these resolutions for even a new week, let alone the entire new year. Why do so many fall short of the goals they set? It’s all in your brain. h Sigmund Freud first introduced the pleasure-pain principle back in 1895 and it still holds true today. The human brain is wired to pay attention to formally tried and tested, pleasing stimuli. This means that when people see something associated with a past reward, their brain flushes itself with dopamine – a happy hormone. This is the reason why old habits are hard to break and new habits are hard to establish.

Dear Doctors: I’ve been hearing about something called “personalized nutrition.” They’re saying it can help with all sorts of stuff, like depression, losing weight and even migraines. Apparently it starts with a poop sample? What’s this all about?

You know what you need to do in order to become or stay healthy. But consistently making those smart choices – to exercise, skip dessert and get enough sleep – well, that can be tough. My commitment – some might say obsession – with living younger longer has made me acutely aware of how important it is to be able to stick to your resolutions and plans for healthier living.