We are bombarded daily in the media with powerful messages about how we can “buy” our way to health.

There are shakes that can make you skinny and powders that will help you lose pounds…detox programs that promise energy and improved immune systems…supplements you can use to get shapely abs…programs that will give you before and after pictures that you can post on Facebook and show the world how you’ve changed.

And for a tiny percentage of the world the money might be worth it.

But for the majority of us we will have wasted our precious savings.

Because for most of us the pounds will come back and then some. And we will feel depleted and ripped off and hopeless because we will wonder if we will ever feel healthy and whole and we will move on to the next product that gives us that same false hope.

What would you say if you knew that perhaps you could achieve optimal health by incorporating one word into your daily vocabulary? It’s one word that’s more powerful than any shake or program and it’s free.

That word is gentle.

Gentle nutrition. Gentle exercise. Gentle thoughts toward yourself.

Think of being gentle with yourself as balance. No extremes.

It’s extreme thinking and extreme action that causes burnout and inability to sustain change.

You do not need to run marathons to get into shape. You do not need to eat kale day in and day out to achieve great health.

What you do need to do is move each day, eat mindfully and work on your negative thoughts.

This gentle approach can be more powerful than any weight loss program or product because it’s sustainable. You can do it every day of your life.

So if you are struggling right now with your health or your weight it’s time to adopt a new paradox. Think gentle. No extremes.