Transcript

Event Date(s): 01/01/2003 | Event Location(s): Today New York Studio | Description: Lauer is joined in the Today New York Studio by University of Maryland Dr. Pamela Peeke. During interview Peeke says "And good morning. Happy holiday. Well, it really shouldn't just be New Year's Day. It should be every day of the year, quite frankly. It's just New Year's Day prompts you to kind of reassess it all over again. You have to sit back and say, `Yeah, we don't have particularly healthy lifestyles. Our society hasn't made it easy.' So what you have to do is sit back and kind of get realistic here and say, what can you really do? Re-examine right now and say, `Can I pick one or two things that I can really make work for me? Oh, yeah. Because no one seems to know how to do them well. Thank you very much. So, we'll just look at it one day here. But they're tough. And you know why? They really hit home to lifestyle again. Who you hanging out with? Who do you eat with? Who do you exercise with or not exercise with? How active are you? What kind of family do you live in? Again, I say in the midst of difficulty lies opportunity. Look at it. Yeah. Oh. Oh! First of all, you used the P word, perfect. Didn't like that. Oh, no, no, no, no. Don't want to do there. Instead, I'd like to hear someone say, `You know something, what I'd like to do is I'd like to lose a few pounds or I'd like to stop smoking or drinking so much or whatever. Here's my plan A. But you want to know something? I'm realistic. Plan A's almost never work perfectly. Oh! There's that word again. So, I got B, C and D to back me up. I'm ready to regroup.' I'm going to tell everyone that the bottom line is, you will have to regroup no less than half a dozen times to get this going. Oh, forget it. Oh, gosh. But you know something? Yeah, but you know something? It's almost never the health thing that gets you going on these. At first it is, but then it turns out to be something else. You want to give up smoking? Of course, you know what it's doing to your lungs and all the rest of it. But you really want to give it up because your son's watching you smoke. And that's a bad one. You're teaching him what kind of habits? And you're going to fear for his life and also the wife of you know, the life of your wife or anybody else around you who has to smell your secondary smoke. So then you start saying, `Hey, what I am doing here?' Huh. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, you know why? It's an addictive substance. Bottom line. People like to wean themselves off slowly. It doesn't really work that way. In the best of all worlds, that's a habit that's got to go yesterday. Whereas, you know, eating inappropriately, that's a little differently. You can eliminate certain, you know, foods, you can kind of call them your little nicotine foods, you know, the big, high fat. Ah, yeah. Yes. OK. Well, you know, I love it, you know, in the first day of the year they say, `Well, I'm going to lose 30 pounds in three weeks.' Yeah. In your dreams. OK. So, how about we just do it in small, doable bites which is the second, you know, little point. Start out small, you know. Take small pieces that up lead up to a larger goal. How about, you know, shedding a couple pounds? How about immediately planning right now for that one day when you're going to be giving up the smoking and telling everyone around you to get that support and all the rest of it. Yeah. Well, no, no, no. None of the above now. Instead, you know what it is? Come on, get people around you who really love you and just basically want to help you through this and assist you and be there kind of give you that little nudging, saying, `Uh-uh-uh-uh. What are you doing over there with that little you know what in your hand?' Instead, saying, you know, `We really care about you.' And, `Hey, so, you want to take a little walk with me?' Ah, there goes that little reminder to go take a walk again. Yeah, team effort. Whether it's family or friends or. Yeah. Plan B, you know? All right, so it's rotten weather out there, you know. Whatever it may be. Don't be in shock. `Oh, my gosh, it's winter. It's snowing.' Wipe the shock off your face and go to plan B. Get to that gym, walk around the mall. You can burn plenty of calories and get in great shape and be there for your family. Oh, yeah. Uh-huh. Well, yeah, just say, `Hey, what am I doing wrong?' Wouldn't you do that for anything in your life? You know, if something's not working the way it should, go to plan B. Obviously plan A's not working. You said you're going to get up at 4:00 in the morning, every morning, and hop a treadmill? Oh, come on! Where were you coming from on that one? How about maybe doing it after work or during work? Put on your shoes, take a walk at lunchtime. Don't be afraid to experiment. And you know, all the research shows, it takes no less than half a dozen attempts to really get that lifestyle habit change. Yeah, man, get real all the way around. That's actually true. GFX: How To Keep Your Resolutions graphic with Supers: Be Realistic; Start Out Small; Get Support; Work On It Everyday and Expect To Regroup GFX: Graphic plug of www.today.msnbc.com.