by Dr. Scott Briggs

I am going to take a big risk here and be perfectly authentic and truthful. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. If you are a current patient of mine… you probably already know this. What is tough is the fact that I preach health to my patients day in and day out. I want my patients to do everything right to give them a strong, healthy body. However, the last couple of years I have not been practicing what I preach. I haven’t been eating well, or getting all of my water in, or managing my stress.

This has taken a major toll on my health and it has to stop.

I have been talking about this with my wife, Cindy, and we realized we have both let this happen. And worse yet, we have let it affect our kids. How can daddy tell others about health when he isn’t doing it well himself?

We all decided that we were going to take our health back in 2022…. and we first thought we could just do this quietly. Why would we really need to tell anyone? Then it hit me… so many of you also deal with these struggles. Why don’t we do this together? Let’s share accountability. Let’s share the wins, and the struggles.

I am initiating a HEALTH JOURNEY in my office starting the week of January 3, 2022. We will have health commitment cards in the office that you can write on and we will post it (names optional). We have developed a small workbook FREE of charge to anyone who wants to join. (Posted below)

Here is the pledge I have made to kick this off:

I am doing this very publicly and very authentically. Will I struggle– probably. However, I am so committed to this health journey that I am willing to put it out to everyone.

My family will also be joining me on this journey. Each of us have different things we need to focus on, but we are going to do it together.

Here are the things I am going to commit to at the start of this plan (I will continue to add to these).

• Using the DASH ( Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan
• Drinking 10: 12 ounce glasses of water per day
• Moving everyday (incorporating 30 min of exercise into my routine)
• Reading my Bible daily (this is to help with my stress)
• Share my journey with my patients and community

That is all I am focusing on for the first 30 days. Like I said, I will continue to add to this but for now I want to be super focused on just a few vital areas.

Your Health Pledge does not need to look like my Health pledge to join me on this journey. I fully expect that the pledge cards that will be hanging in my office will all be quite unique. Some will need to get their weight under control like I do, others will focus on stress management. Many will need to quit smoking or reduce their alcohol consumption. There will be those who need to walk away from damaging and harmful relationships while working toward relationships that are authentic, healthy, and mutually beneficial. This list is just a few of the pledges I expect to see on the office wall over the next few months. Whatever is going on in your life that is negatively impacting your health needs to be listed on your pledge card.

Take this first hard step! We will walk through the victories and the challenges together with accountability and encouragement.

I am so excited to see the changes we all will make over the next months. I have to be honest; I am more than a little nervous about this journey. Being very open about my own struggles and expecting accountability from all of you readers is a bit overwhelming and WAY out of my comfort zone. Overwhelming and nervous or not, these changes need to happen in my health and life. I hope you will join me.

Wishing you all the best in health,

Dr. Briggs