WHY DON’T WE GET HEALTHY-SET GOALS?

THE PALEO DENTIST BLOG
TPD BLOG #124 WHY DON’T WE GET HEALTHY-SET GOALS?
Dr. Spiker Davis D.D.S. 713-781-2800 Dr. Matt Guerre D.D.S.
In collaboration with Dr. John Seger M.D. Cardiologist 713-791-9444 and Jenna Nixon Holistic Nutritionist 281-433-9996
BLOG | ABOUT | MISSION | PALEO | RANT | PRODUCT

Every year in late December, I sit down and write my goals for the next year. I also review my current and past goals and this year I noticed that every year, I’m writing down something that refers to health. It seems like I never really solve all my health issues and I’m chronically working on that! Why? So, this year I asked AI and this is what he had to say:

“You’re always setting health/fitness goals because it’s a natural way to get motivation, focus, and a sense of purpose, turning vague desires into actionable steps, tracking progress, building confidence, and finding balance for a healthier, more fulfilling life, driven by inherent human needs for achievement and wellbeing. It’s a cycle: achieve a goal, feel good, set a new, slightly harder one, and repeat, creating continuous growth”. So here goes Spiker’s deep dive on setting goals and why.

Motivation–I was told years ago that only 3% of people write down their goals and that is why 97% of people don’t reach their goals. Interesting thought. Also, if you write down your goals it will give you a target that prevents aimless projects or workouts and when it’s in writing it tends to keep you motivated. For example, if you say “I want to lose 10 pounds and you track and watch it, then when you lose 2-3 pounds it tends to keep you motivated to reach the 10 pound goal.you
Focus-If you write down your goals and put them in a place that you will see, then this will help you to stay focused. For example, put a sticky on your bathroom mirror to weigh this morning. Also, put a reminder in your phone to weigh and avoid sugar. Being constantly reminded also helps you to stay focused on the issues!
Written goals tend to help you measure your success and keep you accountable. We all need that. If you have a written goal to FLOSS daily, you are way more likely to do that than if you just told yourself on January 1^st that your goal was to floss more (what does that mean?). So, in my opinion, you need to write down all of your goals and keep them posted in visible places to remind you!
Did you know that achieving goals releases endorphins, boosts self-esteem, reduces stress and builds confidence? We all need and enjoy this, and it spills out into other parts of our life.
Goals also turn dreams or abstract ideas (Like I want to be healthy-what does that mean?) into concrete plans (like eating Paleo and going to the gym 3 times per week), which will give you direction and help you focus. For example, if you have a goal to work out at the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:00 p.m. that means you should not accept an invitation to dinner with friends until 7:00 pm. on those days or shift your workout from Friday to Saturday so that you can go out with friends.
Lifelong Journey- in my opinion being healthy is a continuous process and not a destination. My brother-in-law always puts down to lose weight and after he loses some (he doesn’t write an exact number) then he quits working out. A year or two later his blood pressure is high and he is overweight again, so he sets another goal!

The Cycle of Goal setting:

You must identify WHY-Do you want to look better, feel better, reduce risk, avoid the pain or avoid putting your family under extreme burden. One of my main goals is to avoid a stroke or being in diapers. I’m a Christian and I’m not worried about dying but I do worry about being incapacitated from a stroke for years and sitting in a wheelchair someone changing my diapers. Take me now Lord!
SMART GOAL: Make your goals follow this acronym

S-specific-make it very detailed. I will floss every day immediately after eating breakfast and dinner.

M-measurable-I will have a chart in my bathroom to check off as I floss.

A-attainable-Make it reasonable-for example, going to the gym 2-3 days per week can be done. Doing it 7 days per week won’t work for most people.

R-relevant-don’t tell yourself that you are going to look like Hercules when you are 80 years old even if you go to the gym 5 days per week.

T-time bound-like walking 30,000 steps per day instead of 10,000. You get almost the same benefit from 10,000 steps but you have more time to do the other necessary things in life. It’s better to say, I will walk 10,000 steps 5 days per week.

So, from a dental health standpoint, I want to give you some goals to think about. Since dental health and especially gum disease is linked to about 45 other diseases such as heart attack, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, kidney disease etc., I think it is important to eliminate or avoid gum disease at almost any cost. How do we do that and what goal should I write down. Basically, you avoid gum disease and decay by doing the following-Brush after every meal, floss after every meal and avoid SUGAR. So, to me this means YOU need to set 3 goals.

Brush-we suggest the Oralucent sonic toothbrush with red and blue light with wavelength about 650 nm to reduce inflammation and kill bacteria. You should brush for at least 2 minutes and at least twice a day or after every meal. If you can’t brush, then be sure to rinse your mouth with water to flush out the debris.
Floss-the toothbrush NEVER EVER gets in between the teeth so you must floss daily and preferably after every meal to remove the food and plaque in between your teeth.
No sugar-We believe in the PALEO DIET because it has no sugar. But short of that, don’t consume anything in a can/bottle/package of any kind as 78% of the time they contain SUGAR. Research says 78% of everything in a container has SUGAR. Sugar feeds the bacteria in your mouth causing decay and gum disease. In our opinion it is poison! AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS.

When you think of setting these goals, think of this as a lifelong journey. If you follow certain rules during your journey, you will avoid many hazards along the way and probably extend your life. In other words, you will probably live longer (you might get hit by a car tomorrow), be healthier and have a greater quality of life by probably avoiding multiple diseases. If we can help along the way, please give us a call and have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.

SUMMARY-It is obvious to ME that your mouth is the window to your health. In my opinion, we should all focus on our health every day and that includes brushing, flossing, dental cleanings and while we are at it, let’s visit our physician for that annual checkup. Also, in my opinion almost all sugar and FAKE sugar is not healthy, and YOU SHOULD try hard to avoid it. If you are eating the Standard American Diet, then you asking to get sick and suffer as in Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, gum disease and decay. Just remember that during the holiday season, the sugar content goes way up along with lots of potential dental problems from staining to falling down the stairs. And I forgot to mention the weight gain. Please aim to be healthier during the holidays.. Have you started to plan your goals for 2026??? NOW IS THE TIME TO PLAN AND WE HOPE THAT IMPROVING DENTAL HEALTH IS AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST.

The doctors and staff are behind you and please call us if we can help. 713-781-2800. Also, please call or email JENNA NIXON if you need some detailed NUTRITIONAL counseling from a true WELL-TRAINED professional and call Dr. John Seger if you have any heart issues.

REMEMBER, “YOU DON’T HAVE TO FLOSS ALL OF YOUR TEETH, JUST THE ONES YOU WANT TO KEEP”!

LET’S MAKE 2026 OUR HEALTHIEST YEAR EVER!

SpikeR

“THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH”. BRUSH AND FLOSS TWICE DAILY, AVOID SUGAR AND PROCESSED FOOD FOR 2026 AND SEE YOUR DENTIST AND PHYSICIAN ON A REGULAR BASIS.

Spiker Davis D.D.S. spiker@thepaleodentist.com John Seger M.D. Matt Guerre D.D.S. Jenna Nixon Nutritioist

Jenna@goodthingsnaturalhealth.com 281-433-9996

In my opinion, this is the finest toothbrush ever made. The best part is the red and blue light technology that reduces inflammation and kills bacteria. It is awesome and if you use the QR code you will get a big discount. Try it out.

PLEASE SIGN UP BY GOING TO OUR WEBSITE www.thepaleodentist.com