Paul Ratte, ND, Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Assistant Professor

What does wellness mean to you?
 There are three parts to wellness. First, wellness is a choice. Everyday you have the choice to have a positive or negative attitude and you have the control to manage your thoughts. Second, wellness is staying active. It is important to stay moving and use your body on a regular basis. Third, wellness is having a strong sense of the quality of food you eat as well as the amount of food you take in.

What do you do to stay well?
Managing these three parts of wellness and constantly being aware of them. I make the choice everyday to have a positive attitude. Positive self talk throughout the day really helps me maintain a good attitude.

How do you work wellness into your day?
I like to stay active with my two sons. Instead of watching television or lying around, we go swimming or play catch; anything to keep our bodies moving.

What are your biggest struggles for maintaining wellness?
  Maintaining activity on a regular basis everyday is the hardest due to the work overload in my life.

How do you find time to workout?
 You don’t find time, you need to make time. Having such a busy schedule, it is difficult to fit everything it. However, if I put activity into my schedule and incorporate it into my life, it will get done.

Why is being well important to you?
 I am a healer and I can’t be an effective healer unless I am living a life of wellness. I am also a teacher and I could not lecture on the importance of wellness if I didn’t practice them myself. Practicing what I preach is my integrity and I follow it to the fullest.

Do you have any recommended resources for wellness?
  Books:

The World’s Healthiest Foods by George Mateljan

Total Wellness by Pizzorno

Web site: www.whfoods.com