Book sets out 9 principles of healthy living
- The Gazette, by June Thompson

Roslyn Franken knows a thing or two about the power of positive thinking and perseverance.

Her mother survived the concentration camps of Nazi Germany and her father was a prisoner of war in a slave labour camp in Nagasaki, Japan.

Montreal-born Franken credits both parents with instilling in her a strong sense of purpose and determination. Such qualities came in handy when, at 29, she was given a diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The incredibly upbeat 41-year- old, who now works in Ottawa, has turned her life experience into a book, The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living (Book Coach Press, $22.95).

It's not a diet book, she said in an interview, but a "self-help book for self-directed change," which, rather than focusing on weight loss, takes a holistic approach to life. "It's not about the food you feed your mouth but about the thoughts that feed your mind and the feelings you feed your soul."

The A-list principles are ambition, attitude, attainability, awareness, activity, assessment, accountability, appreciation and acceptance.

Franken, who has a master's degree in applied human sciences from Concordia University, developed these principles while working as a life coach.

She was helping people to set their goals, but she felt like a fraud. "Here I was helping people get to where they wanted to be and I wasn't even there yet."

Looking at her own life and the lives of her clients, "there was a definite common pattern among us, which helped set up the framework of the principles."

It took her 10 years to apply the steps outlined in her book and get to where she is today. And to her, that's what the book is about - "a slow, realistic process of change."

Each chapter examines one of the nine As and offers a series of questions designed to help you "dig a little deeper in order to understand yourself better." And that helps you discover underlying barriers to long-term success, she explained.

Many people claim they want to change yet they don't - why? She thinks it's because before you can change, you have to believe it's possible and be ready to work at it.

The book covers everything from making healthier food choices to exercise.

Franken agreed most overweight people aren't fans of exercise. "It's one of the things people complain about most. But it has to be a part of a healthy lifestyle."

She made it a priority in her life: "I heard a financial adviser once say that you should put away 10 per cent of your income off the top for your future wealth. I decided to take 10 per cent off the top of my day and put it toward exercise as part of my future health."

It's important to be proud of your accomplishments, she said, even small changes. "If you do just one thing different each day in a more healthful way that makes you proud, then you've had a great day."

What can be more positive than that?