I recently read a great article on the fact that so much money is being dumped into developing new drugs to deal with rampant issues in health care that are preventable verses using that same funding for prevention, education, and support of patients.  This “research into new drugs” is eating up the healthcare dollars verses educating, supporting, and marketing healthy habits the norm.  It’s a viscous cycle that we are in. This could be made smaller and not increasing exponentially each year as it is.  If the same energy, research, time, marketing, and effort were placed on healthy habits that is currently placed on finding the new miracle drug, surgery or diagnostic test, we would all be much healthier and over time have more health care dollars to use for prevention, HSA’s or creating healthy sustainable habits with health and wellness coaches. 

 

So why are we/you focused there? Why do you feel “pushed” to try the latest fad or drug or medication verses creating healthy habits to get to the root cause when possible?  I cannot watch a TV show (even with streaming options) that doesn’t have at least 1 drug commercial that repeats 6 times in 30 minutes.  I personally have never seen a commercial push for healthy habits, have you?  The problem is healthy habits cannot be copyrighted and sold to patients seeking help, there is zero payback involved unlike lucrative drugs and medicines.  Marketing like this will require a huge mindset shift in the world. People will need to be willing to put in the time and effort to create healthy habits verses taking the snake oil salesman’s dangled carrot on the coach. The mindset that says popping this pill is the way to handle your health situation without any changes in your life. This thinking is live with it verses prevent or change health outcomes or numbers by creating healthy habits.

 

This is instant gratification, microwave it society for the most part.  That mindset must change, with education, marketing and support from health care professionals - but they are stuck too. Behavioral change takes time, it takes effort to begin with and then with practice and showing up, it becomes a healthy habit. In the same way that you developed the unhealthy habit, over time and with repetition.  Focus on the habit that you want to add or change verses trying to stop an unhealthy habit. Give your energy, thought and attention to showing up with the new behavior. This is hard, no lie! That is exactly why the AMA (American Medical Association) uses NBC-HWC’s (National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaches) to partner with patients in establishing these healthy habits and taking sustainable action steps to make them a reality.

 

I have seen and love that more companies are selling produce and healthy meals for delivery. Facebook has adds for co-op type purchasing to make the cost of non-GMO or zero genetic alteration foods available at a better price than an upscale store.  Organic produce is found in most grocery stores now and local farms offer CSA shares to provide high quality close to the source unaltered foods. Many cities also have garden plots available to rent for those that do not have land so they can grow their own produce and farm markets line most cities every weekend offering fresh local produce. More and more people are wising up…healthy, real foods, close to the source and without genetic mutation are what are bodies crave. When they are consumed, we feel better, more alert, less cloudy and are given energy. They are healing and healthy fuels. We need to think in the same about the other 4 foundational behaviors (food is the first one) - and develop a new attitude and behavior for: sleep, movement, stress management and connection.

Take time to answer these questions:

What behaviors do you have when it comes to sleep?

What behaviors do you have when it comes to movement?

What behaviors do you have when it comes to stress management?

What behaviors do you have when it comes to connection?

What behaviors do you have when it comes to food?

How long you live and how well you live are in large part governed by the choices we make each day. These choices over time are our behaviors. Do you believe that?  

Now look at your responses to those questions again, what kind of choices are they? What behaviors do you have?

Again, there are five foundational daily behaviors that, together, make up this miracle behavior drug: sleep, food, movement, stress management, and connection.

 

When you can focus on the power of life-transforming habits within each of these 5 foundational behaviors, you are taking the real miracle drug.  

Health is what happens between episodic doctor visits when you focus on these behaviors in addition to the heath care systems interventions. Many conditions are reversible and can be managed with healthy behaviors. If medical care offers a 10-20% change/improvement or stabilization of your current condition and you add another 36% improvement with behavioral changes, that increases the odds of success immensely. You do have the power to make changes in your behaviors in the 5 fundamental areas. 

You have the ability, opportunity, and can control your behaviors and outcomes for the most part.  You are not powerless.  You might need a little or a lot of help and guidance, and that’s where I come in as an NBC-HWC.  I’ll collaborate with you to put habits in place that stick.  Together we will explore your vision, challenges and obstacles and find a path forward that is unique to you, starting where you are at. NO cookie cutter program or pamphlet.  

“Because the science is clear that when we improve these daily aspects (create healthy habits in the 5 foundational areas) of our lives, dramatic improvements in our health and well-being follow. The breakthroughs in our health aren’t over the horizon—they’re here right now.” - Arianna Huffington August 31st, 2023

Behavior Is a Miracle Drug for Your Health, do you believe that? 

There’s no healthcare system in the world successfully managing health outcomes against the onslaught of chronic diseases like Diabetes and heart disease.  We are losing the battle despite the technology and drugs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) “chronic and noncommunicable diseases, like heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory diseases, kill 41 million people each year. At the current rate, by 2050, chronic diseases will be responsible for 86% of the 90 million deaths each year, an astounding 90% increase in raw numbers just since 2019. “ Those numbers are insane!

This statement from the Times article in recently read that inspired this blog post, “The potential to reverse these trend-lines can be found in the data: Medical care accounts only for an estimated 10% to 20% of health outcomes, while our daily behaviors drive 36% of outcomes.”  Let me say it this way – the daily habits you have create 36% of the changes/improvements or lack of changes that you see in your health.  Compare this to a pill or other medical intervention – they will only improve your life 10-20%, and let’s not forget all the side effects that drugs and synthetic substances have on your body. (I referred to these stats above.)

 

So, if you have the power to change your health outcomes by adding in healthy habits, why don’t you?  

 

I think many people believe that behavior change is too hard—it’s the doctor telling you to eat our broccoli and go to the gym. Eating healthier and getting some exercise are things most of us know we should do, but simply being told to do them doesn’t set us up for success. Yes, it can be hard, but living with chronic disease or an untimely death or even a general feeling of “blah” are hard too. There are strategies that can help you overcome past failures, many have to do with researching your beliefs and values, and finding out what you really believe in and creating a vision for your future with your health and wellness coach. If you believe that you deserve to eat a pint of ice cream every day cause you work hard, that is a limiting belief, and it will not help you institute or succeed with healthy habits. If you can think about it in this way, “I work hard and I want to fuel my body with healthy foods so that I feel better, that way I will want to take a walk and I can have an ice-cream every once in a while and not feel guilty.” that thinking allows you to live without feeling deprived, but also setting up a framework of healthy habits that you can live with and maintain. That thinking reframes the mind and gives you a new belief system. Emphasis is placed on what you value, your specific health issues, history, or concerns. It’s about well-being, not deprivation, balance, and contentment.

So, how can you be successful?  

I’ve seen the dramatic results starting off with small “Microsteps” AKA baby steps that have positively changed the lives of my clients.  Small changes over time add up to big results.  

According to the UN, “the combination of maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, a healthy diet and not smoking can reduce the risk of developing the most common and deadly chronic diseases by as much as 80%. The dramatic decline of smoking in America in the last two decades and the impact this has had on health is one example of what’s possible.”

You can do this.  One idea at a time and one small action step at a time to create a healthy habit.  

What is that one step you can take today?  

If you would like to chat about your vision and desire to start a healthy habit, I’d love to hear what you have been dreaming of!  (link to my email)