Creating a New Health Rule

Are you thinking about doing a health change? Thinking about how to do the change you are thinking about? Have you tried more than once to change diet or health behavior? You are probably aware that you are not alone. So what works for you? 

Many of us know that exercising and eating good would provide us good health. How many people like going to doctor or hospital? I do not know a person who likes seeing doctor or going to a hospital. However, I do know many people expect doctors to have answers to their health issues. Many doctors prescribe patients something. However, is it a long-term solution? I think prescription is ok for short term such as antibiotics for an infection. I am in favor of going to doctor for well checkups, vaccines, and do some life-saving screenings such as biopsy. 

In my experience in a medical office where I have worked for 9 years, I have seen doctor notes making recommendations to patients to exercise and adopt a healthy diet. Unfortunately, doctors have found patients are not listening. Doctors also have found prescribing patients make patients happy. Is this the way to go? 

The only person who can adopt a new behavior including a new habit or routine is you. I am only person in my household that does grocery shopping. My husband does not do grocery shopping. I have the power on what I buy. I choose healthier food items. I have written several blogs about cooking and certain food items. These two are the food choice concept. 

When you are thinking about doing better things for yourself and your family, you want to know more. You would go out and research online. I hope that you could find some creditable information online. My information is creditable because I learned about research, health, nutrition, and theories of how a person can adopt a new behavior. In addition, I hold a Bachelor’s of Sciences in Community Health with Biology and Psychology minors. 

Usually, the website domains such as .edu and .gov have creditable information. Your doctor office can help. Your local fitness club also could help. The best place to go is the library. Now days, the library has technology for users such as eBooks. 

I have discussed sources of information where you can find the information you are looking for. I would like add another concept. When you start a new behavior or a new habit such as diet and exercising, it is ok to figure out what works for you. Find your motivation. Find out why you should exercise. Find out the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables and exercising. Will you benefit from it? Will you have desirable weight? Will you have stability in your energy level? Will you be able to enjoy your life better? Will you reduce your needs of prescription if any? 

If the answer is yes on questions in the previous paragraph, then you already know the benefits of exercise and healthy diet. Exercising twenty minutes a day and eating nutrient dense food items are the key to wellness. Another key to wellness is to balance your intake with your activity. 

Try adopting the five steps to a new health rule of your own:

°         Step one: consider what can you do and what information should you find. Learn the information.

°         Step two: take one step at a time. For example, start with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) ban (see my previous blog) then go for another new health rule.

°         Step three: maintain and monitor your new health rule. Are you staying with the new “health rule”?

°         Step four: be creative if choices are not available. For example, a store does not have a ketchup without HFCS. Consider going without ketchup, a sauce of different kind without HFCS, or get a tomato instead.

°         Step five: no tolerate for the old habit. For example, you have fully adopted your new health rule of having ketchup without HFCS. You comfortably refuse to buy anything that has HFCS no matter what. 

Here is a real life health change article that applies to this blog!

I would love to hear how you are doing!

Be well!