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Monday, 17 September 2007 12:04 |
Someday soon you will finish up a visit to one of your healthcare
providers and you will receive two sheets of paper with prescriptions
on them, not just one. Your job is get both of them filled.
The familiar pharmaceutical prescription needs no introduction, just go
to the pharmacy, get it filled and take as directed.
Unfortunately that only happens correctly about half of the time!
In fact, I remember hearing at a conference about a study done where
they searched the wastebaskets that were placed just down the hall from
physician's offices and there they found about one-third of all the
prescriptions written by those offices! How often does the
patient "buy in" to the treatment plan, understand exactly how to take
the meds, and then follow through and do it? Like we said, only
about half of the time.
The second prescription you hopefully will start receiving will be the
"lifestyle prescription". Having that in written form would help,
and there is already a movement to supply healthcare providers with
such script pads. In the meantime this prescription is usually
administered orally...that is, it is told to you. This is the
sometimes direct and serious conversation, the sometimes offhand and
casual remarks that urge you to make lifestyle improvements such as
getting more exercise, more sleep, eating better, managing your stress
better, etc. The important thing is for you to take it as
seriously as the pharmaceutical prescription.
Now, let's say you are an outstanding patient. You hear what your
healthcare provider is telling you, and you understand how you and your
health will benefit from making these lifestyle changes. You know
that these improvements in the way you live your life will help your
meds work better, help your body to heal better, faster and more
completely. You have the best of intentions to make these changes
and make them last. Now your real work begins.
Lifestyle change is not really about will power alone. To have
the motivation to improve your way of living you can improve your
chances of success with the following guidelines:
Take stock of your life. List your strengths
and what you have going for you to help you make these changes.
- Set goals that are realistic, small and step by step in nature.
Enlist others to help in your efforts. Let
others you trust know what your goals are. Let them know
specifically how they can help. Surround yourself with people who
value the healthy lifestyle that you aspire to!
- Create a real plan - write it down.
- Keep track of your progress by writing down what you plan to do, and what you actually did.
Look for motivation inside the changes
themselves. Instead of eating right because you're hoping to
avoid illness, find real pleasure in planning and preparing (and
consuming!) really healthy whole foods that are delicious. Find
ways to move (exercise) that are fun and rewarding! Switch from
motivation on the outside to internal motivation.
Don't listen to your inner critic! That
discouraging little voice in your head does NOT have your best
interests at heart. Identify when it is speaking up and squelch
it!
Get a coach! Your chances of success increase
when you enlist an ally to help you on your wellness journey.
Changing behavior is often not as simple as it seems. Old habits
dull awareness and die hard. If you've tried and failed, and
tried and failed before, you were probably trying to do it all by
yourself. There is real value in hiring a guide to help you get
where you really want to go.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 September 2007 16:40 |
