Health is Boring, Not Easy

This is a fact. The things that really make a difference in your health are not sparkly, magical, or exciting. They are not expensive, fancy, or hard to pronounce. Don't let social media sell you a crazy fad diet you can't stick to or a workout routine that even a bodybuilder would struggle with. You don't need any of that. The real ingredients for achieving health benefits are nothing but the basics mixed with consistency and hard work.

They are something like this:

• A nutrient dense diet focusing on whole and minimally processed foods such as quality proteins (plant or animal based), healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes

• Proper energy intake for your individual needs

• Adequate physical activity

• Adequate sleep

• Proper stress management

• Adequate sunlight

• Adequate enjoyment of daily life

These are the basics. These are the things that every human being needs in order to thrive. Why are they so damn hard to have?

If you are reading this list and wondering why you are struggling to achieve the basics, this post may help you.

We are all in different environments as human beings. Every person has a different experience every time they start a new day. The differences come in the environments in which we all live, learn, work, worship, age and play, as well as a wider set of forces and systems that shape the conditions of daily life and affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes. These include, but are not limited to, employment, income, debt, expenses, housing, transportation, literacy, language, education, access to healthy foods, community and social contexts, healthcare coverage, healthcare expenditures, health status, functional limitations and life expectancy. These are referred to as the social determinants of health.

All of these factors play into the difficulty we have as a society to prevent chronic disease and make more sustainable healthy lifestyle choices. It is easy to say that you are going to do something and also feel that you really mean it, only to find yourself committing to a goal and then losing motivation before ever achieving it. New Year's rolls around, and once again your motivations are renewed. Maybe a new diet this time. A gym membership. The vicious cycle starts again and by March it's all over. This doesn't keep happening because you have no willpower. This happens because you are not changing your behavior in a sustainable way. Behavior change is rooted in creating new habits, not willpower alone. If you have a plan for when roadblocks are in your way, and they will show up, you will know how to steer around them and still reach your destination. The ingredients for health may be boring, but finding a way to get them all into your life and keep them there is the exciting part. It can be fun to solve these problems with the correct mindset.

Moving beyond your individual behavior and addressing the social determinants of health in your own life can have a greater impact on your wellness and also increase the likelihood of maintaining healthy lifestyle interventions.

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Prioritize your health!