As a health coach and personal trainer, I work with a variety of clients and I see first hand the value in investing in healthy habits.  Wouldn’t you rather come at your health as a preventative method rather than reversing an existing problem?

“If you don’t make time for your wellness now, you’ll be forced to make time for your sickness later.”

The solution most doctors recommend for preventable lifestyle-related chronic disease is physical activity (Play), eating better and managing stress.

Recently I read that ONLY about 2-3% of most countries’ health-care spending goes to prevention. An aging global population combined with inactivity means governments aren’t ready for the reality of taking care of the sick.

Is your environment set up to help you succeed?

Why can’t prevention start by being better examples ourselves, or role models, of healthy choices in our daily environments? How are we all equipping the ones we love most with the skills necessary to make better decisions day in and day out?

No one is perfect yet every person’s wellness journey is shaped by their environment at home, then is influenced by peers and by governments.  By making environments supportive of optimal choices, it just might make the marathon called life worth living healthy for and be less of a burden to our health care system in the long run.

5 simple yet helpful ideas

How can you shape your environment to support a healthier lifestyle?  I asked a number of experts in my book The Play Book How To Get In The Habit of Good Health and they all agree shaping your environment to support your health goals can be as simple as:

• Laying out your play clothes the night before so the first thing in the morning that’s what you put on and go for a walk.
• “Stack” or add a fitness move on to something you already do.  Brush your teeth then do 20 squats.  Coffee brewing, perform push ups on the counter while you wait.  Finish your lunch, go for a walk.  The possibilities are endless.
• Travelling?  Rent a bike/kayak/paddleboard/walking poles for the day or book a walking tour of the city instead of the bus.
• Sit a lot at work?  Consider a standing desk or set a timer to take breaks every hour to stand up and walk around for 10 minutes.
• No time for the gym and happen to be taking the dog for a walk?  Why not perform a functional strength movement at every park bench you pass?  Push ups, squats and planks are all easy to do if you get a little creative outside of the gym.

When people understand, accept and act upon their capacity to live well, they have the opportunity to engage more in life.  Once your environment supports your goals, you will feel a sense of happiness, accomplishment, and ultimately better health.

Keep well and play on!

Janet

P.S. Want a peek into some powerful habits for free?

Starting Monday December 16^thyou can be part of my 7-Day Health Habits Challenge, I’ll give you real-world strategies to simplify helahter living so you can consistently exercise and eat better (without spending all your time in the kitchen or gym).

Not only will this save you from the frustration of another soul-draining diet and exercise attempt…but until 11:59pm EST, you  can join for FREE