In order to get the most out of any wellness program it’s important to understand that healthy behaviors do not happen overnight. It takes work, a lot of dedication, and support to name a few. Two things I’d like for you to keep in mind while reading: 1) I’ve once read somewhere that it takes doing something about 26 times before it even begins to develop into a habit, and 2) “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” What does this have to do with health behavior you ask? Everything. For instance, dieting often fails because of the way most of us perceive its meaning: it’s temporary. However, the word diet comes from the Latin word “diaeta” which means “way of living,” but when we go into our diets none of us really look at it as a lifestyle change, which is often the reason why we fail. If you want to live a healthier lifestyle start doing the things that healthy people do. If you follow a routine at least 26 times and develop it into a habit, you can just about put your weighing scale away; it’ll only be a matter of time before you start feeling and looking the way healthy people do.

I had dropped more than 40 pounds within one year when I realized this concept, and know far too well how easy it is to pick up old bad habits. It really helps if you’re surrounded by people who are supportive of your efforts, which can sometimes inspire those who support you to live healthier lives as well. I happened to join a cycling club, but what really helped me was that I would ask people what they did to stay fit, and a snowball-effect occurred. Not only did I discover what other healthy and tasty foods I could eat, but what other fun and challenging activities I could do as well.

Diets fail because it often has a simple purpose: weight loss. Great success stories are often gotten from those who “live healthy” by doing as the healthy people do. We are all very capable of change, but the trick is to be patient with ourselves. In other words don’t give up if you find yourself five pounds heavier after a cruise, or have eaten an entire pie all by yourself. After all, there is no need to deprive yourself of the foods you love, as long as you have them in healthy portions or are active enough to “burn” that fuel. If you’ve realized you’ve faltered, simply accept the act and move forward towards the healthier you. We can get a lot out of our wellness programs if we realize that they are simply doorways to good health.

So, are you on a diet or a diaeta? What are some of the things that you do to stay healthy?

Never mind what’s said about the major contributors to the increasing health care costs such as pharmaceutical R&D, Technology, etc. What it comes down to is that there is great demand in the United States for our level of health care, and we “need” it. The more we need it, then the higher the price. Don’t you think that if we can reduce the demand we can resolve the bulk of our problems? Just think about the inelasticity of demand for health care, and how that impacts price. It would be far better to reduce the need for health care, rather than finding more money to pay for it, don’t you think?

So, indeed, health care reform is needed, but it actually starts with you. Ask yourself, “am I as healthy as I could be?” Chances are that you’ll answer no, but don’t be discouraged. There are several studies showing that we’re getting heavier as a nation, and generally don’t appear to be doing anything about it. Reality check, more and more of our children are becoming diabetic, and on average our belt size increased about two notches every five years within the last thirty. That doesn’t have an impact on health you say? Well then you should read about what happened to India after they incorporated the Western diet.

We know what we need to do, such as have a good diet and exercise, but most of us will put that off until we get a condition that has us going to the doctor when it is far more difficult to make that change. The reality is, the more we “need” the doctor, the more expensive it gets. Therefore, using that logic it’s less expensive to be proactive rather than reactive.

Our government can only do so much with regard to keeping health care affordable, accessible, etc. Unfortunately, it will take far more than their efforts to fix our problem. Yes, it’s very complex and confusing at times, causing most to turn away and not bother dealing with it. However, it will eventually catch up to all of us. So what should we do about it? Each and every one of us can contribute to being part of the solution by taking care of ourselves. If we all did that, imagine what would happen.