Do You Need to Change? - HealthSteps Rx

Many times we often look at our lives and wonder how we got to be where we are, at this point in time. We could be at good place in our life, but maybe we’re not. If we are not in a good place, we think about all that we have done, and may realize we really haven’t been doing anything wrong, so why aren’t things as they should be? Perhaps, we need to step back and see what has motivated us to make the decisions that we have made in our lives. Perhaps the things we do are right and logical, based on the assumptions that we have made and/or were raised believing. But would if those assumptions were inaccurate or inappropriate for our situation? That would mean then, that we were really not doing what would be the logical thing to do. This philosophy can hold true in almost all aspects of our lives, but let’s consider four examples that might demonstrate how this philosophy can be used to assess if the “health” aspect of our life could be in a better place:

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Are you willing to reassess how you view things in your life? You don’t have to commit to change, just consider another way of doing something! You may assess that you don’t want to change and that would be your choice, and it may also be the correct choice for you. However, making the decision to just think about other options is an important step in evaluating all aspects of our lives, not just those related to our health.

Example 1

Perceived Logical Behavior:
A working mother of two young children rushes home after a long day of work to fix her family a nice dinner. She would like nothing more than to have some time alone for herself before beginning her household routines, but she already feels guilty for being away from them all day.

Faulty Assumption:
I cannot be a good mother and wife if I am too concerned with myself.

Logical Assumption & Behavior:
In order to better care for my family, I must take better care of myself first. Therefore, I will take time for myself and make it a routine to stop at the gym before I come from work. This will help me feel better about myself, keep me healthier, and ultimately make me a more fun person to be around.

>> back to examples

Perceived Logical Behavior:
In order to lose the extra ten pounds a busy executive has been carrying around, he has decided that he will skip breakfast in order to decrease the amount of calories that he takes in.

Logical Assumption & Behavior:
Skipping meals only contributes to weight gain. It will cause me to become too hungry and therefore contribute to me eating more unhealthy calories at the next meal or snack. In addition, I will not be able to take advantage of the increased metabolism (which helps burn more calories), that occurs just by the “process of eating.” For example, I can burn more calories just by eating the same 1500 calories in three meals, versus eating them in two meals. I realize that breakfast is also the most important meal of the day for losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. I also now know that there are other ways to lose weight, than to cut calories! Therefore, I am going to include breakfast everyday, and distribute my calories into four to six small meals per day.

Logical Behavior:
A retired schoolteacher from New Orleans, and her husband partake every Monday night in their favorite dinner of red beans and rice. She uses only the most flavorful ingredients her mother taught her to use to make this wonderful Creole dish, including salt pork and sausage.

Faulty Assumption:
There is only one way to make this dish for it to taste good, and it is a tradition to prepare it for dinner every Monday night.

Logical Assumption and Behavior:
Just because my mother cooked this way, doesn’t mean I have to. There are other, more healthy ways to cook this dish than with salt pork and sausage. I may have to be more explorative with my taste buds, but that could be fun. I might also consider using less of the unhealthy ingredients, and/or not having this dish so often.

Perceived Logical Behavior:
A middle-age father of three ends his long day at work everyday by collapsing on the couch and spending the evening in front of the television. He has worked hard all day and enjoys this relaxation. When he was a child, he also watched his father relax in the same manner. He has also noticed that many of his relatives, as they have gotten older have become heavier, and have had greater difficulty moving around due to various illnesses, aches or pains, and has attributed that to the normal aging process. Therefore, he is going to enjoy the time he has by taking life easy.

Faulty Assumption:
The only way I know to feel rejuvenated after work is to relax in front of the television and not to become involved in any activity. After all, why should I not enjoy myself? In the end, it all goes downhill, anyway.

Logical Assumption and Behavior:
I now realize that what I do today can effect the quality of the aging process. Just by including one half hour of walking after work into my daily life, has increased my energy level, as well as decreased my blood pressure. It has even become a fun event that the whole family does together. I still have lots of time to relax in front of the television, and sometimes even walk on our new treadmill while reading or watching tv.