How’s that New Year’s resolution coming along? Stuck to it like you swore you would?
According to research and the lengthy history of humans and their tendency to stick to new habits, your answer is probably a mumbled, “not so good” or the most popular, “Well, you see what had happened was….”
We will cut to the chase and point of this article: What are you measuring?
Might that have something to do with your success or lack there of regarding your resolutions?
According to a recent survey conducted by GfK (Growth for Knowledge), about one-third of the world population tracks their health data (29% of Americans to be precise) using an app, phone, watch or online mobile service.
Are you tracking yours? If not, you’re missing out on an incredibly powerful tool to create the health you’ve always wanted.
But you can’t just “track” it.
You knew there was a catch didn’t you?
The power isn’t in the actual tracking. It is in understanding what is being tracked, why you are tracking it, and what the distance between you and your goal means in regards to the numbers at the end of the day.
So, what are some areas that you could start tracking, that would inevitably improve your current success towards your health and wellness resolutions for 2018? Better yet, what can you expect from actually tracking key areas of your health and wellness and agreeing to be accountable to a coach?
1. Improved Physical Fitness (a.k.a a more appealing reflection staring back at you in the mirror)
This is sort of a given. But if you have a clear vision of what your physical destination is going to be, having a coach to ensure you are on the right path could expedite your results or just make them possible depending on your current knowledge about physically manipulating the body.
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2. A healthier pregnancy and thus a healthier baby.
Having a baby? It may behoove you to have a coach there to help get your nutritional choices on the right track. After all, your choices won’t just be affecting you anymore. You are essentially eating the very building blocks that are laying the foundation for your unborn child’s future. Make wise choices…faster.
Also, having someone to help document your choices and plan could benefit your communication of it to your doctor or midwife in the future.
What you don’t want to do is go ahead and listen to your friends and family members (who aren’t pregnant) as it pertains to your pregnancy and health. We are willing to bet that you hear the words, “go ahead. You are eating for two.”
The truth is that you don’t really need to change anything about your consumption in regards to increasing it until the second and third trimester. But while you are growing another human, it would certainly behoove you to have a knowledgable and encouraging sounding board as you progress into your third trimester. Don’t count on your husband to stop you from eating dessert or pizza. There is a reason most dads begin to look pregnant themselves as their wives approach their due date. They tell themselves that they need the “comfort food”. Why would they tell you any different?
3.Better nutritional choices in general
It is called the “Hawthorne effect”. The Hawthorne Effect is a type of reactivity in which individuals modify an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed.
Put simply, since you know someone else is watching what you eat, you are prone to easily make better choices. Accountability at it’s finest. We can’t tell you how many times new clients have lost weight simply by keeping track of their meals with our food logs.
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4. Getting better Sleep
Most folks want to figure out how to improve their sleep. Others simply don’t realize that they are sleeping poorly as it is. By monitoring your sleep and having someone on the other end of the data that is experienced in interpreting the numbers and offering evidence based tweaks to improve your sleep, you will indirectly boost your health and wellness results immediately, aside from having a heightened sense of energy and wellbeing to tackle the next day.
5. Improved efficiency with resolving the root cause of your current ailments
Without the assistance of a trained practitioner, you will simply find yourself guessing at which solution to attempt next. Sometimes you are lucky. Your thoughtless shotgun approach to health is sometimes successful.
Other times, it is flat out deflating and defeating. It seems as though you “have tried everything”, but you are still suffering. By partnering with a trained Functional Medicine practitioner, you can start testing and stop guessing at the root cause of your worries as opposed to hoping to improve some of the symptoms.
6. Better communication with your doctor
Have you ever found yourself attempting to squeeze in loads of information and feedback to your doctor during the five minutes that you have with them in the room.
Or worst, trying to communicate with their nurse over the phone. It is quite overwhelming if you are not medically trained. Yet, by having an advocate to partner with you along your health journey, you not only acquire a very effective communication filter, but you also will have a knowledgable and empathetic sounding board to process your future health decisions with.
It comes it awfully handy when faced with a specific surgery or procedure that your conventional doctor seems to be forcing you into. Ask more in depth questions and feel empowered and confident that you are making the best choice.
7. You’ll save your hard earned dollars
You know what everyone loves spending their savings on? Healthcare! (NOT!)
No one wants to save up their hard earned money then find themselves doling out cash to pay their deductibles. Which is why at HPHI, there are no deductibles because we don’t take insurance. Our members not only get to visit with their doctor, discounted lab tests, and discounted pharmaceutical grade supplements, but they get effective health coaching and dietary guidance along with it.
Just imagine: No wait when you find yourself sick or in need of a walk in clinic, plus you get experienced health coaching and daily oversight every step of the way as your improve your physical and mental wellbeing.
Our members save on:
- Prescriptions that they find out they don’t need once they incorporate better health habits
- Co-pays that aren’t necessary to see their physician since they are just an email or text message away
- And valuable PTO hours for vacation as opposed to wasting them on sick days (since our members drastically decrease those as well.)
Unfortunately, you will be spending some of your savings on a new wardrobe unless you find baggy and loose fitting clothing, flattering. Either way, the choice is yours, but partnering with an experienced health coach can help.
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