“Make the healthy choice the easy choice” (McKinsey Health Institute, Interview 23.02.2023)
Being healthy is increasingly recognized as a state that cannot be defined only by the absence of disease. And not just about the body.
(As a side comment, when I was in medical school, our teachers used to tell us, as a joke, that a healthy person is someone that has not been properly investigated, which merely shows there is no such thing as perfection.)
So then what is HEALTH?
According to the World health Organization (WHO), “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”.
WHO also highlighting the following critical points (among other important principles that you can find here):
The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.
AND
Informed opinion and active co-operation on the part of the public are of the utmost importance in the improvement of the health of the people.
There is a wide recognition that as human beings, our health and wellbeing has to be approached in a holistic way: BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT. One sided interventions are not enough, and there is an increased demand from health practitioners of all kinds to approach it this way. Which is no small task, to be honest.
It is also clear that health and wellbeing, while being one of our fundamental rights, is becoming more and more a matter of personal responsibility, meaning each person needs to be more informed and take more accountability for their own lives.
So yes, it is a right, and an obligation at the same time. No small task either!
The real question is: how many of us feel ready to do it?
In a recent McKinsey Health Institute interview, Dame Sally Davies, a UK physician and healthcare leader, highlights another challenge that we are confronted with on a daily basis: making healthy choices does not always come easy in today’s world. Many times our working and living environment, the general infrastructure, or the restaurants and shops are simply not making it easy for us to make the right choice, the healthy choice. It can be quite the opposite.
Building societies where people can live healthy, happy and fulfilled lives, where their physical, mental and spiritual health are encouraged and supported, requires fundamental changes in our mindset, behaviours (individually and collectively), as well as a differently structured and incentivized economy and healthcare system . Where all actors involved “make the healthy choice the easy choice”, as Dame Sally Davies so eloquently puts it.
Such changes do take time though.
Until then, the healthy choices start with YOU…ideally TODAY. And some of them can be truly easy choices, as long as you are determined to do what is best for you, and your family.
Having a healthy shopping list, preparing healthy foods, exercising, building mental muscles to shift our mind from saboteur (negative, reactive) to sage (positive, creative) perspective, or having a spiritual practice that is meaningful to the individual, should be everyone’s priority.
There was a time when I put my life, health and wellbeing on pause, because I believed the work I was doing at the time served a higher purpose and had to come first. I was very wrong. Now I know much better. And I know how.
If you are ready to take responsibility for your health and wellbeing (body, mind and spirit), I am here to support you. Do not hesitate to reach out and schedule a free consultation.
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lore@loredanaregep.com
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