I know, what a nice, motivating title to kick off a new year, right? But the statistics are true – some studies show only 9% of those who made a resolution actually maintain it after 6+ months. Even if you aren’t a “resolution setter,” you likely have some intentions or plans for being better about your health in the new year and I don’t blame you! The problem for most of us lies in a simple math equation: Optimal Health Math.
The Optimal Health Math Equation
If you have worked with me in the past, you likely have heard me reference this “math problem” in our conversations surrounding your health issues. Most people tend to approach this problem from only one of the three ways:
- They try to add in new health habits: exercise, healthier eating, a supplement they saw advertised on Instagram (no judgment- I fall for things too!)
- Example: If you are having painful periods or troubles conceiving so you try to take supplements to support this but you haven’t accessed the toxic load of your scented candles, room sprays, nail polish, makeup and other beauty care products, you may be introducing a lot of hormone (endocrine) disrupting chemicals into your body on a daily basis
- Or they try to remove their bad habits without anything to replace them: doing a Whole30 for January, trying to avoid carbs, trying to not scroll on their phone before bed.
- Example: If you struggle with constant fatigue and begin to support your adrenals with quitting coffee/energy drinks but don’t slow down your pace of life and begin setting boundaries, your adrenals will never fully heal and you’ll never find the energy you desire.
- Example: If you struggle with constant fatigue and begin to support your adrenals with quitting coffee/energy drinks but don’t slow down your pace of life and begin setting boundaries, your adrenals will never fully heal and you’ll never find the energy you desire.
- Or they read a few Instagram posts and self-diagnose to identify their issues without doing functional lab testing to determine the root cause of their problems.
- Example: You can guess all day long that you have a thyroid issue, but most practitioners aren’t doing full thyroid testing or are using standard reference ranges to tell you “you’re fine” and that you simply need to “eat right and exercise” to move the health needle along.
The Order Is Where You’ll Find Success:
Alone, each of these choices won’t last and usually leave us feeling more defeated than the time before. We think it’s our fault that we can never seem to change and don’t see that it’s actually because we’re missing the full equation, and in the correct order:
- First we must IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM using the right testing for you and your stage of life.
- Most of us get online or Instagram and based off of symptoms self-assess where we think our issues are stemming from without getting fully, functional health assessments. Or, we get the standard blood work done by our PCP using standard ranges that don’t actually give a full picture of health.
- Next we must SUBTRACT the toxins, triggers and commitments that are no longer serving you.
- Adding in healthy habits without removing triggers/toxins is like trying to empty a full bathtub without turning the water flowing in off.
- Lastly, we can then ADD IN SUPPORT, HABITS + NUTRIENTS to restore our health and feel our best.
- After assessing with testing and creating space in our life with subtraction, we can now begin adding in supportive lifestyle habits, nutrients and supplements to bring order to the chaos and begin rebuilding the life we want to live.
Where Are You at In the Equation?
Below are some questions to ask yourself at the beginning of this new year as you set new intentions and goals.
- IDENTIFY:
- Have I gotten a full grip on my health or am I still chasing symptoms?
- Are there tests that you need to re-run to check in on your progress and help you with your path forward?
- SUBTRACT:
- What habits in my life are no longer serving me?
- What commitments do I need to say no to in order to make more time to heal and focus on myself?
- Have I taken an honest assessment of my home, products and food to make them as healthy for my family/self as possible?
- ADD-IN:
- What healthy habits can I now replace the old habits with?
- What are some self-care practices I have been “too busy” to introduce but know they would help?
- What clean, low-toxin products/appliances/clothing/personal care items can I replace the old with?
Need Some “Health Math” Tutoring?
In the upcoming year I plan to have several offerings to help you along on the path to optimal health and clean living to make it less overwhelming and more tangible. Stay tuned for these in coming months, but for now feel free to book a call if you’d like to get started on your journey or re-test your labs if you want a tune-up along the way 🙂