Teachers, and parents, are very aware of the power of mindset in children when it comes to success with studies. I know someone who is highly intelligent, but sometimes she just decides she can’t do something, and no amount of cajoling or threatening will get her right. Ultimately, she must come to the point of viewing the objectionable task in a positive light.
Many doctors try to frighten their patients into changed behaviour – “If you don’t change your behaviour, you will get a heart attack, or kidney failure, or have an amputation from gangrene!”. Fear will bring temporary change, but once the message becomes old, so does the fear subside. Fear is probably the most unreliable motivator in the long term. But surely nobody wants to suffer any of those horrendous consequences?
Some practitioners feel all that is needed is more information, so patients can make an informed choice. But I doubt that a heavy smoker doesn’t know all the risks of smoking today, but that knowledge doesn’t cause him to stop. Likewise, someone who is putting on weight from eating an unhealthful diet is quite aware that their diet could improve. They also hear the TV programmes or read the news articles about the benefits of healthy dietary choices.
Much depends on our background – how we were brought up, how our family ate – and how our peers live. Some people believe it is in the genes. But it is far more likely that it is in the shared recipes – the dietary behaviours that are passed down.
The most powerful agent for change is how much better we feel when we do make small changes. When we start eating more whole foods – fruits and vegetables and whole grains – and find that we are starting to shed kilograms, we are sleeping better, our brain fog is starting to lift, and we have more energy – these are the benefits that encourage further change.
I remember when one of my colleagues asked me to help her control her blood pressure with lifestyle interventions, as medications were not doing it. She was battling her weight, shortness of breath, fatigue, heart failure, swelling of her feet – and she was facing a shortened life. But as she began to adopt a better lifestyle, her weight melted away, she felt energetic again, the swelling and shortness of breath disappeared, and as a bonus, her blood pressure subsided dramatically. Changing her lifestyle was not a burden when she was receiving all these bonuses.
It is worth embarking on a two to three week trial, with professional help, and see how much better you feel. You might just be starting a journey to a new you.
Dr Dave Glass
MBChB, FCOG(SA), DipIBLM
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