CONNECT: January 9, 2015

Sometimes It's Not (only) What You Know: CONNECT, A Year in P/Review

Spoiler Summary: Whether you call them goals or resolutions....if you're looking to achieve more in 2015, the people you surround yourself with can make a very big difference on whether you'll be successful.

Happy New Year!  Can you believe it?  2015.....15 years AFTER Y2K.  Seems like yesterday that we were worried about a turn-of-the-clock meltdown of everything computer driven.  Of course we had no idea at the time that the iPod was about to storm-in and once again change our relationship with computers....or that soon enough our phones would be with us at all times and would have far more computing power than some of the most important devices in history, like both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2  some of NASA's most significant satellites.....and yet, even with all this amazing technological development and the promise that comes with even more amazing devices (wearables, smart-clothes, etc), the evidence clearly shows that one of the most important factors in determining our health is something that's about as low-tech as it gets.....and something that experts believe has been around in one form or another for 100,000 years......it's supportive relationship and conversation - and it goes a little something like this:

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Person 1: "Hey, how've you been?"

Person 2: "eh, could be better....I just found out I my blood pressure is up...and my doctor said she might have to put me on medication, which I really don't want to do"

Person 1: "oh $*W!# (bummer), I'm really sorry to hear that - what are you going to do?"

Person 2: "She said diet and exercise....which I know, but I'm not really sure exactly what"

Person 1: "you should talk to ______ he went through the same thing"

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We hear these types of conversations all the time.  As simple and quick as they are, the can be incredibly important. Since conversations influence our beliefs and beliefs drive our actions, our conversations can have a major impact on whether we succeed or fail when it comes to the goal we're after.  

Let's say for example person 1 refers person 2 to someone who scoured the evidence, has a great relationship with their healthcare team AND has elevated BP for the same (or similar) reasons......In this case person 2 might get great results.

But what if person 1 refers person 2 to someone who only consulted Dr. Google?  What if that same person had a completely different reason WHY their BP was elevated....what if they suggested something to person 2 that has a negative interaction with some other medication he's taking?  Or simply said - "I tried the medication but didn't feel any different, so I took myself off".  No matter how well-intentioned, it might not turn out nearly as well for person 2.

Social support (or "undermining", the evil twin) has a major impact on our health.  We call this ELEMENT #5 - CONNECT and the science continues to show that it's a really big deal since we all behave a bit differently depending on the environment we're in and the people we're around.

Whether it's evidence that shows support for leisure activity promotes health or that social support makes a difference in advanced cancer or in the protection against PTSD, we know that WHO you know (and have relationships with) can impact your health - but it's not just at the level of injury or disease....it can also be related to health risk and behaviors such as Fruit/Veggie Consumption and even weight loss.

We hope 2015 will be filled with new achievements in terms of health and safety - we are absolutely SURE it can be.  Whether it be as simple as this weekly newsletter, or a much more custom-tailored approach, we hope you know that you have our support whenever you're ready to CONNECT and join the conversation.

Have a great week,

Mike E.