AUTHOR: Dr. Jason Bush
Sometimes easy is good. Especially when it comes to alleviating digestive upset and related gut health issues. Digestive health is central to so many other aspects of our overall health, meaning that keeping your gut healthy is often the first step in preventing many other health issues or complaints.
So when you go to your health care professional with gut health issues and their advice looks like a laundry list of recommendations regarding your diet and activity, potentially including self-experimentation with various elimination diets on a timeline that seems to stretch out over months or even years … it can certainly be overwhelming. In many cases, changing your lifestyle is the first and arguably most difficult step towards fixing your gut. Failure to complete this first step helps to explain why so many people continue to suffer with unhealthy digestive systems.
Lifestyle changes are among the most challenging types of medical advice to adhere to. Why? Well, your lifestyle exists because, for better or worse, it is the strategy that you have come up with to navigate the peaks and valleys in your life. In other words, it works for you. The problem is that most of us have adopted lifestyles based on sources of pleasure and satisfaction that are not necessarily in accordance with the healthiest principles.
While advocating lifestyle changes can be a great ‘prescription’ for health, doctors know that patients often take this advice in limited quantities – or ignore it outright. In other words, healthy living recommendations by medical professionals often suffer from poor patient compliance.
But one thing that can tip the balance in your favor and get you moving towards making those lifestyle changes is a little success. Everyone likes to ‘win’, and with one win in your pocket – even a small one – you will have the confidence to accept that next challenge. Ultimately, when the ‘wins’ come consistently and those challenges begin to fall like dominoes, you can ride the momentum and be successful in changing your habits.
If you are starting on the journey to a healthy lifestyle, here’s a tip for an ‘easy win’ in the gut health battle: Try adding a prebiotic supplement to your diet. It’s a simple step that doesn’t require that you change anything else in your routine but will give you piece of mind knowing that you are tackling the challenge. And when you start to notice your gut health improving, it will give you some momentum to take that next step towards achieving your healthy living goals.
Comments are closed