John Kelly, M.D.

Understanding your obstacles to healthy living

Information on the health risks of smoking, obesity, unhealthy diets and lack of exercise is widely available. Health risks include heart disease, diabetes, cancer, disability and premature death.
     Information on effective strategies for living a healthy lifestyle is also widely available.
These strategies include:
•    Stop smoking
•    Maintain healthy weight
•    Eat healthy diet
•    Exercise regularly
     After many years in health care and health improvement, I do not think that lack of information on health risks or lack of information on effective strategies for healthy living is a major obstacle for most of us. I believe that most of us understand our health risks and what we should do for healthy living. 
     An important challenge for each of us is to understand our own obstacles to healthy living.
     Obstacles to healthy living often include:
A lack of motivation
•    Consider why healthy living is important.
•    Consider why your family, friends or co-workers support healthy living.
•    Consider why your employer supports living.
Inadequate time
•    Consider how you can use time to support healthy living.
•    Consider how your family, friends or co-workers use time to support healthy living.
•    Consider how your employer allows you to use time to support healthy living.
Insufficient resources
•    Consider what resources are available to you to support healthy living.
•    Consider the resources your family, friends or co-workers use to support healthy living.
•    Consider the resources your employer provides to support healthy living.
What are other obstacles to healthy living for you?
     Understanding your obstacles to healthy living and then developing effective strategies to overcome your obstacles is a critical step on the road to health.

     John T. Kelly, M.D., is Chief Medical Officer of
Lifeclinic International, which manufactures blood pressure and weight monitors located in many trucking locations. Dr. Kelly was previously Chief Health and Medical Officer of Union Pacific Railroad. Dr. Kelly can be contacted at JKelly@lifeclinic.com.