Stop Making Excuses

Appetizer
Be MORE accountable for your health by making LESS excuses. Yes, we all know that there are many reasons ("excuses") for why we can't work out or eat healthy. Do any of these sound familiar?

"I have to work."
"There's no one to watch the kids."
"I'm tired."
"It costs too much."
"It's genetic."

The truth of the matter is that many of these excuses are valid. However, none of them are too big to be overcome if we decide that we're willing to make changes.

Main Course
According to recent research, there are 5 major drivers of our overall health, but a whopping 40% of our total health is affected by our own personal behavior.

1. Exposure to environmental toxins. Mercury in fish, E. coli on lettuce, lead in water. These can be real threats. But they affect only 5 percent (one twentieth of a piece) of our total health.

2. Access to health care. This is a major problem. Still, our ability to access doctors and health care facilities affects just 10 percent of our total health.

3. Social status. Where we live, how much money we make and how many years we went to school affect how we take care of ourselves. Yet social standing is said to determine just 15 percent to our overall health status.

4. Genetics. The DNA with which we were born determines our hair color, body shape, and influences our risk for developing certain diseases. Family genes are responsible for about a third (30 percent) of our total health.

5. Personal behavior. It's the personal choices we make that most affect our well-being. What we choose to eat, how active we choose to be, whether we choose to smoke or drink or use drugs -- these affect the biggest piece (40 percent) or our health pie.

Source: State of health conference in Monterey county (speaker: Foster)

Dessert
I was really surprised to discover that genetics only affect 30% of our total health. I've always attributed much more of my body composition to my family. So now that I've been enlightened, I guess I'll have to stop blaming my parents for my physical shortcomings...or at least only blame them for 1/3 of 'em. Keep smiling!

About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.