Small changes, big gains

Posted on 2 December 2016

It’s hard to make big lifestyle changes but even small changes to your lifestyle could yield big gains down the line. A Mediclinic family doctor has tips and advice to make switches that stick..

Mediclinic Muelmed GP and family medicine expert Dr Christiaan de Muelenaere says that unfortunately few people are proactive about improving their general health and as a result, they often present with medical problems like diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

‘Smoking, obesity, general lack of concern about their health, poor diet, stress and overeating are the areas that I find are the most problematic as far as overall health is concerned,’ he says. ‘Many people struggle to manage their lives, and are pre-occupied with daily living and all the demands made of them at home and at work’.

Slow and steady wins the race

Changing an attitude or how you behave is a challenge. We resist change because human beings prefer what is familiar and predictable. But if you can’t make the big changes necessary to improve your life, even small changes could make a difference.

‘You could try stopping alcohol for a while and resume again but then not consuming more than six drinks a week,’ says Dr De Muelenaere. He cautions, however, that alcoholics need to cut out alchohol completely. If patients are struggling to quit smoking he says reducing the number of cigarettes they smoke can make a difference too. ‘Smokers should make it more difficult to indulge in smoking without even noticing by putting cigarettes far away and having to get up and fetch them. This will remind them to stop smoking.’

He adds that unless they have mobility restrictions, people can be more active by using stairs instead of lifts or escalators.

Eat less instead of following a fad diet

If patients want to lose weight, Dr De Muelenaere counsels them to eat smaller portions and less fat. It is equally important not to skip meals and to avoid snacks in-between. Avoid sweet fizzy drinks, even the so-called healthy fruit juices. They are either artificial or so concentrated that they have too many calories.

‘I always encourage a healthy lifestyle and while it’s never easy to change your lifestyle it’s always worthwhile,’ says Dr De Muelenaere adding that people need to take charge of their own health.

Here is the editor’s pick for small changes to your lifestyle that could offer big health gains:

• Make it a priority to get the right amount of sleep.
• Spend more time outside.
• Use a list when grocery shopping.
• Swap sugary drinks for sparkling water.
• Eliminate one unhealthy item from your diet every week.