Support, Isolation Prevention for Health!

A Balanced Approach. Support can come in many forms. It can be very intimate and personal, or it can be sporadic and acquaintance like. Both of these forms of support are important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Your close friends and family play an important role. They can either be saboteurs, or cheerleaders. Knowing how to mentally tackle each is the key to staying on your game. Self efficacy, your own capacity to produce a desired effect or result, is probably the most important relationship to nurture. Knowing how to produce results on your own can make the saboteurs silent, and the cheerleaders a pleasant side effect. Having a community of like minded people striving for the same goals, say a healthy life, is more important if you family and friends support is on the sidelines or nonexistent. It is motivating to share an experience, talk in lingo, and not have to explain yourself. All of these support systems help to keep you from isolation. Isolation is proven to have a negative impact on health outcomes. In a modern life, your family may not be physically close, friendships may not be as deep and dependable, then throw in exposure to a toxic environment, and BAM! life gets a bit isolated. Specifically, the confluence of smaller families, high divorce rates, employment-related geographical mobility, and population aging means that adults of all ages, and in particular the elderly, will be at increasing risk of social isolation and shrinking family ties in the future – Cacioppo and Hawkley 2003 Good Old Days Are Just That, Old Days Society used to be born into family, community, and life long friendships. That is in the rearview mirror for most, either voluntarily or not. As a result, we have to put more thought and work into creating these relationships and support systems. I grew up a military kid. We moved every two and half years until I was twelve, then settled in one place. I never learned to have close friends or family, outside of my parents and brother. I really enjoy the adventure of moving to a new place. The exploration of getting to know where things are located and finding little gems. But then I get stuck. To maintain and build a healthy lifestyle, I heavily rely on a community of like minded people for support, and Thomas. When we moved to Colorado I took away my own community. I have not found a new one. I also suffered from a lack of efficacy. Now I am ready, willing, and able to build both of those back up. A most powerful reason to do so is the evidence that isolation has on a persons health. Solid scientific evidence shows that social relationships affect a range of health outcomes, including mental health, physical health, health habits, and mortality risk. –  Umberson and Montez 2011 Having support, and being supportive, does make life a whole lot more fun and interesting too. Support Challenge If you have not had a workout buddy in a while, could you set up a workout meet-up? It does not have to be for concentrated gym time, but maybe for a fun activity. Spend a minute or two of workout rest time exploring the idea of connecting with a activity buddy. Then do connect. Kudos for stepping into discomfort!  … This content is only available to active members who have logged in. Required membership(s): Online Personal Training...