Re-framing how we see health

Have you found it difficult at times to keep to your healthy lifestyle goals because of the environment you were in? For many people, wanting to make healthier choices only gets them so far. I encourage you to think about how policy, systems, and environments affect our lifestyles. The link above has a great article on one suggested policy change that could make a world of a difference for our food systems, consumers, and our health.

Policy, systems, and environment. What do those words really mean?

I think we all probably know, or could at least guess, what a policy is, but I'll go ahead and define it anyway. A policy is a rule or a regulation that, in our context, would make it easier for individuals to live healthy lifestyles because the policy has made it so. For example, here in Lamar, our City Council passed a policy that any time a street is under construction, improvements have to be considered, like putting in a bike lane or widening the street. Policies like this help make a city or community more walkable/bikable. It considers modes of transportation other than vehicles.

Systems might be a little more foreign to you. This is how a business, organization, institution, school, etc. supports healthy living. An example might be a boss or company that supports wellness breaks to walk. Often, Policies and systems work hand-in-hand.

And lastly, environments. Do people have access to healthy living choices and opportunities? Do they live near a store with healthy foods? Are their streets safe to walk on? Do they live near a park?

I bring all of this up to get you thinking about how your world affects your desire to be healthy, and what you can do to make changes or influence policies, systems, and environments in your community.

I'll keep it short this week and leave it there. Be sure to read the link at the top, and stay connected with nutrition and health articles/news on the Barton County Extension Facebook page.