excerpt

Habits are all the rage.

Where they come from.

Why they develop.

What triggers them.

And how to successfully change them.

But which habits are actually worth changing? 

What’s been lacking is a unified, collective approach to those meaningful and high-yield habits. Until now.

Perhaps no other area of life exemplifies the need to improve our habits as much as medicine, health, and well-being. During the 2020 (and current) global pandemic, our long-standing routines and behaviors became our greatest liability; ingrained lifestyle choices emerged as risk factors for dying. Those suffering from many preventable chronic medical conditions like diabetes, obesity and excess weight, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, and sedentary behaviors, experienced devastation.

Sadly, the habit of embracing less-healthy lifestyle choices has long been part of our culture. We didn’t need a viral pandemic to tell us that. COVID-19 simply amplified the urgency to examine our behaviors. The American Journal of Medicine referred to it as “America’s Silent Epidemic,” robbing us of life and vitality, both now and later, if we do not embrace change.1

The New England Journal of Medicine further called for a restructuring of our approach to healthcare, emphasizing “personalizing health service delivery, enabling patients to achieve their health goals alone, and in partnership with health professionals.”2

My book is a long overdue toolkit of effective measures each of us can successfully adopt into our lives. It’s tailored to an individual’s needs and interests in order to encourage the highest level of motivation. Using the power of small steps, it’s a collection of habits that matter—why they’re important, what’s in it for you, and how to implement them into your life.

As a board-certified family physician with over twenty-three years in medical education and patient care, I believe there is a solution to better health for everyone. I’m passionate about the collective actions we can take toward creating a better and more effective healthcare delivery system—one that empowers us individually and heals us collectively.

Health does not have to be complicated. In fact, we need to go back to the basics. Those seemingly insignificant behaviors hold the key to creating lasting health and well-being. This book is that how-to collection of the habits most worthy to us and our communities.

Accessible. Affordable. Effective. Efficient. Doable.

For everyone.