I have recently adopted a new approach to life – working in a group, pair or team is better than flying solo. As someone that prides herself on marching to the beat of my own drum this is a big deal!
I’m well aware of the challenges of teamwork –including compromise and learning to share the work load. There is a give and take, but that can help us grow as individuals.
The Health Behavior Research Centre at University College London in England conducted a study that confirmed couples that live together tend to be healthier if at least one of the individuals is attempting to make ‘healthy’ lifestyle choices. These include losing weight, getting more active and quitting smoking. One specific figure sited includes 50% of the partners quit smoking when their husband or wife quit, while only 8% quit if their partner continued to smoke.
It’s of no great surprise that these lifestyle changes are good for general health, but also more specifically for decreasing the risk of heart disease. For more information on ways to reduce your risk of heart disease check out www.heart.org.
In honor of this past Valentine’s Day, I’d like to offer a challenge to each of you: Talk to your partner, roommate or close friend about a healthy change you’d like to work on (and ideally something they would benefit from too).
Come up with a game plan together. Example: We will have fresh fruit after dinner as dessert at least 5 times/week.
Let me know what you picked so we can cheer you on!
