The Cost of Reactive Therapy When you assess the cost of physiotherapy treatment or medical advice, during times of sickness or injury, you need to include in the algorithm the direct and opportunity costs of time away from work and other activities that are important to you. I am back to valuing our time above all else as the most precious commodity or resource we manage. Lost time through wasted treatment, ineffective programs, gimmick products or simply superficial approaches are all costing you much more than you realise.
My invitation is for you to embrace the tenets of our Results4Life philosophy and merge it into a lifestyle of proactive healthy decisions. This book will show you just how convenient and sensible this is. It might not be what your doctor or neighbours are doing…but that doesn’t make it wrong. You will be able to demonstrate that wellness is more achievable than most of us are led to believe.
All reasonable investors want a return on their time and money. You shouldn’t be any different as you wisely invest into your health. Your return will include the enjoyment of a better quality of life, less time away from family and work, and the promise of new adventures.
I’ve discovered over many years through implementing Results4Life that clients appreciate the empowerment provided through this self-management approach. They realise that taking responsibility for their own healthcare and partnering with (rather than being dictated to by) their practitioner is the smartest way to ensure lifelong wellness. Some of my clients have had to go through the trial-and-error process of testing one “quick fix” after another before truly valuing the importance of a long-term wellness roadmap. Others have spared themselves this inconvenience by accepting the advice at face value. Whatever route you take to arrive at a wellness commitment — a direct line or the winding road — know that you are embarking on a journey that will have positive lifelong consequences.
Health Secrets
1 If you are time-poor then you tend to seek shortcuts to health.
2 Quick fixes don’t last. They waste your time and money.
3 Your wellness goal should be optimal life-long physical health.
4 You need a paradigm shift to adopt the Results4Life philosophy of health. You can’t keep doing what everybody else is doing, if you want to achieve a result that nobody else is getting.
5 Your pathway to true wellness must address the complex, holistic and deep-rooted causes of movement disorders if it’s to be effective. Fortunately this is much easier for you to achieve than most people think.
6 Don’t pull out of the journey too early. Commit to all 6 zones of the pathway including the Discovery, Relief, Conditioning, Learning, Lifestyle and Refinement phases. Find a practitioner who will guide you through this.
7 If you invest into a healthy lifestyle, you will reap a leveraged return of positive lifelong consequences.
Actions for Optimal Health
Review the health secrets of this chapter.
Walk around the home and identify all the gimmicks and tricks you have gathered over the years in chasing better health. Stockpile them on the floor. Tablets, exercise machines, DVDs, wrist magnets and whatever else you may find. Don’t feel guilty. Rather, channel the enthusiasm you once had for these things into a committed approach to Results4Life strategies that will work.
Review Table 3.1 and notice the differences between the traditional mainstream approaches to health care compared with the more effective philosophy of Results4Life. Determine to take the latter path in all new health decisions. Don’t settle for symptomatic treatment or superficial strategies ever again. It’s a waste of your time and money. Share this with your trusted health advisors.
Calculate how much it would cost you in lost wages at work, medical costs and inflated insurance premiums if a moderate back strain took 4 weeks to recover. Add to this the exponential costs if you suffered re-aggravations on 3 separate subsequent occasions over a 2 year period. Try also to put a price on your frustration and regret. This exercise helps to demonstrate why getting your health right the first time is so crucial.
References
1 Safran MR, Benedetti RS, Bartolozzi AR 3rd, Mandelbaum BR. Lateral ankle sprains: a comprehensive review: part 1: etiology, pathoanatomy, histopathogenesis, and diagnosis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. Jul 1999;31(7 Suppl):S429-37.
Chapter 4:
WELLNESS IS A TEAM SPORT
Finding the right Health Coach
In my practice, I work with many people who are achieving great success in their health. They are committed to exceeding the personal goals we’ve established together and have the trademark determination that so many of us admire. They’re highly motivated and they understand the importance of following their Results4Life roadmap through each milestone. But, sadly, I have observed an equally large number of people who do not go very far on their journey. No matter how much information I provide or how much motivation I try to instill in them, with the passage of time I watch them give up. The question that nagged me for so long was, ‘Why?’
I’ve since learned that some clients are just involved in their health journey, while others are truly committed. To best illustrate the not-so-subtle difference I’m reminded of an old fable. A pig and chicken who felt grateful to their farmer for his years of care and affection, decided they wanted to show him their appreciation. The chicken suggested they make him breakfast one morning, serving up a large plate of bacon and eggs. The pig was quickly concerned, “That’s fine for you. You will only be involved, I’ll be committed.”
“I’ve since learned that some clients are just involved in their health journey, while others are truly committed.”
Some clients leave too many ‘backdoors’ and ‘escape routes’ when involving themselves in their recovery and healthy living pathways, only to bail when it gets too tough. People really only commit when their life is on the line – and unfortunately not enough realise that’s exactly what’s at stake.
The Art of Giving Up Outlined below are some of my observations as to why people give up on long term health:
Poor Understanding of the Goal Individuals are confused or shortsighted as to what they are trying to achieve. Some think they just want to reduce pain or prevent specific injuries, while others view Results4Life as an approach to simply lose weight or eat better. Many miss the big picture of holistic health benefits. If you can’t see the road ahead, you can’t follow it.
Health is not a Priority Some take their health for granted. This is particularly true of those people who “feel fine” at the moment and therefore don’t have the motivation to change their habits.
A lack of Health Coaches and Mentors Without health advocates who are aligned with the goals, personality and individual challenges of the client, people don’t receive the right type of support to advance them on their journey. Not all practitioners are created equal in this regard.
Laziness This group is comprised of people who complain about their lives rather than attempt to change what is wrong. If you’re not willing to make an effort to improve your own life, most others around you are disempowered to help also.
Lack of Discipline It’s not easy to change long-standing habits. Even with the right motivation you still need