To move or not to move?

There are concerns and (statistically) worrying developments in healthcare, as moving is no longer a given for a growing group of people. Plans, seminars, reports, policies, and sufficient resources mainly at the theoretical and policy level are present to know what we are talking about, what we should consider, and what provisions we need to make to put movement on the agenda or facilitate it. An increasing group of healthcare professionals, (lifestyle) coaches, research labs, commercial companies, and solo entrepreneurs are promoting and wanting to facilitate lifestyle changes. It seems that more and more pharmaceutical products are coming onto the market that claim to solve the negative effects of less movement. Meanwhile, consumers are sitting more and more, for longer periods, and healthcare is responding to cases that are an acute care problem. The wealthier consumers are cutting away the fat, thus indicating that their lifestyle is not the problem.

Is this the vicious circle of movement, or is this an example of Jevons paradox?

Much attention is given to intervention or change in lifestyle. Lifestyle is an intangible concept, not an exact science; it cannot (and should not) be defined without significantly infringing on everyone’s personal life. At the same time, lifestyle is also primarily a cultural and demographic manifestation, which means that it cannot be unambiguously framed in a way that is applicable and acceptable to everyone—where was your cradle, what education did you receive, what work do you do, and who are your neighbors?

Lifestyle is not about one aspect of life; it is a complex of physical and mental presence, nutrition, movement, growth, care, education, free will, money, work, family, environment... Many knobs to turn, many knobs that have their own development and are influenced by various factors.

Previous messages also addressed the (un) sustainability of our current healthcare system. The costs of that care, already a problem, the outlook is downright dramatic. The decreasing number of full-time equivalents in healthcare, in the neighborhood, in the hospital. Robotics and AI will become more common, but is that sufficient, adequate, and desirable?

These issues are increasingly being recognized, and there is a growing awareness that prevention may be a potential pillar for organizing actions. This is a positive development in a mix of more actions that will be necessary to maintain healthcare, making it affordable and feasible.

The future- What if?

From the moment fertilization has the chance to develop into a beautiful new human being, the mother and unborn child are placed under supervision. Various agencies are involved in the preparation for this new life, addressing not only the medical process but also providing direction and advice to the expectant mother about what is advisable and what is not. The circumstances in which the child is born are also prescribed in a more or less mandatory way. After birth, mothers/parents and the child are closely monitored to ensure they meet standards of growth and development. And after these first years, this active monitoring ceases, and it becomes the responsibility of the parents and child to continue on their own.

What if we continued this monitoring until the child reaches adulthood, allowing parents and the child to regularly show their situation? At that moment, care could adequately respond to or intervene in any behavioral or health deviations in the child. But also in those of the parents: advice and possible assistance to counter deviations.

I understand, this is a far-reaching intrusion into personal life, a form of paternalism. However, it is an intrusion into personal life in favor of a better chance at stable health. It is about guiding the health aspect of lifestyle. And it is certainly not something that can happen overnight. Failing to act will come at a high price; it will become unaffordable, leading to much and significant inequality, and it is foreseeable that the government will have to intervene to limit the damage somewhat. Care is already extremely expensive, it is uncomfortable, and the future is quite clear about where it is heading!

We could start by preparing the upcoming generation for this. A multi-generational approach to appropriately shape and guide, through accepted (legal) measures, to give every person a solid start towards a justifiable lifestyle.

Meanwhile - What if?

Change is resistance. Certain changes are downright stressful. Changing one's lifestyle seems impossible, or at the very least, a very intensive guided process to support the person undergoing change for an extended period of time (years?). Who can sustain this the longest, the coach or the coachee? Where does the manpower come from to help all these people, what does it cost, and who pays for it? How do you deal with setbacks, resignation, and resistance when steps take a long time or results are minimal?

What if smaller steps are taken, analogous to the snaxercises of preventive cardiologist Tamara Aipassa, to increase the chances of acceptance and success, or to identify where adjustments could help? Additionally, what if these small steps are shared and outsourced to (commercial or ideological) driven solo entrepreneurs, who are supported and guided by healthcare professionals? This would distribute the effort and give healthcare professionals more space and time to formulate policies.

Until then, I want to declare it, as Thijs Zonneveld asks in his column for the BeweegAlliantie: "Enough has been written in thick reports that have been left in the archives. It is time to shake them up. Across the country. Time for a different tone, a different approach.

So shout, curse, protest, cry from the rooftops. If we want to spark the revolution that is necessary, there is only one way.

Open the barricade. Or, as someone aptly said today, dare to be bold." to create lasting movement, a platform to be a community that is here for each other when it comes to movement – in good times and bad.

#WandelBlog

#conditie #fitness #wandeltijdensjewerkdag #vitaliteit #beweegarmoede

(Source graph: CPB Zorguitgaven ons een zorg – 2022)