A funny thing happened on Dr. Mike&rsquo;s way home from watching a last-second playoff victory by the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Chicago Bulls; he thought about eating a Cinnabon (didn&rsquo;t, wouldn&rsquo;t ever, but&hellip;). True Cleveland fans know that rooting for the Cavs usually elicits a heightened stress response.

Then, two days later, he noticed how exhausted he was from the stress of watching the game and yet how much he was looking forward to the next one. That made him realize how important it is to stay healthy (he exercises three days a week, walks 10K a day and eats well) if he were to keep going to these stressful games! And that made him wonder if we could come up with a similarly immersive experience that creates enthusiastic participants for Team Wellness&mdash;participants who would come back season after season for more physical activity and good nutrition, participants who would then be able to manage the stress that emotional attachments cause without resorting to the consolation of a sugary, fatty treat.&nbsp;

So we&rsquo;re asking you to join Team Wellness. You only need to play by five rules.

<ol>
	<li>Ditch: all trans and most sat fat, any added sugar or syrup and any grain that isn&rsquo;t 100% whole.</li>
	<li>Walk 10,000 steps a day.</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-sleeping" target="_blank">Sleep</a> 7-8 hours nightly and meditate daily.</li>
	<li>Avoid toxins like tobacco and BPAs (wash your hands after touching receipts).</li>
	<li>Share laughter and love with friends and intimate partners.</li>
	<li>The rewards? A healthier, happier and longer life. That&rsquo;s the ticket!</li>
</ol>

Medically reviewed in March 2019.

Are You A Fan of Team Wellness?

Q: My eight-year-old daughter and I got our flu shots and then got sick anyway. I think next year we&rsquo;ll skip it. What&rsquo;s the use? 
&mdash; Carolina B., New York, NY

A: It&rsquo;s not fair to blame the flu vaccine. There are several viruses out there that are not influenza: respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV), rhinovirus, croup and the common cold. You may have had one of those common infections and your flu vaccine may be protecting you and your daughter even now. Plus, it has many remarkable benefits&mdash;including, but not limited to, preventing the flu or lessening its impact.

For example, a recent Danish study found that kids who experience a bad enough infection to require hospitalization are at an 83 percent higher risk of developing a mental disorder and a 42 percent higher risk of using psychotropic medications. The flu qualifies as one of those potentially hospital-serious infections. You want to help your child dodge those risks for sure! And we wonder&hellip; could that be related to another study from the UK that identified a rise in anxiety among British children, where many kids don&rsquo;t receive flu vaccines?

Adults are also at risk if they skip the shot&mdash;and a survey shows over half of all adults are not currently vaccinated against the flu, and four in ten don&rsquo;t intend to get vaccinated. That&rsquo;s a shame. A 2013 study of randomized clinical trials published in JAMA showed that &ldquo;influenza vaccine was associated with a lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events&hellip; The greatest treatment effect was seen among the highest-risk patients with more active coronary disease.&rdquo;

So, young and old, remember the saying: &ldquo;For want of a horseshoe nail, the kingdom was lost.&rdquo; It means if you ignore first steps, one thing leads to another, until the end result is not what you want. The same thing can be said about skipping your flu shot. It&rsquo;s not too late to get yours.

Q: My dad has a rifle, a shotgun and a few pistols. He&rsquo;s 82 and was a competitive marksman back in the day. But I just heard about a healthcare worker who was shot by an 80-year-old in her care. She&rsquo;d been with him five days a week for several months. Should I ask him if I can have his guns?&nbsp; 
&mdash; Jack K., Seattle, WA

A: As our population grows older, the problem that comes along with the combination of dementia and guns needs attention. Forty-five percent of people 65 and older have guns in their household, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, while nine percent of Americans 65 and older are diagnosed with <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/dementia/article/what-need-know-about-dementia">dementia</a>&mdash;and many others suffer from reduced cognition and mobility issues. The combination has become such a problem that a non-profit Alzheimer&rsquo;s volunteer group in San Diego has decided not to send volunteers into homes with weapons after discovering that 25 to 30 percent of the households their &ldquo;helpers&rdquo; visited had guns.

Security is one of biggest reasons why people own guns. But when older people start to experience cognition and other physical challenges, imagined threats can seem all too real. Remember the episode on The Sopranos in which Junior (Dominic Chianese) walks into the kitchen and shoots his nephew Tony (James Gandolfini) while he&rsquo;s making pasta, thinking he&rsquo;s an intruder?

An article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine voiced doctors&rsquo; concerns about the risk of suicide by gun owners with dementia. According to the CDC, the suicide rate in the US is highest among those 65 and older, and firearms are the most common method.

AARP suggests families draw up an advance directive (sort of a healthcare proxy) for a firearm retirement date. Another suggestion is to put any ammunition under (your) lock and key. So, now that you&rsquo;re armed with this information, sit down with your dad and have a frank discussion about his guns.

Ask Oz and Roizen: Why You Need a Flu Shot and the Dangers of Gun Ownership With Dementia

Ready for an intensive, all-encompassing process to change your life?&nbsp;

Yeah, me neither. Kind of tough to fit in, between prepping the presentation for your boss, last-minute runs to Costco and making goodies for the bake sale you somehow signed up to chair. Besides, can I remind you that you&rsquo;re already pretty awesome? Don&rsquo;t go&nbsp;changin&rsquo; that much.&nbsp;

But, we all have improvements that we&rsquo;d like to make&ndash;-and what if I said that you could still get the impact, in barely more time than it takes to shimmy into your Spanx? Research shows that even 10 minutes a day can have a surprisingly significant effect.&nbsp;

Let&rsquo;s face it&mdash;none of us have time to waste&mdash;so here are a few of my favorite powerhouse activities.&nbsp;

Move it. If you only have 10 minutes, exercise is one of the best activities for you physically, mentally and emotionally.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/benefits-regular-exercise/article/how-two-minutes-of-walking-can-save-your-life">Walk</a>. Run. Dance. Stomp. In one study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders participants who were asked to exercise in 10-minute spurts two to four times a day, five days a week, stuck to the program and exercised more than those who were asked to exercise in single 20- to&nbsp;40-minute chunks over the same time period. I&rsquo;d love you to get&nbsp;20 to 30 minutes total, but if you&rsquo;ll start with a 10-minute workout, you&rsquo;ll notice a difference.  &nbsp;

10 minutes of meditation or mindfulness. Studies show that regular&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/meditation/article/starting-a-meditation-practice">meditation or mindfulness exercises</a> cannot only improve heart health,&nbsp;they&nbsp;cut down on mind wandering (such as obsessing over that catty remark from a coworker or how you could have handled a challenge better), and lowers levels of depression and anxiety. One study published in Psychological Science found the effect of improved focus in as little as two weeks of mindfulness practice.&nbsp;

Play. Adults don&rsquo;t get recess anymore. (We don&rsquo;t get naptime either, which is something I&rsquo;d like to address with management at a later point.) Whether with your children, your dog or your best friends, let out your inner child. Host game night. Take a friend to one of those indoor trampoline gyms. When you&rsquo;re at brunch, put the orange peel across your teeth and smile at a stranger. Let out your inner 12-year-old.&nbsp;

Prepare meals with the freshest, brightest fruits and veggies. You get home, you&rsquo;re exhausted, and you reach for whatever leftovers are in the fridge, right? Take 10 extra minutes to saut&eacute; that fresh asparagus or chop up the papaya and squeeze on a little lime. Taking a few minutes to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-foods-cooking/slideshow/autumn-inspired-upgrade-morning-oatmeal">spruce up your meal</a>&nbsp;not only makes it healthier with fewer calories and higher antioxidants, it will make your veggie a little more appealing at the same time.&nbsp;

Two times a day, stop interacting and start connecting. You take your groceries from the clerk. You swipe your ID card for the security guard at work. Those are transactions. But what if you took two minutes to say hello, ask how they&rsquo;re doing and learn about them? In Talk to Strangers, author David&nbsp;Topus&nbsp;writes that replacing an &ldquo;efficient&rdquo; transaction with a true connection will not only improve your mindset and day, but the other person&rsquo;s as well.   
A successful journey needn&#39;t start with huge sweeping changes. It&rsquo;s the small, daily decisions that accumulate and forge our lives.

How 10 Minutes Can Change Your Life

We know that carrying some extra weight can increase the risks of conditions like heart disease, high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and even death. But is being slightly overweight really so unhealthy? The answer might surprise you.

Excess weight and a laundry list of health concerns are not always synonymous. But, don&rsquo;t be so quick to ward off a healthy diet and exercise&mdash;this subgroup of overweight people, dubbed the metabolically healthy obese, fit some very specific criteria.

Defining the risks 
Body mass index: An individual&rsquo;s risks for these conditions don&rsquo;t depend solely on the numbers that appear on the scale, nor on any other single measure, like body mass index.&nbsp;

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure used to determine body fat based on a person&rsquo;s height and weight, and is typically used to assess the risks your weight has on your health, but even that is an imperfect measure.

&ldquo;I use risk to define everything,&rdquo; Neil McDevitt, MD, a bariatric surgeon with <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/summerville-medical-center">Summerville Medical Center</a> says. &ldquo;There&#39;s a lot of social issues that go into what people feel comfortable with, so we use a BMI chart to give us an overall gestalt of what your general risk is, based on your weight,&rdquo; he adds.

By definition, overweight and obese people have a BMI greater than 25 or 30, respectively, but, &ldquo;there&#39;s a weakness inherent in BMI charts,&rdquo; McDevitt says. &ldquo;It doesn&#39;t take into consideration muscle mass.&rdquo;

That&rsquo;s not all. The healthiest BMI for longevity might not fall within the normal range (18.5 to 25), although the jury is still out on the optimal BMI for lowest mortality. In fact, one study suggests the &ldquo;sweet spot&rdquo; for longevity is a BMI of 27, which you&rsquo;ll find right in the middle of the overweight range. Other studies, still, suggest the lowest rates of mortality are among those with a BMI between 20 and 24. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Waist-to-hip ratio: Concerns over weight may not be directly related to how much fat a person is carrying, but where on the body they&rsquo;re carrying it. One major risk factor of metabolic syndrome is a large midsection, often described as <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/live-to-one-hundred/article/what-your-body-shape-says-about-longevity">an &ldquo;apple-shaped&rdquo; figure</a>.

In fact, a new study suggests those with a normal BMI who tend to carry weight around their middle have an elevated risk of death from any cause compared to people who are overweight or obese, and carry weight elsewhere.

&ldquo;We look at something called the waist-to-h ratio,&rdquo; McDevitt says. &ldquo;The World Health Organization says that abdominal obesity is significantly more of a risk factor than obesity of the periphery of the body.&rdquo;

The measure used to determine fat distribution is known as waist-to-hip ratio&mdash;a comparison between the smallest part of the waist and largest part of the hip. A ratio of one or greater for men and .8 or greater for women, is considered an apple shape, and thus carries a greater potential for obesity-related health risks and death. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In combination with BMI, waist circumference gives a good picture a person&rsquo;s risk of obesity-related mortality&mdash;even if you fall within a healthy BMI range.

Other factors: Exercise tolerance and genetics play a role in determining the risks of your weight on your health, as well. &ldquo;There&#39;s a huge difference between somebody who has a higher BMI, who is only able to walk one thousand steps a day, versus somebody who is capable of walking nine or ten thousand steps a day,&rdquo; McDevitt says.

Good genes can very well bless an overweight individual with normal cholesterol and blood pressure levels, thereby relieving some pressure to shed the pounds.

Extra pounds may be OK 
&ldquo;What I look at is sustainability&mdash;if somebody has a BMI of 27 or 28, but they&rsquo;re healthy, making good food choices, exercising and they&rsquo;re able to maintain that BMI, then I don&rsquo;t really foresee an issue,&rdquo; McDevitt says. &ldquo;Why should we push them any harder, unless they want to be a lighter weight?&rdquo;

The bottom line? A BMI that is indicative of being overweight or obese doesn&rsquo;t innately make in individual unhealthy. &ldquo;So, it is very possible, and very acceptable, to be overweight and still be healthy,&rdquo; McDevitt says.

Before you run to the pantry, keep in mind, metabolically healthy obesity isn&rsquo;t common&mdash;about one in every seven people&mdash;and it might not last forever. Age, lack of exercise and other factors can turn that excess weight into a dangerous health concern.

One study with a 10-year follow up period found that men who started out metabolically healthy and obese were three times more likely to develop heart disease than metabolically healthy men of a normal weight. The risk doubled&nbsp;for metabolically healthy obese women when compared to healthy, normal-weight women.

Results from another study of more than 3.5 million men and women suggest a similar outcome. Obese individuals who began the study free of obesity-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol were at a higher risk of developing heart disease, stroke and heart failure than normal weight people without these initial complications.

When compared with healthy normal weight people, obese, but otherwise healthy individuals, were 49 percent more likely to develop heart disease, at a 7 percent higher risk of stroke and at a 96 percent increased risk of heart failure, after an average of 5 years and 4 months.

Although extra baggage is OK for some, excess weight is a problem for many&mdash;two out of three Americans are considered <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/obesity-overweight-condition/article/whats-the-latest-obesity">overweight or obese</a>, and many of them are unhealthy.

What if your weight is an issue? 
There are certainly some people whose bodies aren&rsquo;t built to handle excess weight. In these cases, they may develop metabolic syndrome&mdash;a group of risk factors that up your chance of developing issues like heart disease and diabetes.

Excess weight can also take a toll on your knee and hip joints, your ability to sleep and has been linked to respiratory issues and even some cancers. Don&rsquo;t sweat (or do)&mdash;many of these conditions can be managed with weight loss. In the simplest terms, losing weight is a matter of burning more calories than you consume. &nbsp; &nbsp;

The only sure fire way to assess these risks is to visit your doctor. Work with your healthcare provider to create a diet and exercise regimen that works with your lifestyle. &ldquo;Adjust your lifestyle, so that you don&#39;t have to work harder,&rdquo; McDevitt says. &ldquo;If you make better food choices consistently, you don&#39;t necessarily have to make up for it at the gym.&rdquo;

Can You Be Overweight and Healthy?

Q: My grandmother recently suffered a &ldquo;minor&rdquo; heart attack followed with a stent placement. She&rsquo;s scared about a recommended cardio rehab program. What can I say to get her to go? &mdash;Laura G., NY, NY

A: Recovering from a <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/circulatory-system-health/article/heart-attack-cardiac-arrest-heart-failure">heart attack</a> can be challenging, not just physically but emotionally. Cardio rehab helps with both aspects. Unfortunately, only about two-thirds of diagnosis-appropriate patients are referred to cardio rehab and only about a quarter of those folks enroll in a rehab program. Even at the Cleveland Clinic where everyone with an appropriate diagnosis is approached separately by a doc and a nurse, only about 22 percent of patients join rehab. This is despite the fact that the program is almost totally covered by every insurance company, Medicare and Medicaid. Clearly, patients need to better understand the enormous benefits.

Explain to your mom that cardio rehab is a wide-ranging wellness program that promotes good health and a good mental attitude by offering everything from exercise to nutritional advice, emotional counseling and stress reduction. It&rsquo;s individualized and can include help with other lifestyle changes (<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/quit-smoking/slideshow/how-quit-smoking-once-all">smoking cessation</a>?) she wants to make. Here&rsquo;s what she can expect.

Evaluation: Her program will start with a face-to-face evaluation with the professionals at her rehab center. An accompanying friend or family member would be welcome here. After that, she&rsquo;ll probably have a stress test during which her heart rate and her blood pressure will be monitored. Then, they&rsquo;ll review her medications and she and the cardio-rehab team will decide on the next steps.

Her Program: She will set up a schedule for attending lectures/discussions about healthy eating, classes in meditation or chair yoga, and workouts on exercise machines. There are also intensive cardiac rehab programs, which increase frequency and incorporate programs such as Ornish or Pritikin. They reduce the incidence of recurrence and restore a more active and normal lifestyle.

We hope you can convince your grandmother to go. We&rsquo;ve seen so many people benefit from these programs&mdash;they restore physical and emotional self-confidence along with physical strength.

Q: I tell my 16-year-old son that he&rsquo;s missing out on a lot by spending too much time on his computer and phone. What else can I say to get him to get out more? &mdash;Karin B., Tulsa, OK

A: How about making him aware of the threat to his eyesight that <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/kids-teens-health/article/how-screen-time-too-much-kids">screen time</a> poses? We remember when moms would tell kids, &ldquo;Get out of the house and don&rsquo;t come back until dinner!&rdquo; Yes, times have changed, but past generations of kids who played outside more frequently didn&rsquo;t end up nearsighted as often.

Recent studies have shown that adolescents and teens who are glued to their computer screens and phones don&rsquo;t use their long-range sight and end up developing myopia (nearsightedness). One BBC report claims that 90 percent of young people in China are currently myopic. In Seoul, South Korea, it&rsquo;s estimated that more than 95 percent of kids need glasses for distance. One study estimates that by 2050, 4.8 billion people worldwide will be affected by nearsightedness, which is 2.4 billion more than in 2010.

Theory #1: Lack of long-range focus 
Getting children outside and away from their devices changes how they use their eye muscles and how the lens in the eye focuses on objects. Whether looking down the soccer field or down the street, gazing into the distance lets eyes move from near to far and focus more easily and accurately.

Theory #2: Lack of Sunshine 
Several studies over the past seven or eight years have shown that kids who spend more time outside are less likely to develop nearsightedness both as adolescents and by the time they reach age 65. One study in China found that 40 more minutes of recess daily reduced myopia rates by 23 percent.

So tell your son it&rsquo;s shortsighted to make yourself nearsighted when there&rsquo;s so much fun to be had doing sports, hiking, walking and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-habits/slideshow/nature-keeps-you-healthy">enjoying nature</a>.

Ask Oz and Roizen: Cardio Rehabilitation and Risks of Screen Time

Have you ever suspected that actual sunlight could make you physically lighter? Your body clock responds to the daily light cycle of dawn, daylight, dusk and dark. It influences your metabolism, your hormone secretion, your brain waves, and your mood, including your interest in sex.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/vitamin-d/what-are-health-benefits-sunlight" target="_blank">Related: The Health Benefits of Sunlight</a>

Now, it seems, if you&rsquo;re regularly exposed to 20-30 minutes of sunlight between 8am and noon, your BMI will be lower than someone who misses those early rays -- even if all other variables are the same. The effects are due to light&rsquo;s influence on your <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/endocrine-system/which-hormones-affect-my-appetite" target="_blank">appetite control hormones</a>, your glucose control systems, or something we don&rsquo;t know about yet. But here&rsquo;s how decipher the quality of your light exposure:

You need exposure to light that&rsquo;s rated at 500 Lux. A cloudy day serves up more than 1,000, while direct sunlight delivers around 32,000 to 100,000 (so don&rsquo;t over do it!). A bright office only serves up around 400 Lux. Moonlight? 1 Lux. A moonless night away from city lights --you&rsquo;re out of Lux.

So take time in the early morning to go outside for 20 minutes; then take a midmorning break and head into the light for another 10 minutes or more. If you&rsquo;re also exercising in the gym or getting your 10,000 steps a day at the mall, you&rsquo;ll get double benefits -- and soon feel very en-lightened!

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/types-exercise/what-benefits-exercising-morning" target="_blank">Related: The Benefits of Morning Exercise</a>

Medically reviewed in May 2019.

Early Burst of Sun Can Boost Your Whole Day

NBA locker rooms are dripping with more than sweaty jerseys these days. Water-fanatics like the Sixers&rsquo; T.J. McConnell (he and his teammates favor Ph-adjusted alkaline water), Golden State&rsquo;s Steph Curry (filtered water) and LeBron James (he masks his bottled water&rsquo;s label) have embraced the health benefits of plain water over sports drinks. That&rsquo;s a good practice each of you could follow to improve your digestion and muscle function as well as your skin, heart and brain health.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, some folks need fewer than eight glasses of water daily, some more. You should always drink when thirsty (more often while exercising or in extreme weather). You can tell if you&rsquo;re hydrated by the color of your urine&mdash;pale yellow or colorless means you are doing well.

But all your hydration should not only come from water&mdash;you can rely on <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/diet-nutrition/slideshow/foods-help-stay-hydrated">water-soaked fruits and veggies</a> for around 20 percent of your daily dose:

<ul>
	<li>Cucumbers&mdash;97.9 percent water</li>
	<li>Grapefruit&mdash;91.5 percent water</li>
	<li>Celery&mdash;95.4 percent water</li>
	<li>Strawberries&mdash;90.9 percent water</li>
	<li>Summer squash&mdash;96 percent water</li>
	<li>Watermelon&mdash;91.4 percent water</li>
	<li>Tomatoes&mdash;95.2 percent water</li>
	<li>Casaba&mdash;91.8 percent water</li>
	<li>Rhubarb&mdash;93.6 percent water</li>
	<li>Lettuce&mdash;95.6 percent water</li>
</ul>

These water-soaked fruits and veggies provide moisture to lubricate your system, fiber to improve your digestion and phytonutrients that allow well-hydrated muscles to become more energetic and powerful. Your brain needs them to receive oxygen and their nutrients keep you clear-thinking. So drink in all the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/wellness-healthy-living/slideshow/ways-drink-more-water">benefits of staying hydrated</a> with water and water-enriched food.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Eat Your Water: How to Stay Effectively Hydrated

If you&#39;re looking for a healthy place to take a vacation, consider heading for the hills.

People who live in mountainous regions appear to have lower mortality rates than people living in low-lying areas, a study determined. Researchers believe this may be due to the physical demands of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/running/why-should-i-run-hills">walking on hilly terrain</a> with less oxygen. If you live in the lowlands, make your power hikes high-altitude workouts by heading for local hills.

A study of roughly 1,200 men and women who lived in either lowland or mountainous regions revealed that mountain dwellers experienced lower total and coronary mortality than people who lived closer to sea level. Researchers speculate that mountain dwelling may boost heart health because it requires people to walk on uneven, hilly terrain in high-altitude, low-oxygen conditions. Working out at a higher altitude where there&#39;s less oxygen forces your heart and lungs to work harder, strengthening them more than if you were exercising closer to sea level. If you live in the mountains or regularly exercise at high altitude, you also may increase your number of red blood cells and use oxygen more efficiently. However, if you are working out for the first time or have a medical condition, the strain of high-altitude hikes may be too much. Consult your healthcare provider first.

Head for the Hills

It was about eight years ago. I was 33 years old, with a BMI considered <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/body-mass-index-bmi/what-body-mass-index-reading">clinically obese</a> and a family history of diabetes and heart disease. I knew I was at risk. I was sedentary, I ate poorly and I was depressed with very low energy. I felt awful.

To add to the mix, my girlfriend (now my loving wife), diagnosed with brain cancer, was undergoing chemo and radiation. She had a life expectancy of three years. She really needed me to be strong for her. I knew it. And at some point the question arose in my mind&hellip;

How can I possibly take care of her if I&rsquo;m not well.

I started with a simple piece of advice from a good and healthy friend: Start by doing things you like to do and modifying things you like to eat.

So, what were my passions? Well, I knew I Ioved trail running. And hiking. And mountain biking. I started with short walks and slower rides and worked up doing more each week. As I began to get stronger, I enjoyed these things even more. Eventually I added&nbsp;bodyweight workouts,&nbsp;doing push-ups, lunges and pull-ups for more strength.

Once I started exercising more, I realized I had to eat better or I couldn&rsquo;t get through my workouts without feeling lightheaded and nauseated. I found that when I&nbsp;ate well, my workouts were better and I&nbsp;felt much better. This sparked a strong interest in nutrition. I discovered what different foods really cost in terms of calories &ndash; that I could take in half the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/calories/calories-need-per-day">calories I need in a day</a>&nbsp;with just a few slices of pepperoni pizza, without even thinking about it. That enjoying a bowl of ice cream after the pizza was pushing me to almost 75 percent of my actual need for that day. Wow.

Something had to change.

I changed my diet and just started feeling better. More energized. Less lethargic, less likely to crash. As I read about what good nutrition really is, I ate less junk food,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/protein-and-weight-loss/protein-help-me-lose-weight">more proteins</a>,&nbsp;vegetables and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-athlete-diets/why-healthy-snacks-important-athletes">healthy snacks</a>.

I drastically improved the macronutrient makeup of the foods I ate and it was easier than I thought it would be.

<ul>
	<li>I began to pack my lunches for work, favoring fresh veggies, lean protein, and brown rice.</li>
	<li>I reduced my&nbsp;white starch&nbsp;and fat intake. So, ice cream became&nbsp;light&nbsp;ice cream and eventually yogurt with fresh fruit and granola.</li>
	<li>Side orders of chips and fries became&nbsp;baked chips or baked fries.</li>
	<li>Pizzas got&nbsp;smaller and less calorie-dense&nbsp;and vegetables were added.</li>
	<li>Popcorn servings had much less butter, and eventually I used misted olive oil instead.</li>
</ul>

Over time, the foods I once loved started to taste different. Rich foods started to taste&nbsp;too rich&nbsp;and sweet foods,&nbsp;too sweet. Whole grains took on a whole new level of flavor and I started craving clean, vitamin-rich foods. It still blows my mind that now I like vegetables more than the fatty starches I used to crave.&nbsp;

I didn&rsquo;t&nbsp;try&nbsp;to force this shift in taste, it just happened.

These days, at 41, progress of my health is more evident. I have a very healthy&nbsp;BMI, I&rsquo;ve dropped many pant sizes and my cholesterol levels have improved dramatically. I run and ride further, with more energy. I embrace new challenges in my life with confidence.

Above all, I naturally climbed out of depression. I now feel useful in my relationships &ndash; and to my wife. And her cancer? It&rsquo;s been eight years of &ldquo;no change&rdquo; MRIs. We&rsquo;re both healthier than we have ever been. I have a lot to celebrate these days, and as I set new and higher goals for myself, I know I&rsquo;ll always be a work in progress &ndash; and I look forward to every minute.

Take the first steps to growing younger and healthier with the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/static/realage">RealAge Test</a>.

Medically reviewed in September 2019.

Health: A Work in Progress

Within days of its U.S. release, Pokemon Go exploded in popularity, attracting players of all ages and taking social media by storm.

Pokemon Go uses your smart phone&rsquo;s GPS to locate you within an &ldquo;augmented reality,&rdquo; or a game world that drops <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/stroke-and-rehabilitation/how-virtual-reality-therapy-stroke">virtual reality</a> characters into your actual surroundings&mdash;at least according to your screen.

The mobile game, available on Android and iOS smart phones, encourages you to wander and explore new areas so it can detect Pokemon nearby. When you approach one, the app accesses your phone&rsquo;s camera to reveal the Pokemon right in front of you. Users can then catch, train and battle with the Pokemon they&rsquo;ve collected.

How gaming can improve your health 
Still searching for an excuse to venture out and &ldquo;catch &lsquo;em all?&rdquo; Here are 3 science-backed ways playing games like Pokemon Go can support your mental and physical health.

It gets you moving. The social element of video games may be one reason why they&rsquo;ve helped to combat childhood obesity. Overweight children often face bullying and exclusion, but exercise-based video games may help to break down social barriers and promote active playtime.

One study found that kids who were given video games involving physical activity became more active, lost more weight and achieved lowered BMIs than those who didn&rsquo;t play the games.

Pokemon Go inspires people of all ages to get out of the house and move. In fact, players are over two times more likely to walk 10,000 steps a day, according to a study presented at the 2017 American Heart Association Scientific Session.

It boosts your mood. A mounting body of research supports the use of video games in the treatment of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Video games can trigger the release of feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine and endorphins. Gaming may also help players build resilience, the ability to recover from adversity, and can create a sense of wellbeing.

Certain games, especially ones involving virtual reality or exercise, can feel like they suspend space and time. This allows players to relax and live in the moment, according to researchers.

Pokemon Go offers all of these features, along with its unique ability to draw people out of isolation and play face-to-face. &nbsp;

Gaming may keep your brain sharp. Research shows that playing video games can improve attention and processing speed. One long-term study even demonstrated that adolescents who regularly played strategic video games reported improved problem-solving skills and achieved higher grades in school.

Pokemon Go involves strategy and planning. It also exercises your visuospatial skills, or your ability to see and interact with your surroundings, by dropping virtual elements into your world and encouraging you to explore new places.

Health benefits aside, players should always take precautions to ensure their personal safety while adventuring.

What to watch out for 
Pokemon Go users in search of their next catch may be vulnerable due to distraction and unfamiliarity with new areas. Other players can drop &ldquo;lure modules,&rdquo; or Pokemon collection stops for 30-minute windows, which poses some safety concerns too.&nbsp; Stay safe by:

<ul>
	<li>Frequently reminding children about &ldquo;stranger danger&rdquo;</li>
	<li>Limiting areas where kids can wander, or play along with them</li>
	<li>Pay attention to your surroundings; watch out for cars, suspicious individuals, water and tripping hazards</li>
</ul>

As you venture out in search of magical creatures, Pokemon Go can help you achieve your health goals&mdash;just remember your personal safety and consider playing in pairs.&nbsp;

Medically reviewed in February 2019.

The Unexpected Health Benefits of Pokemon Go

This article, written in conjunction with Gallup, is a five-part exploration into the changes in Americans&rsquo; health and well-being during the presidency of Barack Obama. It will be updated with new insights daily during the week of August 29th-September 2nd, 2016.

As the eight years of the current presidential administration near conclusion, Gallup and Healthways are reporting on&nbsp;well-being metrics in the United States during the Obama era. Since President Obama&rsquo;s inauguration in January 2009, well-being in the U.S. has maintained or improved in several key areas, including life evaluation, healthcare access, smoking&nbsp;and perceived standard of living. Other well-being items, however, such as obesity and incidence of diabetes continue to trend in the wrong direction, indicating an increasing need for intervention.

The Impact of the Affordable Care Act 
President Obama&rsquo;s most notable contribution to the healthcare sector, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), has played a fundamental role in transforming the healthcare paradigm nationwide.&nbsp;Gallup and Healthways research&nbsp;shows that the adoption of the ACA has had&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/uninsured-down-since-obamacare-cost-quality-still-concerns" style="line-height: 1.6em;" target="_blank">a profound effect</a>&nbsp;on reducing&nbsp;uninsured rates, which have declined 6.1 percentage points since the fourth quarter of 2013, right before the key provision of the Affordable Care Act took effect. As of the end of 2015, uninsured rates had dropped&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/uninsured-rate-remains-at-historical-low" style="line-height: 1.6em;" target="_blank">to historical lows</a>. A&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/the-state-of-health-care" style="line-height: 1.6em;" target="_blank">recent article</a>&nbsp;published by President Obama in the&nbsp;Journal of the American Medical Association&nbsp;details the impact of the law on this and other healthcare trends.

Healthcare Insecurity&nbsp;Drops; Costs Remain Steady 
Significantly, healthcare insecurity is on the decline. From 2008 through 2013, the percentage of Americans who experienced difficulty in the past 12 months affording healthcare or medicine remained fairly steady, hovering near the average of 18.7%. Since then, the average has been 16.4%, including the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/in-u.s.-healthcare-insecurity-at-record-low" style="line-height: 1.6em;" target="_blank">new quarterly low of 15.5%</a>&nbsp;for the first quarter of 2016.

U.S. adult satisfaction with the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/uninsured-down-since-obamacare-cost-quality-still-concerns" target="_blank">total cost they pay</a>&nbsp;for their healthcare&nbsp;has remained relatively steady over the past 14 years, including after the healthcare law was passed. Additionally,&nbsp;Gallup reported in late 2015 that the percentage of U.S. adults&nbsp;<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/186740/americans-own-healthcare-ratings-little-changed-aca.aspx?g_source=healthcare&amp;g_medium=search&amp;g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">rating the quality of their healthcare and their healthcare coverage</a>&nbsp;as &quot;excellent&quot; has dropped over the previous two years.

Life Evaluation Reaches Record High; Health Assessments Drop 
<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/americans-life-evaluations-improve-during-obama-era" style="line-height: 1.6em;" target="_blank">Recent Gallup and Sharecare analysis</a>&nbsp;finds that life evaluation across all major racial/ethnic groups has improved since 2008. Life evaluation for whites is now higher than it has ever been, although life evaluation for blacks dropped slightly during the President&rsquo;s second term. In 2016, the 55.4% who evaluate their lives &ldquo;thriving&rdquo; is on pace to be the highest measured in the nine years of tracking by Gallup and Healthways.&nbsp;

However, Americans&#39;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/americans-health-assessments-worsen-during-obama-years" target="_blank">self-assessments of their overall health</a>&nbsp;have slipped&nbsp;since 2008. Currently, 19.0% of U.S. adults report &quot;excellent&quot; health,&nbsp;compared with 22.6% in 2008.&nbsp;The percentage of U.S. adults who report their health as &quot;poor&quot; or &quot;fair&quot; has remained stable at around 20% during this period.

Health Behaviors Vary; Obesity Rate Continues to Climb 
While&nbsp;Americans&#39; exercise and smoking habits have improved under the current administration, their eating habits have worsened slightly over the&nbsp;past eight years.&nbsp;The percentage of Americans who said they ate healthy all day yesterday has fluctuated since Gallup and Healthways began to track this metric in 2008, from an initial 66.1%, reaching a high of 67.7% in 2010, to the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/in-u.s.-smoking-dips-but-fewer-eating-healthy-since-09" style="line-height: 1.6em;" target="_blank">64.2% of U.S. adults</a>&nbsp;measured in 2016.

The current 18.0% of U.S. adults who smoke has decreased from 21.0% in 2009,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/1717/Tobacco-Smoking.aspx" target="_blank">continuing a trend</a>&nbsp;that began long before Obama took office.&nbsp;Additionally, the percentage of Americans who report exercising regularly has edged up in 2016&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/in-u.s.-smoking-dips-but-fewer-eating-healthy-since-09" target="_blank">to 53.8%</a>, and from a longer-term perspective, has increased 2.4 percentage points since 2008.&nbsp;

Though Americans&#39; exercise habits have improved, this has not contributed to a drop in the obesity rate. In 2015, the obesity rate among U.S. adults climbed to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/u.s.-obesity-rate-climbs-to-record-high-in-2015" target="_blank">a new high of 28.0%</a>, up 2.5 percentage points since 2008. This concerning trend highlights the need for leaders, both civil and political, to continue pushing towards positive change in their communities&nbsp;to encourage active living and promote access to healthy food.

These results are based on more than 100,000 interviews thus far in 2016, 175,000 interviews conducted in 2015 and more than 350,000 interviews conducted in 2008 and 2009 as part of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/about" target="_blank">Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index</a>.

Stayed tuned during the week of August 29th for additional research from Gallup and Healthways. The release schedule for our Obama Era series includes:

<ul>
	<li>Monday, Aug. 29:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/uninsured-down-since-obamacare-cost-quality-still-concerns" target="_blank">Healthcare accessibility and views of healthcare quality and cost</a></li>
	<li>Tuesday, Aug. 30:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/194816/americans-life-evaluations-improve-during-obama-era.aspx?g_source=Well-Being&amp;g_medium=newsfeed&amp;g_campaign=tiles" target="_blank">Americans&#39; life evaluation</a></li>
	<li>Wednesday, Aug. 31:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/in-u.s.-smoking-dips-but-fewer-eating-healthy-since-09" target="_blank">Health behaviors</a></li>
	<li>Thursday, Sept. 1:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/americans-health-assessments-worsen-during-obama-years" target="_blank">Health assessment and chronic conditions</a></li>
	<li>Friday, Sept. 2: Standard of living</li>
</ul>

Learn more about how the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.gallup.com/175196/gallup-healthways-index-methodology.aspx" target="_blank">Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index</a>&nbsp;works.

This article originally appeared on Healthways.

Medically reviewed in February 2019.

Well-Being in the United States: The Obama Years

These five measurements can determine whether you thrive or just survive.

5 Critical Factors That Determine Your Wellness

Want to improve your overall health? Lose weight? Quit smoking? You&rsquo;re not alone. However, change is hard and sustaining behavior changes for the long-term is even harder. That&rsquo;s why many people work with a health coach, a professional &ldquo;buddy&rdquo; who can help you achieve your health and wellness goals&mdash;whatever they may be.

Here are a few of the ways a health coach can help you.

Help prevent or manage chronic conditions 
Did you know that many chronic conditions&mdash;such as diabetes and heart disease&mdash;may be prevented by eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, avoiding obesity and not smoking? Translating these simple lifestyle goals into realistic daily activities is easier said than done. However, health coaching can help.

For example, the Diabetes Prevention Program used lifestyle coaches (who were mostly dietitians) to help participants lose weight. Over three years, the study found a 58 percent reduction in new cases of diabetes for those who were at high risk.

Often, clients have a condition, such as pre-diabetes, or they want to lower their blood glucose levels into the normal range, or they have high cholesterol and want to bring it down without going on medications, says Flavia Magoba, a Sharecare coach in Silver Spring, Maryland. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll talk about lifestyle changes they can make to help prevent progression to full-blown diabetes or heart disease.&rdquo;

Magoba says, based on her experience, people with prediabetes are normally not referred to a registered dietitian until they&rsquo;re actually diabetic. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s harder to reverse it then, whereas if you have prediabetes, it&rsquo;s easier to prevent crossing over,&rdquo; she says. A coach can help you change the way you eat. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t provide [fad] diets. We provide solutions for lifetime changes,&rdquo; she says.

Be an active participant in your own health 
A coach helps you focus on why you&rsquo;re motivated to change and encourages you to set your own health and wellness goals. After all, you&rsquo;re much more likely to be committed to goals you set for yourself rather than those someone else dictates.

Magoba says good coaches learn as much as they can about their clients. &ldquo;Are they looking for information? Do they need a lot of handholding? Are they resistant to change, or do they just need praise to maintain what they are already doing? I meet them where they are, but I don&rsquo;t impose what I think they should be doing.&quot;

While a coach can be an invaluable source of information, support and accountability, ultimately, clients are the experts of themselves, Magoba says. &ldquo;They are the drivers of the process. They know themselves more than anybody does.&rdquo;

Achieve sustainable results 
If you&rsquo;ve ever tried to quit smoking or lose weight and didn&rsquo;t succeed (or relapsed), you know it&rsquo;s hard to get change to stick. A review of the literature found that when individuals have someone to collaborate with, someone who recognizes their individuality and encourages them to learn, they are more likely to change their behavior. This, in a nutshell, is health coaching. It&rsquo;s also really a version of the &ldquo;teach a man to fish&rdquo; parable; coaching helps you develop the tools you need to make the long-term changes you want.

Bridge between your physician&rsquo;s office and real life 
Your physician recommended you lose weight. Now what? A health coach can help you figure out what you actually need to do to lose the weight and keep it off. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not trying to replace what you&rsquo;re doing with your doctor, but rather, we are an extra layer of support between doctor visits,&rdquo; says Magoba. Your doctor gives you an instruction and coaches help you identify your personal vision, set actionable goals and then take small, bite-size steps to reach those goals, she says.

Anyone can benefit from having a health coach if you want to make sustainable lifestyle changes to achieve long-term wellness goals. &ldquo;Our demographics vary widely, from legislators to CEOs to the average Joe,&rdquo; says Spaller. &ldquo;These are the people working 9 to 5 who are busy with their kids and have let their health go. They want to set goals and get back on track,&rdquo; Spaller says. Ask your doctor or fitness club to recommend a health coach who&#39;s right for you.

Medically reviewed in June 2018.

What Are the Benefits of Having a Health Coach?

What is afterburn? 
The afterburn effect has been intensely debated in the fitness and medical communities for over a century, with countless studies attempting to measure and explain the phenomenon. Afterburn, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), refers to the period of increased oxygen uptake following exercise. It may last for hours or even longer than a day, depending on the type of exercise performed. During that time, one&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/metabolism-and-weight-loss">metabolism</a> is believed to speed up, causing additional calories to burn. But some lingering questions have long teased scientists: exactly how many calories are we talking about? And can those bonus points contribute to weight loss?

Expert opinions vary since study results have conflicted due to factors like the weight, gender and training levels of participants. However, most reliable studies agree on one key point: there&rsquo;s a relationship between exercise <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/types-exercise/what-does-intensity-mean-exercise">intensity</a> and the amount of afterburn that people tend to experience. After a certain intensity level is reached, that relationship turns into a direct correlation, meaning the harder you work, the more you burn.

How do you know if you&rsquo;ve reached the right level of intensity? 
Research suggests that the target intensity level is around 50-70% of a person&rsquo;s VO2max, or the maximum amount of oxygen used by an athlete while performing an activity. At around 70% VO2max, it&rsquo;s generally too difficult to both breathe and carry on a conversation at the same time. That level of exertion is supported by the work of researchers from Appalachian State University and UNC Chapel Hill. Their methods, which account for many of the weaknesses of prior studies, also helped to shed new light on the age-old question of calorie burning potential.

Their study took place in a controlled environment called a metabolic chamber, or a room that automatically monitors the calories burned by those inside. Young male participants were asked to spend two 24-hour days in the chamber. On the first day, they performed the bare minimum of activities of daily living to measure their calorie expenditure at baseline. On the second day, they repeated their routine, but added a 45-minute session on a<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/cycling/effective-train-on-stationary-bike"> stationary bike</a>. They cycled at about 70% VO2max and initially burned around 519 calories. Then, remarkably, over the next 14 hours, they continued to burn an additional 190 calories!

Planning your next workout 
Numerous additional studies emphasize the importance of intensity level when aiming to increase afterburn. For example, other research demonstrates that it has a greater impact on calorie usage than the duration of a workout. In fact, one study attributed five times more EPOC to intensity level than both workout duration and total work performed. This is consistent with evidence showing longer afterburn periods following <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/types-of-exercise-programs/what-is-interval-training">interval training</a>. These rules apply to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/resistance-training">resistance training</a> (i.e. dumbbells, weight machines, rock climbing) as well -- the higher the difficulty level, the greater the amount of afterburn.

So when it comes to planning your next cardio session, consider alternating between intense sprints and short bursts of moderate-intensity running, rather than jogging at a consistent pace over a longer period of time.

Medically reviewed in February 2019.

Bonus Calories or Fitness Myth? The Truth About Afterburn

Wish you could lay off the potato chips better? Then spend more time with someone who&#39;s got excellent self-control.

Research shows that thinking about or writing about or watching people who are good at exerting self-control helps you exercise good self-control as well. Time to pick up that Gandhi biography . . .

Control Yourself 
Yep. Like a cold, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/stress-reduction/how-stress-self-control-eating">self-control</a> is contagious. It spreads throughout social networks, and you can catch some of it from friends, coworkers, and significant others. Being around or aware of people who practice good self-control makes it easier for you to come up with thoughts and ideas on how to control your own behavior. You don&#39;t even have to share the same goals.

Bad Influence 
And the opposite end of the self-control spectrum definitely doesn&#39;t do you any favors. In other words, if you spend a lot of time with your doughnut-eating friend who&#39;d like to lose weight but just can&#39;t, that can rub off on you as well. So surround yourself with <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/mens-health/article/peer-pressure-and-eating-habits">positive influences</a>. And maybe someday you&#39;ll be that self-control guru that other people are drawn to.

Medically reviewed in April 2019.

These People Can Help You Reach Your Goals

Riveting insights from a rock-star doc . . .

Nobody gives you more compelling answers to body questions than the charismatic Mehmet Oz, MD -- a regular on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Sharecare co-creator, and co-author of blockbusters YOU: The Owner&#39;s Manual and YOU: On a Diet. Here are his tips on how to become an expert on your own body.

Become the World Expert on Your Body 
That&#39;s one of Dr. Oz&#39;s top goals for everyone. And a key way to meet it is to be fearless about asking questions about anything: poop, sex, your genes -- or the waist size of your jeans -- coffee, Alzheimer&#39;s, anything.

For instance, ask Dr. Oz if there&#39;s any way to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-aging">delay aging</a> and here&#39;s what you get: &quot;The truth about aging is that you -- right now -- have the ability to live 35 percent longer than expected, with a greater quality of life and without becoming feeble. While relying on the talents, skills, and knowledge of others may get you out of medical jams, what you really want is to avoid these in the first place. Weight training and getting quality sleep are two of nature&#39;s best anti-aging medicines.

&quot;But just because you&#39;ve made mistakes in the past -- had burgers for breakfast or fried your brain cells with stress -- doesn&#39;t mean you can&#39;t reverse them. Your body is remarkable. You can have a do-over if you want to. Within three months of changing an aging behavior, you can measure a difference in your life expectancy.&quot;

Here are Dr. Oz&#39;s no-frills answers to 7 niggling questions:

Q. Are &quot;floaters&quot; dangerous to my eyes? 
A. Not usually.

Q. Do sit-ups strain my back? 
A. No, they strengthen it.

Q. Does cracking my knuckles cause arthritis? 
A. Nope.

Q. What&#39;s a healthy waist size? 
A. Under 37 inches for women; under 40 inches for men.

Q. Is cancer ever contagious? 
A. Sort of, but rarely and indirectly. Liver and cervical cancers as well as lymphoma can be caused by organisms that are themselves contagious.

Q. What&#39;s the best kitchen cure for diarrhea? 
A. Chicken soup with rice.

Q. Can coffee help prevent Alzheimer&#39;s? 
A. Yes, and Parkinson&#39;s too.

Medically reviewed in March 2019.

What Makes YOU Tick?

Deeply aching joints, feeling constantly exhausted and other changes that aren&rsquo;t just &ldquo;part of getting old.&rdquo;

7 Normal—And Not-So-Normal—Signs of Aging

Are you considering working with a health coach? Good for you. Health coaches take a holistic approach to helping individuals like you make important lifestyle changes to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing.

A coaching relationship requires a commitment on your part and open communication between both parties. Knowing what to expect from your health coach will go a long way towards assuring you have a successful experience.

Health coaches are non-judgmental accountability partners. A health coach helps you create long- and short-term goals based on the changes you want to make in your life, explains Addie Spaller, a Sharecare coach manager in Ann Arbor, Michigan. However, goals are meaningless unless you take steps to reach them. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re here as accountability partners to really support clients and aid them in creating healthy lifestyle behaviors so they can reach their goals, but also maintain good health for the rest of their life,&rdquo; she says.

Flavia Magoba, a Sharecare coach in Silver Spring, Maryland, says a common misconception of coaching is that a coach will tell you what to do and give you a specific plan. Not true. &ldquo;We like to empower [clients],&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Furthermore, we don&rsquo;t judge. We start [every coaching session] with a clean slate. We&rsquo;re here to be a support and another resource for individuals.&rdquo;

Health coaches provide helpful resources. Coaches don&rsquo;t direct clients, but they do offer resources, such as tips and recipes, to help them reach their goals. They also point clients to approved and vetted online sources of health information, such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Diabetes Association or the American Heart Association, where they can learn more about their particular health challenges.

It&#39;s believed that people who have chronic conditions have better outcomes when they have disease-specific knowledge and skills. Furthermore, coaching encourages patients to take an active role in their own care.

Health coaches maintain a structured (but flexible) format. Whether your session is in-person or on the telephone, health coaches set an agenda for each appointment to respect each other&rsquo;s time constraints. Generally, the first order of business is to follow up from the last appointment, to see where the client has done well and identify areas where they can continue to improve. Then, it&rsquo;s on to discuss where the client wants to go next.

&ldquo;We hone in on successful goal-setting at the end of the call,&rdquo; says Sharecare coach Rachel Potter, based in Franklin, Tennessee. &ldquo;This is the next step you want to take, so how can we make that happen? We help set clients up for success.&rdquo;

At Sharecare, for example, most coaching calls take place about every four weeks. However, if a client needs more frequent contact (or less), that&rsquo;s okay. If they need to adjust the length of a call, which averages about 15 minutes, that&rsquo;s okay, too. Coaching should be flexible enough to accommodate clients&rsquo; specific needs.

Health coaches will listen. Coaches find that clients often want someone to vent to, says Kelsey Storey, another coaching manager at Sharecare in Franklin. She described a discouraged client who had several challenging circumstances in her life. When her coached asked her, &ldquo;If your friends gave you a medal for something, what would it be?&rdquo; the client reflected and then listed several of her strengths. That simple exercise gave her a new perspective and something to feel good about. Sometimes, a simple mindset change can be just as life changing&mdash;and good for your health&mdash;as a tangible goal, such as losing weight.

Health coaches ask the right questions. &ldquo;When we talk about weight loss, healthy eating and such, we also talk about all the lifestyle factors that might be [roadblocks to] behavior change,&rdquo; says Magoba. Often, clients are surprised to find that stress or lack of sleep (or both) is getting in the way of them achieving other goals. Coaches help you uncover obstacles you might not have been aware of. Once you&rsquo;ve identified these road blocks, your coach can help you identify steps to overcome them.

&ldquo;People just don&rsquo;t know how much lack of sleep affects their physical and mental awareness,&rdquo; Magoba says. It&rsquo;s the same with stress. She adds that a little bit of stress is good, but if you have a lot of consistent stress, it can contribute to chronic illnesses, like heart disease and diabetes.

Health coaches have intangible benefits. Losing weight, eating right and quitting smoking are among coaching clients&rsquo; most common goals, and they can make a profound difference in your overall health. However, individuals get other, less tangible benefits as well.

&ldquo;Having open communication with a coach is really important,&rdquo; says Potter. &ldquo;You can tune into the benefits from behavioral changes that aren&rsquo;t visible, such as number on a scale. [We find that] clients become happier, they have more confidence, they&rsquo;re more outgoing and willing to try new and different things. It can be life changing.&rdquo;

Medically reviewed in June 2018.

What to Expect From a Health Coach

How can we find strength during tough times? Why do some people bend, but not break?

These are the themes explored in the first class of our Roadmap to Resilience series. Every month, Dr. Vonda Wright MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and resilience coach, will share techniques that will help you build mental strength and reframe the challenges in your life as opportunities.

Watch the preview above and go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbQxfc2Cqqk" target="_blank">Sharecare&rsquo;s YouTube page</a>&nbsp;to view the full class.

Resilience Homework 
Put the resilience skills you learned during class into action. Below are three areas of focus suggested by Dr. Wright for this month:

<ol>
	<li>Take time to think about what is important and interesting to you... your personal values and goals. 
	Finding our passions helps us set our life goals. People who have a purpose, something they want to accomplish over the next 1, 5, and 10 years tend to be better at getting through life&rsquo;s stresses. If you want to reduce poverty, improve the environment, have your family live in comfort, make life easier for others, or whatever, discover your passion and set your goals.</li>
	<li>Work on increasing your skills and competence in an area that is important to you. 
	In order to carry out our life&rsquo;s purpose, we need to develop skills that will help us be more successful. So, learn or improve your skills in areas that are meaningful for you. It could be communication, writing, financial analysis, fundraising, selling, or whatever will excite you.</li>
	<li>Pay attention to what&rsquo;s going on in the world around you, read, observe. 
	By being aware of what&rsquo;s happening in your community, region, country, or the world you are better able to gauge the direction of your personal goals. How might your skills and passions help influence others?</li>
</ol>

Leave a comment or question for Dr. Wright in the comments of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbQxfc2Cqqk" target="_blank">YouTube video</a>&nbsp;and she may answer it during a Q&amp;A session on March 1st. And don&#39;t forget to subscribe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRiKSjrkkMrlTZqKmBVW9OA" target="_blank">Sharecare&#39;s YouTube channel</a>&nbsp;so you&rsquo;ll never miss a class Road to Resilience series. The next class starts March 15th.&nbsp;