It’s Not You: How Your Environment Caps Your Health

Healthy Diet. Best workout. Sleep well. Manage stress. We have all heard and tried the best health tips. But we are still not healthy.It is because we are not paying attention to a system that controls 70-80% of our health outcomes.In this episode of Health Savvy You, we look beyond individual choices and explore how deeply our health is connected to the people, places, systems, and environments around us. The air we breathe, the roads we use, the availability of emergency care, the safety of public spaces, vaccination programs, health policies, clean water, food safety, and so much more can shape what is possible for our health. You can make healthy choices every day and still be affected by unhealthy conditions around you. So, what can we do about it?This episode tells you why health is a community project and gives you five ways you can contribute to healthier communities that in turn makes us healthy. In this episode, we talk about:Why our health cannot be separated from our environment and how are the two connected.How public health affects our everyday lives, often without us noticing and decides how healthy can we be.Why personal healthy habits cannot completely overcome unhealthy surroundings and broken systems.Why strong public health systems benefit everyone, including people who think they will never need them.Five things you can do to strengthen public health, the health of your community and yourself without changing your habits.And because this is the beginning of Season 2, I also share a little preview of what's coming next, including conversations with health researchers and professionals who will each bring one idea, question, myth, or piece of evidence they think all of us should know.Your health is personal. But it has never been yours alone. Listen in, and let's become a little more health savvy together. Don't forget to share with those whose health you care about!