Dr. Wayne Andersen on Habit Changing Support

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Dr. Wayne Andersen, Medical Director of Medifast, Inc. Learn more about his new book, Habits of Health at DrWayneAndersen.com.

What are the benefits of having some type of support when trying to change a habit?

Building a support system is the single most important thing you can do to incorporate and maintain the “Habits of Health” program, or any program for that matter. Without a support system, your chances of changing your lifestyle go down dramatically. Once you’ve learned how to take control of
the most important health-related areas of your life, which are: eating, motion, and sleep, the thing that will hold all of those together is support.

There are different kinds of support systems, and depending on your personality, you should choose which type works for you. There are three methods that will help you master the program in my upcoming book “Habits of Health.”

1) Studying: which includes attending trainings and using other resources so you can gain knowledge.
2) Doing: or actually making a change in your life that will lead you toward optimal health.
3) Modeling: the people that we hold up as role models can have a great affect on our lives. The people we are close to and emulate are what we become, particularly if they are the same sex.

In my book, I discuss the importance of what I call a bionetwork. This is a type of comprehensive support system. It takes all different kinds of supports and utilizes all of them so that you can get the most out of your new healthy lifestyle. This bionetwork can include a large number of people like a health coach, an Internet-based support, peers, virtual clinic, etc. The bionetwork can also include support systems made up of friends, family, informal group settings, formal settings and online programs.

Have you tried using a support system like this? If so, how did it work for you? What was your best option?

A new book due out this summer, by well-respected physician Dr. Wayne Andersen, seeks to take a revolutionary approach to creating optimal health and weight management by offering common sense advice and direction, supported by proven, medical data. In his book, Habits of Health, Dr. Andersen, a board certified critical care physician, does not advocate fad dieting or a miracle wonder cure; rather, it provides the knowledge and support to help people achieve optimal health. The book seeks to offer an easy guide to establish long-lasting, improved health.

Dr. Andersen graduated from the University for the Health Sciences medical school in Kansas City, where he was valedictorian of his graduating class. Dr. Andersen became the tenth physician Board Certified in Critical Care. For 18 years, Dr. Andersen directed the Surgical Critical Care Program at
Grandview Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio, and was Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Andersen is currently Medical Director of Medifast, Inc., an innovative leader in the production, distribution and sale of weight management and health management products. As the chief architect of Take Shape for Life, Dr. Andersen has built an integrated support system that helps people make the necessary changes in their lifestyles to create optimal health. Dr. Andersen provides leading nutritional solutions, medical support and the support of caring individuals, to provide the necessary one-on-one interaction so vital in changing peoples lives. Dr. Andersen resides in Annapolis, Md.

Habits of Health seeks to help people to be the healthiest they can be with what they have. Through his book and the accompanying workbook, Dr. Andersen provides a roadmap and an opportunity for people to choose a better life.

“This book stresses the fact that achieving optimal health is an active process, and it is reminds people that the small things we do every day make all the difference,” Andersen said. “Everyone has the fundamental choice and opportunity to choose a better life for themselves, and in this book I show them how to do that. I want to show people they have the power to create optimal health within themselves.”

The book is available for preorder at the beginning of July and will go on sale in bookstores nationwide end of July.

Visit Dr. Wayne Andersen to learn more and purchase “Habits of Health.”