Yoga for Social Determinants of health
Did you know that the United States has some of the largest healthcare spending in the world, at $4.3 Trillion dollars. That’s about 20% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP)! Other developed countries tend to spend about half the costs per person.
This post is jammed packed with data and statistics surrounding our health care in the United States. I am a big data nerd because I love looking at trends from a large perspective and then zeroing in on small steps to work with individuals, to directly see the impact and change happening and then see the numbers tick up over time.
While our health care costs continue to rise, we are seeing a decline in life expectancy and an increase in preventable chronic conditions. Of the top 10 causes of death, Heart Disease is #1 (695,547 - CDC.gov) and 8 others are categorized as chronic disease. Chronic conditions included in the top 10 are Diabetes, lung disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer’s and stroke. Research continues to show the importance of regular lifestyle habits that compound over time and prevent development or escalation of these conditions.
6 in 10 adults have at least one chronic condition, while 4 in 10 have 2 or more. These health conditions have a major impact on overall quality of life and puts you at greater risk for mental illness and development of other diseases. And while the healthcare system is great for tertiary care, we have become too sick as a society and the healthcare system is bursting at the seams.
We are currently living in a culture where we are not given the resources and tools early enough to understand and prevent chronic disease development. The healthcare system continues to see rise in costs as we work to support more and more people who are needing to utilize services.
The four lifestyle factors that are key contributors in development of these diseases are
Lack of exercise
Poor Nutrition
Smoking
Alcohol Use
All of these are daily activities that we can begin to work and change by collecting a deeper understanding of how they impact your health and how to sustainably make changes in support of shifting behaviors.
Staffing, training, and education are key factors in the continued cost of care, as well as the sheer population size needing services. Without the ability to fully empower many patients, individuals are stuck relying on the healthcare system, but they are not able to make the changes necessary because they don’t have the tools to implement mindful practices address root cause.
Social determinants of health. What are they?
Health care quality and access is a component of social determinants of health (SDoH), but this category encompasses so much more. SDoH are all the things that we pick up and learn throughout our life. They are the ways in which we grow, learn, play, and live. some of the things we don’t have much control of, but many things we can make intentional shifts that will, over time, have major impacts to our overall health and wellbeing.
In fact, it is estimated that health care only impacts our overall health and wellbeing by about 10%
So what about the remaining 80-90%? Lets break it down :
Genes 10%
Physical Environment 10%
Individual behaviors 30%
Social and economic factors 40%
Now, when we look at all these different categories, we recognize it may not just be one thing in our lives impacting our health, but rather, a whole bunch of little moments, events, learnings and environments that have shaped who we are today.
Continued advocacy to provide the resources and tool to help support individuals and communities reduce illness, improve quality of life, and control costs to the healthcare system can make a huge impact on this major public health issue. AND, we can also tune into our inherent nature that knows how to mindfully live each day to nurture and honor our minds, body, and spirit.
While healthcare is estimated to influence overall wellbeing (and that’s great!) All social determinants may influence upwards of 80% health outcomes!
This is where the yoga comes in!
Now, I know I’ve thrown a lot of information out at you and you may be feeling a little lost if you’re not a numbers person. Let’s take a pause and take a few breaths. Turn your eyes away from the screen and take 5 full inhales and exhales, mindfully tuning into any tension and allowing it to release on the exhales.
Back to it!
What do I change? Where do I begin? So many numbers!
I’m all for the learning and getting excited about numbers and feeling empowered to facilitate change. But the BIGGEST thing you can do is to begin to TAKE ACTION and implement the changes that are going to help you shift your body, mind, and spirit so you can live a healthy, happy full life!
All that data can feel like, “okay, but what parts apply to me and my individual situation and lifestyle experiences, and personal goals?” We can all use the extra support as we start or continue to get clear as we navigate with compassion the things we would like to shift. 1:1 empowerment sessions with me are a great way to gain support and confidence as you navigate your own life journey.
Yay, you already did some yoga!
Yoga is more than just physical movement. That breath exercise we did above is an example of a yoga practice. Mindfully slowing and smoothing out the breath helps to activate our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). This is good in support of relieving stress and anxiety! Use breath any time you are feeling overwhelmed or imbalanced in your day. It can help regulate your nervous system to mindfully decide what is the healthiest way to stay present and honor your body in the moment.
Here are 10 other yoga practices and mindful practices, that while only a few minutes a day, will make major impacts to your overall health and wellbeing for years to come!
Nutrition and Ayurveda
Balanced Diet
Try to keep this as simple as you can. Aim for regular meals that contain a blend of whole grain or complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. Add a variety of colored vegetables to help with fiber intake. Limit processed foods
Warm water with lemon
This is a go-to of mine! Starting the day with a cup of hot water and lemon is a great way to kickstart the digestive system. Bonus! you’re inviting the body to slow down and enjoy the morning. I love it with a sunrise and a book (withe the pup curled up next to me, of course!)
Food meditation
Financial review
Create a list of your highest self. How you think, feel, act.
Get outside!
Local community resources
Food banks, libraries, free online courses and classes
Compassion
Life is about experiencing. Learning new things, trying on different paths as we navigate understanding ourselves. We are going to make mistakes.
Get involved
Service has been shown to increase happiness. As humans, we desire love and connection. Volunteer an hour of your week at a local shelter, helping a friend, sending a stranger a smile. Even small acts of service have lasting impacts!
Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations)
Feel Empowered
While many circumstances are not by our choosing, we can be empowered to help make small changes and shifts that can benefit our wellbeing greatly. Here are some yoga practices that can help you better understand SDoH that may be impacting your wellbeing, and how you can start to take small steps to regulate your nervous system and feel confident as you navigate your health.
In yoga, we are reminded to check in, maybe envision the future, visit your past, but always drawing the self back to the present. Just as chronic disease is a development and accumulation over time, disconnect of the self is a result of a buildup of experiences and learnings over time. We take on things we enjoy and connect with, and we take on other energies as well that may drain our energy and cloud our view of our true Self. Take time to pause and reconnect with trust that overtime, you will begin to see major shifts that will leave you feeling empowered to continue to explore health and wellbeing in all areas of your life!