Subjective vs Objective Health
“The physical body is an illusion and trying to manipulate it can be like grasping the shadow and missing the substance.” Einstein
Question of the day:
Do you consider yourself healthy? Have you been diagnosed with a disease?
Which of these questions carries more weight? The mindset behind these two questions can tell you everything you need to know about your longevity and overall health.
Deepak Chopra is a leading expert in health perceptions of aging. In his book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind - He focuses on longevity coming from the belief in the mind-body connection, that our conscious thoughts have the greatest impact on overall health. Lifestyle modifications can develop a mindset of better health, regardless of disease or disability status.
The old paradigms of health are inventions of the human mind that we have turned into rules. If you change your perception on health, you change your body.
We are the only creatures on earth who can change our biology by what we think and feel.
Gerontologist have long held the belief nurture over nature, such that 80% of our health is our lifestyle…or modifiable behaviors. Compared to 20% connected to our genes. Socio-economic factors such as education, occupation, or income account for 40% of an individuals health, 30% is determined by health behaviors such as exercise and nutrition, and 10% by ones physical environment such as community, homelike, or workplace with the final 20% determined by their quality of healthcare (1).
Lifestyle related disease attributes to 71% of deaths globally, with the concept of living well regardless of disability or disease state not achieved. Non-communicable diseases of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer are directly linked to a person’s daily lifestyle habits.
While an activity or inactivity one day may not have the greatest impact…a daily habit can lead someone from a sedentary routine to active.
Daily choices have THE greatest impact on our life - a daily choice can quickly turn into a habit which months later of making the same choice can turn into a healthy outcome on your health regardless of aches and pains. Some habits serve our wellbeing…while others do not. This is the daily mindset to have on your overall longevity.
In my PhD research series, Perspectives of Healthy Aging, I interviewed older adults in Costa Rica, Australia, and the United States, asking a series of 20 questions on Healthy Aging. What does it mean, Do you feel you have achieved healthy aging, What were your nutrition habits as young adults versus your grandkids nutrition today. Questions such as these stemmed conversation and stories of how Centenarians perceived their lifelong health.
80% of all participants considered themselves to be healthy
This is subjective health status or perception of health.
70% of all participants had been diagnosed with a disease or disability
This is objective health status.
These results provide clarity on how Centenarians consider themselves healthy regardless of being diagnosed with disease or disability.
Of note, most Australians initially answered no to being diagnosed with disease or disability, but then described a disease or disability of which they were treating. During my time in Australia conducting these interviews, I was at the University of Newcastle and Australian Gerontological Society under a Fulbright Fellowship. An observation I took away from interviews and those I worked with was that almost everyone I came into contact with had been referred to an exercise physiologist for preventative treatment of some kind. Initially surprising, as it is much less common in the United States. In the United States many people visit therapist but we are considered a curative society…meaning we are more equipped to fix a health problem rather than prevent it. Australian’s tend to have a unique outlook on their health as they are in a primarily preventative health society. This can be linked to Australia’s Universal Healthcare…the system wants to prevent disease or disability as it puts unnecessary pressure on the government system. In a private healthcare system we tend to visit the doctor when there is a problem.
This alone, emphasizing the need for preventative daily lifestyle habits takes health into your own hands.
Take away: MINDSET directs overall health.
On of the best answers on this topic, given by a good friend of mind in the United States says this -
“You have to realize, number one, you are aging and you have to make the best of it. Do everything you can with your mind, body, and spirit to reach whatever goals you want. And then when you get to the point that you can’t do a certain thing anymore, you have to come to terms with that, you can’t sit and agonize…I can’t do this anymore. Instead, it is like ok I can’t do this anymore, but I can still do this. You have to keep a positive mindset.”
Not the say that there are not aches and pains…but when you wake up and move to get out of bed….do you take a deep breath and see how long you can hold it in…giving your lungs a test to pass for the day…or do you think my lung capacity is not good…instead of seeing how long you can hold your breath today. This can be viewing as allowing the mind to guide the body, working in unison. I am not suggesting to stop taking medication for a diagnosed disease, but rather than saying I have a disease and because of that I cannot do this…remind yourself of what you are able to achieve what you can do for your diagnosis and one day you may not have a need for the medications you once relied on.
A small challenge for your longevity is to examine how you perceive your health.
Apply a simple choice every day to serve your longevity.
One day it won’t be a choice but a precedent.
Hannah’s notes on this topic - a daily choice to write each morning…because I know that if I don’t in the morning then it may not happen for the rest of the day and this is a modifiable choice that serves me.
References & Additional Readings:
