2 Physicians Share How They’re Staying Motivated With Their Health and Wellness This Year, & How You Can, Too
Updated on December 22, 2023. Authored by Dr. Charlene Brown and Dr. Martin Chavez. To give you technically accurate, evidence-based information, content published on the Everlywell blog is reviewed by credentialed professionals with expertise in medical and bioscience fields.
Dr. Charlene Brown is a Board-certified physician and entrepreneur with deep expertise in public health, preventive medicine, and technology innovation. She has served as Deputy Health Commissioner and a Medical Officer at the FDA and USAID. Now, Dr. Brown is a public health consultant supporting companies with COVID vaccine uptake, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and more. She is the founder and CEO of CNA Simulations VR and a graduate of Harvard Medical School.
Martin R. Chavez, MD, leads a team of Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists and serves as Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine and Fetal Surgery. He has extensive expertise in high-risk pregnancies, ultrasound diagnosis, ultrasound guided procedures and fetal surgery procedures.
Believe it or not, the end of winter is right around the corner. And as temperatures start to rise, there’s often an increased focus on our health and wellness routines as we continue to spend more time outside. But whether you set New Year’s intentions you want to see through, or you’re looking to find new ways to get active this time of year, staying motivated can often be easier said than done.
To help you refresh your sense of motivation and think outside the box of what wellness can look like, we asked medical experts to share how they’re staying on top of their health and wellness — and how you can, too!
Dr. Charlene Brown
How do you stay motivated with yourself? When it comes to health and wellness, I struggle to stay motivated just like everyone else. I am able to create overlapping incentives for staying healthy, however, by combining exercise with other activities that I enjoy.
For example, I love walking and I love talking to friends. That’s why I get particularly excited about going for a brisk walk with friends, virtually or in-person. I haven’t seen one of my medical school roommates in more than a year, but we are able to hop on a call and go for our walk “together” in our respective neighborhoods. It’s a great way to stay both healthy and connected.
What advice do you have for someone looking to stay motivated in their health journey? I encourage people who are trying to stay motivated in their health journey to look for the intersection between healthy habits and their passions. I encourage them to explore ways to integrate the things that they love to do with their health journeys. I believe that motivation lives in the space where enjoyment and health overlap.
For example, if you love eating at restaurants because you can spend time with your friends, consider cooking delicious and healthy meals at home and inviting your friends to join you for a virtual or socially distanced meal outdoors. If you love watching science fiction movies, cue up your favorites to watch while you’re at the gym or virtually, with friends.
How can they push forward their New Year’s Intentions and keep their health momentum going this spring? Planning makes a huge difference when kickstarting and maintaining your health. It’s easier to maintain momentum when you have a plan for accountability and positive incentives to keep you going. So, what would you like to achieve? Once you know your goals, it can help to set up small, measurable, realistic steps towards achieving them. You can keep track by documenting your progress. Personally, I love relying on an accountability buddy to help me to stay focused on my health goals. Just find the approach that’s most comfortable for you and enjoy your health journey.
Dr. Martin Chavez
When it comes to health and wellness, how do you stay motivated with yourself and others? Springtime is here, and I’m taking the opportunity to connect with my immediate family. This includes outdoor walks and planning for outdoor planting. This planning includes a walk around the neighborhood and seeing what they might be growing throughout the spring and summer seasons. I try to get my children excited about the process of watching nature emerge and grow. This excitement can be for something that was planted last year and re-emerging or a new plant.
What advice would you give someone looking to keep their health momentum going this year? For individuals and/or families who want to stay motivated, watching nature is a perfect way to get inspired. By setting smaller goals, you’ll find yourself more likely to reach your goals and keep you going. Writing these goals down also helps since it allows you to see progress and feel more enthused in your health journey.
The change of a season is the perfect opportunity to reflect on and spruce up your health and wellness routines. Taking to the great outdoors to catch up with friends or watching nature blossom after winter? Test your response to 40 common allergens with our Indoor and Outdoor Allergy Test. Trying out new recipes? Learn how your body responds to 96 different foods with our Food Sensitivity Test. Want to check in on important hormones that help your body maintain a normal metabolism rate that may affect weight gain or energy levels? Our Metabolism Test could help you learn more about your body.
Check out all 30+ at-home lab tests that could help you push your health and wellness forward.
More from Dr. Brown:
The importance of prioritizing your health during a COVID-19 summer: Dr. Charlene Brown explains why