The seed for the idea for the book, Healthier You, began almost 10 years ago on a flight home from holiday. I was discussing with my wife how many of my patients were anxious about their health but maybe not doing the things that really were important for their well-being. She asked, what are those things that they should be doing? So we began brainstorming and came up with a list.
This list soon became a poster which we put up in my medical office. It was entitled, Choices to promote a balanced and healthy life; Simple but not easy (catchy, I know…). We received lots of great feedback on the poster, and patients routinely asked for copies to put up at their office, in their homes, in their bathroom, or in their closet as a regular reminder of what to focus on. I also enjoyed having them up on the walls rather than the gaudy and blatant advertisements of the typical medical posters – provided for “free” by the pharmaceutical companies.
Over the years, those actions on the poster, combined with my further experience as a clinician my readings around health, and my desire for simplicity, evolved to become the 10 chapter titles – Think, Change, Eat, Move, Sleep, Enjoy, Quit (Smoking), Vaccinate, Screen, Supplement? – which I jotted down and thought of often. In doing so, I found myself coming back to those 10 things time and time again, as they always felt important, relevant, and topical no matter what books I read, who I followed on social media, or the conferences I attended. And certainly my daily interactions with patients continued to demonstrate the importance of these fundamentals and the need to find a way to convey them to the public better.
I knew there was a book in me to write, but I was reluctant. I wasn’t yet confident enough to put myself out there, criticizing some ideas around health that many people feel strongly about and take as a given. I also felt intimidated by all the great work that others were doing in similar areas. I didn’t know if I wanted to compete with them. Then I realized that it wasn’t a competition. In fact, we are all teammates; in this world of confusing health information, it is important to get as much science-based and accurate health advice as possible to the public. And my voice is as important as anyone else’s.
This book was also becoming somewhat of a compulsion for me. I was finding myself listing off the 10 items routinely, thinking about points that would be crucial to include, and crafting sentences for it at all times. I couldn’t get the ideas out of my mind – I would be doing this while lying in bed trying to sleep, in the shower, at the gym, and at work with patients. I knew I needed to get these thoughts organized just to help settle my brain down!
My wife finally pushed me to get writing by simply announcing to our friends that I was writing a book. So then, I guess I was. That simple step drove me to make the time and make it happen. And I’m very glad I did. Just the act of putting my thoughts into a cohesive message has been valuable in how I interact with my patients and makes me excited to have this tool to offer them.
But that’s not why I truly needed to write this book. As a forty-something year-old male, I am fortunate to not have any significant health issues, but certainly I still struggle with many common concerns – sleeping poorly, finding time to exercise, eating better, having more energy, not feeling content, and not being grateful for the life I have. Over this past summer even, I’ve felt overwhelmed due to various stressors and time commitments to the point I was really not doing well physically or emotionally.
I realized I had to get back to the first principles I talk about in the book and listen to my own advice. So rather than trying anything new or crazy, I went back to the manuscript and addressed the specific fundamentals of health that I was lacking. I took concrete steps to improve my sleep, found ways to add more joy and feel more gratitude, made exercise an absolute priority, and emphasized eating a better diet than I had been. It felt empowering to start doing things that I knew would help me feel better instead of just complaining about it.
I am excited to share this book with everyone I can because I know it can help clarify the path to better health. The information has already been helpful for my patients professionally, and it absolutely has been helpful to me personally. I needed to write this book – for me, for my patients, and hopefully for others who will find it valuable as well.
Vineet, Nair, MD CCFP
HEALTHIER YOU will be available Sep 18, 2018 through all usual online book sellers.
Twitter, Instagram, FB: @VineetMD
