Is Your Social Network Being Detrimental to Your Health?

From a very young age, we learn to mimic gestures such as yawns, laughter, and aggression. Recently, it seems that this mimicking behavior is appearing with weight gain and loss. The social environment we live in effects us, and we then spread these behaviors on to others.

Our social circles can affect the words we use, the way we dress, the brands we buy, the foods we eat, our general attitude, and how we rate the importance of health-related issues. The National Institute of Health believes that social networks can be used to improve health, as positive health messages will become contagious.

The human memory is a storage area for ideas and situations we run into. The more often something is encountered, the more available it becomes in our memory. Think about when you studied in school. Once you learned a specific behavior, it became almost second nature. We are discussing the same general principle; the more often you bring awareness to yourself about an idea, the more often you will choose this idea in the future.

But how do you train your brain to repeat positive, healthy actions and ignore unhealthy and negative ones? This is where your social network matters. Not everyone can drop all of the unhealthy,  negative people in their lives, but anyone can add to their social network. Try joining an existing, or creating a new, social network. For example, getting involved with a local fitness group will incorporate more fitness-oriented conversations into your lifestyle, thus leading to more and more fitness in your everyday life.

Another way to add positive and healthy behaviors to your life is to make conscious, healthy choices. Our thoughts compete for top-of-mind, meaning the choices we make now can affect the choices we make in the future. Choosing to make healthier alternatives, such as purchasing ground turkey over ground beef at the store will become routine with regular healthy choices. Once our brains have been trained to make healthier decisions, it is easier to make these choices more often.

By making healthy decisions and being a healthy role model, you will have a positive effect on others. The best way to make a real difference as a role model is by making lasting changes and staying on path. A lot of people can meet their health goals, but sticking to them through bumps in the road is when true inspiration will take place.

“Be the change you want to see in the world,” Mahatma Gandhi.