Dr. Topher Fox

Who is Your Tribe?

"You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with."

This quote has been attributed to motivational speaker Jim Rohn, and I believe there is a truth to it. The people you spend time with greatly influence your behavior - both in positive ways as well as negative ones. Your sister who always seems to say the right thing when you are down, to help you get back on your feet, that is positive. Your brother-in-law who keeps encouraging you to eat one more hotdog after you already declined ("C'mon, it's the weekend, live a little") is a negative influence.

So what does this have to do with health? Stay with me for just a moment.

Your World

Culture can be defined as "the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group." We can think of human culture, American culture, or even culture built around sports teams or dog breeds. Any time a group of people like to spend time together and have a...

Changing behavior can be hard

It can be really hard to change habits and routines, to live healthier lifestyle. Whether this means you don't exercise as much as you should, or you succumb to late night snacking, or you just can't seem to turn off Netflix and get to bed in time to give yourself a good night's sleep, know that we all have areas where improvement is theoretically possible but in practice quite difficult.

Personally, I've come to believe that our culture and our psychology work against us to thwart our very good intentions. We usually try overpower these forces with willpower, which unfortunately is a limited resource and usually runs out before we want it to. A better approach is needed.

If you ponder where you are having difficulty getting traction, my belief is that a few patterns will predominate. Personally I'm a bit addicted to exercise, so I have no problem getting in a workout even if it means I have to get up at 4 am to go for a run before my...