Behaviorceutical – physical activity that improves mental health
I first heard this word from one of my mentors Justin Yule. It was coined by neuroscientist Kelly Lambert at the University of Richmond, VA as a fusion of “behavior” and “pharmaceutical.”
“I made up this term called “Behaviorceutical,” instead of pharmaceuticals, in the sense that when we move and when we engage in activities, we change the neurochemistry of our brains in ways that a drug can change the neurochemistry of our brains.”
The power of this word is immense! And I believe more people need to be made aware of it (so pass it on to your network).
A huge part of my career has been about helping people create the mindset and habits needed to positively transform their lives. I’ve seen with myself and clients that our daily habits and behaviors have power equal to or greater than many pharmaceuticals.
If you are interested in learning strategies that will support you in cultivating a mindset that creates opportunities and success in your life, check out our Mindset Mastery Workshop.
Imagine if more people followed this philosophy? Here’s a great scenario.
You are in the doctor’s office for your annual physical. She discovers you have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. In the “old days”, a prescription would be written for a blood pressure drug and a statin (cholesterol drug).
Under this new philosophy and treatment plan, your doctor writes a prescription for a “behaviorceutical”. Her prescription might include:
- A nutrient-dense eating plan including plenty of anti-inflammatory foods
- Sleep regiment of 8 hours and in bed by 10 pm
- A functional movement program that includes:
- Reduced time sitting
- More walking and mobility
- Exercise 4 days per week for 20+ minutes to stay fit
- Stress and anxiety-reducing program that includes, exercise, breathing, goal setting, and planning
Learn how to perform foundational movements correctly to maximize the benefits from your workouts and daily activities with our Movement Foundations Workshop.
The interesting thing is that in most cases, a program like this would be even more effective. Especially at treating and reversing cholesterol and blood pressure issues than medications.
Even better, the only side effects would be POSITIVE. Greater happiness, healthy body composition, more energy, better focus, greater self-esteem, confidence, sleep, balanced hormone levels, and on and on and on!
Far too many people (including much of our medical community) have come to believe that drugs are the best way to treat disease.
That’s simply not true. It’s just a lot easier to “take a pill” in an attempt to counteract the poor decisions we’ve made each day for many years.
The common complaint is that making these behavior changes is “too hard”. Yet, when faced with life-threatening medical conditions caused by unhealthy habits, most people gladly choose the “inconvenience” of healthy habits and exercise as a stress reliever to extend their life.
Why wait until you are faced with such dire choices? Decide what you want your future to be like, and act today to start making it a reality.
At FRESH!, we see this every day with clients. When they begin to put the right habits in place, their life begins to positively transform in more ways than they ever imagined.
In fact, it’s really common to hear from new clients that one of the things that solidified their decision to continue after their trial sessions were that for years they had shoulder/knee/hip/back issues that caused pain. And within a couple of weeks, our coaches were able to explain why, dramatically reduce or eliminate their pain, and show them how to stop it from coming back.
Want to meet our team? Just book your FREE Success Coaching Session with FRESH! and let’s ignite your full potential, together.
Very cool.
I encourage you to take a look at any negative symptoms or ailments you might be suffering from…
What behaviorceuticals would you prescribe yourself?
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