Use of Digital Intelligence in Modern Health and Wellness
The contradiction of ever-progressing medical science and reversing life-expectancy
It seems quite counterintuitive to think that in the modern world we are seeing ever-improving medical science and -technology and still lifestyle -related health issues are on the rise in many parts of the world. We have seen the average life expectancy increase for the last 150 years or so since the industrial revolution and for the first time since then there are signs of this actually starting to reverse due to cause -specific reasons according to a recent study. These reasons include drug overdoses, suicides and organ system diseases among young and middle-aged people in all racial groups in the US.
There is a strong correlation between healthy habits (lifestyle) and life expectancy as per highlighted by another study. It shows that adopting 5 healthy habits in adulthood may increase life expectancy by more than a decade. Yes, quite simply the habits we all have heard before:
Eat a healthy diet
Exercise regularly
Maintaining a healthy bodyweight
Drink alcohol moderately
Do not smoke
Should be relatively simple right?
Awareness vs taking action
The challenge here could be described to be one of awareness vs actually taking action. It is quite easy to claim that the majority of people in the developed world do “in theory” understand what healthy living (in the context of healthy habits) mean. The challenge presents itself when actually taking action to build and incorporate these healthy habits into one’s life.
“I will start my diet tomorrow - today I can enjoy my pizza and beers!”
Indefinite procrastination and instant gratification and comfort are extremely addicting and, at the same time, dangerous. The good thing is - it is never too late to start committing to healthy living.
Why traditional personal training and coaching methods are not necessarily producing the desired results?
The global pandemic has really challenged the traditional way of looking at health and wellness. Gyms being closed for extended periods of time, coaches, personal trainers and gym owners have had to resort to alternative methods to keep interacting with their clients. Commitment by the client might be wavering due to less face-to-face time with the personal trainer.
This presents a challenge for both the trainer and the trainee. The trainer is not able to do close-contact training/guidance often and the trainee does not get that training/guidance. At least on a face-to-face basis.
Traditional personal training and coaching is definitely useful but could it be even better? Absolutely - with a digital arm.
Digital intelligence as the next generation tool for Democratised health and Wellness
Digital intelligence in the forms of applications and wearable devices has opened the door for next generation health and wellness development. More and more personalised data and information can be automatically gathered and A.I. can turn that data into personalised coaching advice on a daily basis at the palm of your hand. This can indeed help to resolve the awareness vs taking action problem discussed earlier. As you have your digital devices supporting your health and wellness journey, it will be easier to stay motivated and on track towards healthier lifestyle and building healthy habits.
This also creates a unique opportunity for personal trainers, coaches and gym owners to evolve their business to be more engaging and better-serving services to their customers by using platforms like Healthzilla to digitize their coaching business.