THE SWITCH CHALLENGE
SWITCH TO HEALTH & WELLBEING
The SWITCH CHALLENGE is a holistic self-help program to improve your health & wellbeing in three steps.
BASIC PRINCIPLES:
Genetic factors have very little influence on chronic diseases (about 5-10% only). IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH IS IN YOUR HANDS
Start with a mindset of SELF-COMPASSION. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is your opportunity to care for yourself.
Health is a JOURNEY of learning and gradual behaviour change with ups and downs and obstacles to overcome. Take it one step at a time, forgive yourself for any setbacks, learn from them and keep going.
Health encompasses PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SOCIAL and SPIRITUAL well-being. It’s essential to attend to all four domains to improve your health.
“The part can never be well unless the whole is well”- Socrates
Improving your health is SIMPLE. Your body is designed to heal itself, when you go back to basics:
NATURE. BALANCE. CONNECTION
Do you want to:
🔲 lose weight?
🔲 be healthy and reverse chronic conditions?
🔲 age gracefully and stay independent?
🔲 feel content and have zest for life again?
Improve your health and wellbeing with 3 simple steps:
STEP #1: Consider some lifestyle SWITCHES
=>SWITCH_NOURISH
=>SWITCH_TOXFREE
=>SWITCH_ACTIVE
=>SWITCH_INNERPEACE
STEP #2: Find purpose & meaning in your life and clarify your values
STEP #3: Build your health community– your social support network
First, explore 20 ways to facilitate personal change
STEP #1: CONSIDER SOME LIFESTYLE SWITCHES
Find easy SWITCH ideas in this pdf document. Choose which ones you want to implement and how often. The more you switch, the better you will feel. Small changes every day make a big difference over time.
⇒SWITCH_NOURISH
Eat WHOLE FOOD. Ask yourself: Does this food nourish my body? Is it toxin-free?
Get your daily requirement of PROTEINS from animal sources (about 1 g of protein per ideal body weight)
Aim for 10-12 servings of rainbow-coloured non-starchy VEGETABLES to get a wide range of phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals (1 serving= ½ cup of vegetables or 1 cup of raw leafy greens)
Have some healthy fats to meet your daily energy requirement without exceeding it (Healthy fats are found in animal meat, dairy products, butter, ghee, coconut oil, olive, sesame and walnut oil, nuts, seeds, peanuts, avocado, coconut, olives, cocoa powder)
Choose between LOW-CARB or NO-CARB meals (depending on your goal). The more you choose NO-CARB, the more you gift yourself strength, healing, nourishment and rejuvenation
Limit FRUITS to 1-3 medium fruits per day (depending on your goal). Eat it right after a meal to prevent a sugar spike
Limit sweets to once per week or less. Eat it right after a meal to prevent a sugar spike.
HYDRATE 1.5-2 L/day (water and non-caffeinated herbal teas).
⇒ SWITCH_TOXFREE
Reduce your toxic load (pesticides, processed food, alcohol, smoking, recreational drugs, self-care/home cleaning products)
⇒ SWITCH_ACTIVE
Our bodies are designed to move and be active. Our sedentary lifestyle is damaging our health and wellbeing.
The Benefits of regular exercise include: increased strength, mobility and coordination, weight loss, enhanced immunity, blood sugar regulation, improved mood, reduced anxiety, better sleep and better sex.
Consider mixing up different physical activities to get the full range of benefits. Build your strength, stamina and mobility slowly and gradually until you reach the optimal workout level for you.
Exercise for mobility and flexibility: pilates, yoga, stretching– at least 30 minutes, 2-3 times/week
Exercise for strength: weight training– at least 30 minutes 2-3 times/week
Exercise for cardio function and coordination: walking, running, swimming, cycling, aerobic classes, dance, tennis, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)– at least 30 min 6 times/week
⇒ SWITCH_INNERPEACE
Your physical health and general wellbeing are very much dependent on your mental and emotional wellbeing. We all need to do some introspection, some deep soul searching and some personal healing to set ourselves on an upward spiral of self-improvement and self-actualization.
Regulate your nervous system (Part I, II, Grounding Skills)
Learn How to Process Your Emotions (33 videos), Five Steps To Process Emotions, 1-Page guide (Part VI)
Build Healthy Relationship Skills (20 videos)
Extra resources:
Learn how to manage anxiety (27 videos)
Links to professional help: US, UK, Australia, Online
STEP #2: FIND PURPOSE AND MEANING IN YOUR LIFE
1. LIFE CRAFTING EXERCISE
Life crafting is “a process in which people actively reflect on their present and future life, set goals for important areas of life—social, career, and leisure time—and, if required, make concrete plans and undertake actions to change these areas in a way that is more congruent with their values and wishes.” (Schippers and Ziegler, 2019).
This exercise boosts the sense of self-determination and has been shown to produce the following benefits: Higher academic achievement/lower school dropout, higher career achievement, emotional wellbeing, meaning and purpose in life, better health outcomes, longevity.
Download the life Crafting exercise PDF
2. CLARIFY YOUR VALUES
A life inspired by what you value is a life worth living. Find out what you value most in life: Who do you want to be? What kind of life do you want to lead? Then decide on the small steps you will take in that direction. Your sense of integrity will flourish once your actions are inline with your values.
Watch this video by Therapy in a Nutshell and download the Clarify Your Values Workbook.
STEP #3: BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY
“TELL ME WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE, I TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE”
Discuss your values and actions with a friend/partner. This will help you commit to them
Recruit 2-5 friends/family members to join you on your health journey. Improving your health is much easier with the support of friends and family. Share health information with each other, cook healthy meals together, go to healthy restaurants together, get active together…
Build an online health community by sharing the SWITCH CHALLENGE on social media. Create a positive ripple effect around you
This self-help program was designed to give you all the information you need to succeed. If you know what you have to do but you still can’t get yourself to do it, feel free to message me on substack. (I’m offering a 15-min complimentary session to explore how I can help you)
DISCLAIMER: All information provided by Abir Ballan is solely intended for educational purposes and is not a substitute for expert advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
About the author
Abir Ballan is a Health Coach and a certified NLP and Time Line Therapy Practitioner. She has a Masters in Public Health, a Graduate Degree in Special Needs Education and a BA in Psychology. She is a children’s author with 27 published books.
I love this! Seeing the Switch Challenge in the downloads makes it easier (for me, anyway) to come up with some switches to make right now. I'm going to print everything out for daily reminders. Thank you!
Thank you Abir - health is wealth. I am responsible for my physical, mental, emotional & Spiritual well-being with the assistance of a Higher Power + holistic/Naturopathic Physicians I've been guided to. My insides will take care of my outside - SELF-Care vs health care ...