THE SWITCH CHALLENGE

SWITCH TO HEALTH & WELLBEING

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?

The SWITCH CHALLENGE is a holistic self-help program to improve your health & wellbeing in three simple steps.

BASIC PRINCIPLES:

1. Genetic factors have very little influence on chronic diseases (about 5-10% only). IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH IS IN YOUR HANDS

2. Start with a mindset of SELF-COMPASSION. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is your opportunity to care for yourself. 

3. 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.

4. 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

5. Improving your health is SIMPLE. Your body is designed to heal itself, when you go back to basics:

NATURE. BALANCE. CONNECTION

First, explore 20 ways to facilitate personal change

Improve your health and wellbeing in 3 simple steps:

STEP #1: Make some lifestyle changes

=>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

STEP #1: MAKE SOME LIFESTYLE CHANGES

Find easy SWITCH ideas in this pdf document. Choose which ones you want to implement and how often. The more you switch, the healthier you will be and the better you will feel. 

Small changes every day make a big difference over time.

The Switch Challenge 2025

45.9MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

⇒SWITCH_NOURISH

1. Eat WHOLE FOOD. Ask yourself: Does this food nourish my body? Is it toxin-free?

2. Get your daily requirement of PROTEINS from animal sources (about 1.2-2 g of protein per kg of ideal body weight/day) 

3. 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)

4. 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) 

5. 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

6. Limit FRUITS to 1-3 medium fruits per day (depending on your goal). Eat it right after a meal to prevent a sugar spike

7. Limit sweets to once per week or less. Eat it right after a meal to prevent a sugar spike.

8. 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.

1. Exercise for mobility and flexibility: pilates, yoga, stretching– at least 30 minutes, 2-3 times/week

2. Exercise for strength: weight training– at least 30 minutes 2-3 times/week

3. 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.

1. Regulate your nervous system and feel better (Part I, II, III, IV, V, VI)

2. Overcome your limiting beliefs (Part I, II, III, IV, V) 

3. Learn How to Process Your Emotions (33 videos), Five Steps To Process Emotions, 1-Page guide, Grounding Skills-free course)

4. Do the inner work to optimise your mental wellbeing (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family System therapy, Polyvagal Theory, Somatic Experiencing, Tension and Trauma Release Exercises)

5. Build Healthy Relationship Skills (20 videos)

6. Improve your sleep

7. Learn more about Zen Buddhism, Taoism and stoicism…

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

Life Crafting

379KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

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”

1. Discuss your values and actions with a friend/partner. This will help you commit to them

2. 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…

3. 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 the knowledge to succeed. But we all know that information alone is not enough. If you’d like some support on your journey, feel free to message me on substack. (I’m offering a 15-min complimentary session to explore how I can support 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 and wellbeing Coach and a certified NLP and Time Line Therapy Practitioner. She has a Masters in Public Health in Heath Behaviour and Education, a Graduate Certificate in Mind, brain and Teaching and a BA in Psychology. She is a children’s author with 27 published books.