The 5 Whys

You may have already made some New Year’s Resolutions to enhance your health. Motivation is the key to sustain lifestyle changes.

One tool to understand the deeper reason for your resolution is the 5 Whys. Start by asking yourself “Why I want to make this change?” You are asking why is this important. You continue this process until you have questioned your previous answer five times.

For example, Why do I want to have lifestyle medicine practices in my life? Answer: I want more energy.

Why do I want to be energetic? Answer: I want to be able to experience life to the fullest.

Why do you want to experience life to the fullest? Answer: I want to enjoy life.

Why do I want to enjoy life? Answer: I witnessed my mother die from breast cancer at age 50.

Why is my mother’s death from breast cancer important to me? Answer: I am afraid of getting cancer myself.

My motivation for lifestyle medicine is not actually because I want more energy, but because I am afraid of getting cancer. Lifestyle changes are challenging to make. Please write down your answers to the 5 Whys and put in a prominent place where you can read it often. This way you can return to your list to remind yourself of your motivation when challenges arise. Thanks for reading. #lifestylemedicine #seniors #olderadults

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