Your healthcare is not (and should not!) be a spectator sport. So here are 3 tips for getting off the sidelines and learning to self-advocate for your health.

This massive mind-shift changed how I interacted with my healthcare providers. I shifted from a passive participant to really "owning it" when it came to my health.

If you liked this video, you might also want to read the blog post on the 3 self-advocacy tips.

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Video Transcript

Taking care of your health and staying healthy, it's not a spectator sport.

Are you on the sideline? Because of a health crisis in my family I got off the sidelines and onto the court, and I've learned that my health and getting the care I deserved, it's not a spectator sport.

I needed to collaborate and actively participate, even for what I considered routine care. Like the annual visit to my gyno. This was a massive mindshift that changed the way I interacted with my healthcare providers. And as a result, I'm on a mission. A mission to create a nation of Health Advocates, who own it when it comes to their health. Are you ready to join me? I hope so.

There was a time most of my life when I didn't pay much attention to my healthcare. I went to the gyno once a year and every other year she ran some blood tests, and that was it. I was a card-carrying member of the once-a-year club. I bet you can relate.

But then a health crisis with a family member took me through the very painful maze of our fragmented healthcare system, and it was a real wake-up call for me. I realized that I needed to play a larger role even for routine healthcare. It required, a level of owning it. So I embraced these three tips, which I'd love to share with you. And here they are. These are the tips for getting off the sidelines when it comes to your healthcare.

Number one: participation, get educated about your health. I started reviewing the notes In the patient portal before my visit. So sign up for the portal and look at the chart notes and lab results from previous visits before your next visit.

Number two: questions and communication. Healthcare providers need to hear from you. Ask questions and completely describe what's going on with you. Your questions help them to give you better care. Now, I make a list and bring a printed sheet with a couple of questions to every visit no matter what.

And number three, collaborate and stick to the plan. I know it's the hard part. Do what's asked of you. Take the medicines as prescribed. Do the exercise. Stick to the eating recommendations. And if you're having trouble sticking to the plan, which so many of us do, say so. I've learned to raise my hand and say, this isn't working for me. How else can I approach this? When the plans outlined for me maybe it's unclear, or it's more than I can handle.

So, are you engaged in your healthcare, having real discussions with your healthcare providers? Please share in the comments below what you do to stick to your health plan. And maybe even share what are some of your favorite go-to questions for your healthcare provider and then I'll respond with some additional tips of my own and those from other healthcare insiders.

And I would love to share more of my thoughts and tips to help you and your audience create the mindshift to health self-advocacy for themselves, and their loved ones. I'm available to share this information with your online community, your Facebook group, your podcast audience – you name it. So click the link in the first comment to schedule a 15-minute call with me and we'll see if we have a match.