Is Optimal the Enemy of Good?
Catherine Lawson
During a recent conversation with an A and E doctor, I was interested to hear that from his perspective, those who are doing particularly well in their old age are women who walk and men who golf.
Getting outside, breathing fresh air, and keeping the body moving does wonders for keeping us fit and well. It’s nothing new or revolutionary. In fact, our parents and grandparents would probably roll their eyes and say, “I told you so”. But what is surprising is just how far we, as a nation, are prepared to go to find alternative routes to long-term health and wellbeing which side-step so many of the time-honoured strategies our ancestors enjoyed.
According to a report published in 2024 by the Global Wellness Institute, the UK wellness economy has been valued at £224 billion – the fifth largest wellness economy in the world. Wellness tourism (spa breaks, retreats etc) was the fastest growing sector with a 79% growth rate, followed closely by prevention and personalised medicine at 45% and wellness real estate (buildings with design features which promote mental, physical and emotional health) at 26%. The investment we’re making in our individual and collective wellbeing is vast, but are we pursuing the right solutions (and paying handsomely along the way), or ignoring what’s right in front of us as we pursue the things we believe will take us to dizzying new heights of health?
There’s no denying that making lifestyle choices to support a long and healthy life is a good thing – of course it is. The question is, are we self-sabotaging as we relentlessly chase some unattainable gold standard of health? It’s quite possible that we’re actually making ourselves ill (and skint) as we try to action the myriad of wellbeing advice which dominates the media. Let’s face it, there isn’t a day goes by when we’re not bombarded with new research telling us what and when to eat; how and when to exercise; what supplements to take and when to take them; what to think and when to think. To action everything is all but impossible, so the result is often a scatter gun approach which can throw us into a state of perpetual confusion, guilt, and anxiety. It’s exhausting. Thank goodness we don’t need to look too far to get the pills, potions and pop-psychology needed to fix that exhaustion…
The A and E doctor profoundly stated during our conversation, “optimal is the enemy of good,” and I think he’s right. It seems that we’re always looking for the latest and best solutions to improve every aspect of our wellbeing. And because we all want to look better and feel better, the industry has a captive audience. In the midst of it all, however, we’re losing sight of the simple things – those tried and tested lifestyle choices which have time and again been shown to work. We need look no further than the blue zones to see this in practice. No matter where in the world you happen to be, there are consistent habits for longevity which we can all enjoy: move naturally, preferably outdoors (walking, golfing, gardening), maintain a positive outlook (have a purpose/a faith/a mindset to help manage stress), eat wisely (moderation is key, eat mostly plants and limit alcohol), and maintain social connections (invest in family, friends and the community).
There is nothing new and fandangled about the wellbeing strategies which we know, for sure, will work. They are the things previous generations swore by – the things we most likely remember our parents and grandparents doing. Perhaps this realisation is a rite of passage – something we all eventually come to accept once we’ve exhausted ourselves trying to prove that we know better than the generations who came before us.
