It's the LAW!

Weber-Fechner... It's the LAW!

If I told you that this post was going to discuss the Weber-Fechner law and how it applies to your health, I'm guessing most of you would look at me sideways and some might even ask, "what the weber-fechner are you talking about" which is understandable. In fact, while the concept is familiar to most of us, the law itself was foreign to me too, until I read a recent post by Seth Godin. In case you didn't care enough to check out the link above (it's the purple Weber-Fechner law text) I'll briefly explain.

Gravity- The law you've probably heard of

Can You Feel the Change

The law speaks to our ability to perceive change in physical stimulus based on an initial stimulus. Specifically, more change is needed as the initial stimulus increases (Maybe just check out what Seth had to say about it...).

The Myth of the Frog in Hot Water

Change Your Health- And Notice It!

One difficult part of healthy lifestyle changes is that over the course of time, changes become difficult to notice. When an exercise program is new, it's oftentimes MUCH easier to notice changes- soreness, strength, endurance- you name it, you can DEFINITELY tell things are changing. But what about later on... what about that dreaded PLATEAU! The term speaks to a state of NO CHANGE. Think about it though- are things really NOT changing. Or, is it that we simply aren't perceiving the change?  We aren't able to tell that our cells are using oxygen more efficiently, balancing blood sugars and insulin response better, and better self-regulating the immune response to foreign molecules and aberrant cell processes. (Side Note- the human body is AWESOME!)

Change isn't always this obvious

The Good AND The Bad

The flip side of the perceived change coin is that we oftentimes lose sight of the changes happening to us that are BAD too. A simple understanding of the perception centers in the brain responsible for signalling fullness after a meal quickly explains how easily it is to "suddenly" weigh 10 lbs. more when you're busy paying attention to other things. So what's the answer?
FOCUS on the Right Changes
If you constantly use the wrong tools or look at the wrong measurements you won't SEE and FEEL the changes. If you're a chiropractic patient, hopefully you know that PAIN is NOT your problem and you should NOT use it's presence or absence to measure your health. If you aren't a chiropractic patient or didn't know that FACT already, now you know. Pay attention to things like FUNCTION. More importantly, measure your function- actually, have someone else MEASURE your function and then work to improve it.

What if You Don't? 

The simple truth is that if we cease to measure how well we function and work to improve that function we will surely LOSE function without noticing. How many changes are happening right now with your health that you aren't perceiving? How many are good? How many are bad? What are you planning to do to change your health?  If you don't feel sick and have no pain, but end up with that extra 10 lbs. or suffer a sudden devastating back injury- or worse (heart attack is often the first symptom of heart disease)- you might be surprised, but you shouldn't be- it's Weber-Fechner and it's the LAW!

Choose the right tool for the job