Medcan Experts’ Year in Wellness

Our Eat, Move and Think experts reflect on their own wellness in 2022, and share their predictions for the new year.

Posted December 7, 2022By Medcan

The final weeks of 2022 mark an opportune time to assess the past year and make plans for the 12 months to come. Our Eat Move Think hosts and other Medcan experts are reflecting on what’s passed and prepping for the future, so we asked them to share insights into their own wellness and what we can look forward to in 2023. 

In the past year, how did your own personal approach to wellness change? What did you do differently? Was there a small change that created a big effect?  

Leslie Beck, director of food and nutrition: “We know that proper sleep is a pillar of good health, so that’s one thing I’ve really been working on this year. To improve things, I try to eat dinner earlier to allow more time for digestion, and cut myself off from reading the news on my iPad or phone before bed. That last one was harder to do than I thought!” 

Dr. Peter Nord, chief medical officer: “My wife and I made a commitment to each other to do something active every day, come hell or high water. One day it’ll be on the treadmill or stationary bike, and the next it’s an hour walk outdoors, even if it’s dark or pouring rain. Over the last 12 months, we’ve only missed maybe two or three days.” 

Dr. Aisha Khatib, medical clinical director of travel medicine: “With the long hours I was working during the pandemic, I was functioning on very little sleep. That really caught up with me. So I’ve been making it a priority to get seven hours of sleep a night, and consistently exercising as part of my routine—and it’s made a huge difference.”  

How do you think wellness changed in 2022? Was there a new study that, to your mind, changed everything? A societal trend that had positive or negative consequences?  

Jennifer Baldachin, clinical social worker: “One study on work and mental health said that 60% of employees will have a mental health challenge at some point in their life—and I think we really saw that with the prevalence of employee burnout over the past year. [The problem is,] companies are looking at the individual person, and not examining the causes of the burnout, such as requiring employees to always be on call.”  

Allison Hazell, director of clinical innovation: “The Ontario ‘right to disconnect’ law is a societal trend that has had a positive impact on wellness. It has certainly made me more conscious of the timing of my emails and meeting requests and I’ve noticed a significant decrease from others as well. I think that’s had a positive impact on work-life balance.” 

Looking forward to 2023: What do you think will become a significant trend in the next 12 months?  

Dr. Peter Nord: “I think we’re going to be seeing more studies related to alcohol consumption—we’re actually going to be updating our alcohol guidelines here at Medcan as part of the Annual Health Assessment. A recent study demonstrated that even a few drinks of alcohol per week can end up having deleterious health effects, including causing several types of cancer.”  

Dr. Alain Sotto: “We’re going to see a big surge in cancer morbidity and mortality because the disease is being diagnosed later, due to COVID postponing so many routine screening appointments. That’s clearly evident in breast cancer and colon cancer.” 

Dr. Andrew Miners, director of sports medicine: “I have several friends that recently joined F45, and they’re really enjoying that group-based circuit training—particularly after two years of not being able to. So I think people are looking at: how do I get well, and how do I get well socially? They’re looking for that human interaction, especially around fitness.” 

Allison Hazell: “I’m excited about liquid biopsy testing for early cancer detection. That’s a blood test where we can screen for cancer earlier, and I expect it will be game changing for preventative health.” 

How did your wellness change in 2022? Taking the time now to review your year in wellness has multiple benefits: It helps you create new targets for the year ahead, and demonstrates how far you’ve come. Have goals for 2023? Medcan has an amazing team of experts to help you live well, for life. Contact one of our dedicated client service specialists today at clientservice@medcan.com.