We’re often asked all kinds of health-related questions, everything from what kind of pills we recommend to the name of that muffin-top creating fat-storing organ in your belly (the omentum). But one of the most basic questions we get is this one: “If you could do only one thing for your health, what’s the most important thing?”

Well, two things actually. And they are things that virtually everyone can do: Walk 30 minutes a day and call a buddy. Calling a buddy is just as important as (and maybe even more important than) the walking itself (and maybe more so). Why? Because talking to a buddy is the key to managing stress and to consistently choosing healthy behaviors.


Often, we use our spouse as our buddy and that makes sense: You have to care (generously) about your buddy and find things that you share with each other. That bond results in instant intimacy (not necessarily involving satin sheets). The people you surround yourself with define your health and who you are. Your buddy can help you discover what you’re most passionate about as long as you share with absolute candor. If you try to make choices for your own health alone—whether it’s walking 30 minutes a day, cutting back on your portion sizes or anything else, there’s a much higher risk you’ll end up lips first in a tub of headed-for-the-hips ice cream.

So we’re suggesting that the biggest health choice of all is making a commitment to finding your YOU partner—be it a spouse, friend or a colleague. Your buddy is someone who you can talk to about your goals, your food choices, your plans and your aspirations for your health; you can also report in regularly on how you’re doing day by day.

Make a plan to talk to or email your buddy for at least 5 minutes every day. (As is the case with freshly caught marlin, longer is better.) What’s even better is if you can actually walk and talk with your buddy daily for 30 minutes. If you prefer a cyber friend, you can log in at RealAge.com and find a health buddy there.

Now, you don’t want any ol’ buddy, but one you can trust absolutely. Choosing a buddy wisely (as with a mate) is important because as you interact with your buddy, she will help lower your blood pressure and keep those extra pounds off.

You want to have a buddy you share goals with. Both you and your buddy can lose weight together, but if your buddy has no interest in losing weight, you will probably end up with a gut that beats you into rooms by a full 3 seconds. Having a buddy also means being a buddy. And that means generously helping your buddy. Your generosity allows you to be accountable and transparent to each other.

Your healthcare provider can even be a coach for you and your buddy. Check in regularly with your provider and also seek support from a team of experts such as nutritionists, exercise physiologists and trainers. We often joke that women are better at this than men because women naturally listen. A buddy isn’t there to judge, a buddy isn’t there to give solutions (unless you ask for one), a buddy is there to support and care about you no matter what. So pick your buddy carefully and work with her. Share the passions that drive you both.


Buddies are important in another way, too. The Gallup organization has found we’re more productive and miss fewer work days when we have a buddy at work. That’s because we feel obligated and accountable to be there for our buddy.

At the Cleveland Clinic, we practice what we preach and we try never to split buddies up. This is contrary to some management advice out there. We believe if you find a buddy at work, you won’t be wasting time gabbing but rather you’ll both take more time to care about your job and enjoy it more.

And that’s one of the real things we YOU docs want you to do—to enjoy and be passionate about your job. That keeps you younger and financially more secure (since you’re more productive), and of course it brings you more fun. So find and nurture a buddy at work.

If you’re someone else’s buddy, don’t be judgmental. Don’t use your influence to tsk tsk your buddy for having those seven cookies last night. You need to find out what you can do to encourage your buddy. Remember, it isn’t the first cookie or even the first seven cookies that are a problem; it’s thinking the rest of the box of cookies looks good. What do we mean by that?

If you’ve ever ridden in a car with a GPS navigation system, you know that friendly voice serves as your driving buddy. Plug in your destination, and the system, using satellites to plot your current and final points, tells you exactly what to do when: “Turn left in 400 feet. Stay straight. Get in right lane.” But let’s say you make a mistake and miss a turn or end up on the wrong street. Your GPS doesn’t berate you or tell you that you might as well drive off a cliff. Instead, it very politely advises: “At the next available moment, make an authorized U-turn.”

The GPS allows you to make mistakes and tries to help you correct them. Adopt this mentality for yourself and for your buddy. You and your buddy are going to make wrong turns. You’re going to turn left at the cookies, make a right at the blueberry pie and occasionally merge onto the interstate at banana nut pancakes with a side order of sausage. Does that mean you should steer off the cliff and into destructive behaviors? Of course not. Your job as a buddy is to help the other person make that YOU-turn: Get back on the right road and get healthy together. So, back to our opening question. What are our expert health tips? First, understand you get a do-over in life, that it’s not that hard and it doesn’t take that long if you know what to do. Second, start with walking and a buddy. And learn how to make YOU-turns.