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However, such measures fail to acknowledge the key drivers why people adopt unhealthy behaviors in the first place and why these behaviors are so difficult to change. Most people make decisions about what they eat based on taste, cost and convenience rather than on health benefits or health risks. Most people fail to exercise regularly because they either lack the time or simply do not enjoy being physically active. In certain social circles, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are an accepted part of cultural identity a value that supersedes potential health risks. And, let us not forget that food, nicotine and alcohol can all be used as coping strategies for a life that has its everyday stressors and challenges. It is therefore not surprising that forward-thinking public health strategies (such as New Brunswicks Live Well Be Well strategy) focus considerable effort on promoting mental fitness and resilience rather than on simplistic messages around healthy-active living. Research shows that a higher degree of mental fitness not only increases a persons ability to efficiently respond to lifes challenges but also to effectively restore a state of balance, self-determination and positive change. Resilience is strengthened by positive relationships, experiences and inner strengths such as values, skills and commitments. It is particularly fostered by addressing our needs for relatedness (a heightened sense of belonging in the workplace, schools, communities and homes), competency (building on existing individual strengths and capacity) and autonomy (self-determination of activities that will enhance health and well-being). Obviously, these determinants of health behaviors are far more difficult to legislate than simply banning or taxing unhealthy foods or imposing punitive levies on tobacco or alcohol. Indeed, fostering a societal discourse on the role of culture and values (including how we deal with poverty and social inequities) as a contributor to our health and wellbeing may well be beyond the scope of current public health initiatives. In the end, however, it will take more than warnings and by-laws to make us healthier. Arya M. Sharma, MD, is an expert advisor with EvidenceNetwork.ca, Professor and Chair in Obesity at the University of Alberta and Scientific Director of the Canadian Obesity Network.