A Simple Guide to Living Better
Most folks around the Great Lakes don’t realize what they’ve got. Sure, the water looks nice—but it’s actually doing serious work for your health and wellness. Your lifestyle gets better just from living near these lakes, and nobody really talks about it. Morning coffee, walking your dog, going to work—seems normal, right? But you’re getting cleaner air and a healthier environment without even trying. The Great Lakes are quietly improving your health while you go about your day.
How Living Here Changes Your Health
Michigan State researchers dug through hospital records and found something wild. People who live farther from the Great Lakes end up in the hospital for anxiety and mood stuff about 30% more than people near the water.
Here’s what the numbers show:
More opportunities for outdoor physical activity
30% higher hospitalization rates for mental health issues when living far from the lakes
Over 42 million people get drinking water from these lakes
The Great Lakes hold roughly 20% of Earth’s fresh surface water
Cleaner air quality along the shorelines
Health and Wellness Isn’t Complicated
Real health and wellness comes down to three things:
- Your body needs to work right (physical health)
- Your head needs to be okay (mental health)
- You need actual friends who matter
Skip one and the other two suffer.
Great Lakes towns from Cleveland to Duluth figured this out. Doctors stopped slapping bandaids on symptoms. They look at everything now. Back pain? Could be work stress plus sitting too much plus not seeing friends enough.
Water Does Something to Your Brain
Stress hits everyone. Phones buzzing constantly, work never ends, family wants attention—it piles up. Living by the Great Lakes gives you something rare: instant stress relief. Dr. Tifany Jamison does mental health work here. She keeps it simple. Near water, your body makes less cortisol—that’s stress hormone. Wave sounds, blue water, lake air—your body just responds. BlueHealth did research on this. Near water, people remember good times and think about loved ones. Away from water? Worrying about problems. Two hours weekly by water shifts mental health. Just two hours.
What’s Happening with Healthcare Here
Great Lakes Health & Wellness in Ohio won Best Chiropractor for 2025 in Best of the West. They don’t do the typical quick-fix thing. These places actually hunt down what’s causing pain instead of temporarily masking it. People got tired of pills for everything. 2025 research shows chiropractic treatments work for back pain, neck trouble, headaches, stomach issues, joint pain. Get your spine straight so your nervous system runs properly. That’s the whole point.
Natural Resources Make a Difference
Michigan’s 2024 Great Lakes Report showed these lakes supported 1.3 million jobs in 2018, generating $82 billion in wages. That’s over $100 billion now with inflation. More money means better parks, hospitals, clinics, and wellness programs people can afford. Forests and trails surround these lakes everywhere. Hiking? Biking? Walking? All there waiting. Outside workouts beat gyms for mental health every single time.
Medical Innovation Keeps Growing
Great Lakes region has Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, University of Michigan Health. World-famous places. But small community health centers are pushing new ideas too. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative passed again in 2025—both parties supported it. Thousands of projects across eight states cleaning pollution, improving water, restoring wildlife areas. Every dollar in brings three dollars back. EPA launched five Great Lakes Environmental Justice Grant Programs in 2024, putting $41 million toward poor communities. Health problems and environmental problems go together. These grants tackle both.
Great Lakes region clinics now bundle chiropractic with acupuncture, massage, nutrition advice. One-stop shops. Great Lakes Health & Wellness in Illinois under Dr. Mary Peterson runs laser treatments, acupuncture, spinal work, adjustments—newer approaches all together. Physical health and mental health aren’t split. Stress tightens muscles, causes pain, creates more stress. Loop keeps going. Treating just one piece doesn’t cut it.
Sunday night plans to transform your lifestyle by Monday? Dead by Wednesday, eating pizza at midnight. Everyone’s done this. What sticks? One change. Twenty-minute water walks three times weekly. Book that chiropractor visit. Join a garden. Sign up for rec league. Pick one, repeat it. Small repeated actions create lasting change.
Friends Beat Supplements
Humans need humans—basic fact. Great Lakes communities nail this. Book clubs, kayaking crews, volunteer squads, community projects. Always something happening to meet people and build real friendships. Research proves it. Strong friendships mean longer life, faster recovery from sickness. The Great Lakes zone loves community events, festivals, neighborhood gatherings. Not just entertainment—actual health benefits. 2024 Great Lakes Poll showed 95% of locals agree being around the Great Lakes boosts happiness, life satisfaction, mental health, and overall wellbeing.
Take Action Now
Great Lakes health and wellness isn’t about copying influencers or buying gear that collects dust. See what’s around you. Use it.
What you already have here:
- Fresh, clean water
- Cleaner air quality
- Natural spaces and trails
- Decent healthcare facilities
- Friendly communities
Tomorrow, walk a route past the water. Book that appointment. Hit the farmer’s market. Join that group. Small repeated steps change your life. Great Lakes spent thousands of years providing resources and healing to people here. Your turn now. No massive life overhaul needed. Just one small step today.
References
- Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. (2025). “Celebrating the water-wellness connection during Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week.”
- Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. (2024). “2024 Michigan State of the Great Lakes Report.”
- International Joint Commission. (2024). “2024 Great Lakes Poll Shows Consistent Support for Protection.”
- EarthShare. (2024). “The Critical Influence of the Great Lakes on Human Health.”
- Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. (2025). “Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.”
