I have a question for you:
If you could choose between taking a prescription pill throughout the rest of your life, or not taking any, what would you choose?
I don’t think anybody enjoys taking pills (and much less paying for them), so I am going to assume that you’d rather not take any pill at all. The good news is, you have the power to reduce your chances of developing health conditions in the future that might require a regular pill, by adopting some lifestyle habits today.
This is specially true for chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes and chronic inflammation. Keep in mind though, that the right lifestyle habits are protective for any type of illness, among other reasons because they will boost your natural immunity.
Let’s get checked
The starting point is making sure you are up to date with all the preventive health checks for your gender and age. The CDC provides some general guidance here , but please discuss your specific needs with your doctor.
More good news is that preventive care is fully covered by US health insurance. You can double the savings, in pills and doctor bills!
The top 5 lifestyle interventions
I am not going to surprise anybody here. It boils down to things we already know are good for us.
1 – Healthy eating
Studies show that plant-forward eating patterns, with at least 90% of whole plant based foods, lead to the best health outcomes. More specifically, the DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension), Mediterranean and Plant-Based diets have been identified as the healthiest ones.
As an observational proof, the communities where people live the longest and healthiest (the so-called Blue Zones) all follow whole foods, plant forward diets. One of them (Loma Linda, CA) is 100% vegetarian due to religious reasons.
No wonder, fruits, veggies and grains are loaded with protective compounds like anti-oxidants and fiber. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish, walnuts, chia and flax seeds, and algae, are thought to reduce chronic inflammation.
Nowadays, protein gets all the attention and carbs are generally seen as the bad guys. We do need to eat enough protein but in general, getting it from varied plant-based sources like beans, grains and seeds has an edge over getting them from animals. Plant based protein foods are high in fiber, low in saturated fat, and high in phytochemicals, whereas animal based protein foods have no fiber, are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and have minimal health-promoting phytochemicals, if any.
The current recommendation is at least 0.8 grams of protein for kg of body weight, but this is being revised and my personal recommendation (and daily goal) is 1.2 – 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight, for active adults.
When it comes to carbs, we want to focus on complex ones like whole grains and whole fruits. The rest, like added sugars, juices or refined flours, are indeed less nice. Although even the less nice guys can have an occasional place in a balance diet.
2 – More movement
This doesn’t necessarily mean what we call exercise, which is something structured and planned to achieve specific outcomes (like training for a marathon). Now, exercise is always desirable and excellent! But it can be cumbersome an unrealistic for some.
Daily movement, like cleaning the house, walking to places or gardening do count too. Actually, this type of daily movement, and not exercise, is what the Blue Zones practice.
Something in between exercise and daily movement is walking: the entry barrier is low and most people can do it, no special equipment (besides good walking shoes) is needed, no gym membership required. You just lace up and go. As you progress, you can start turning your strolls into workouts, by changing the pace, going for longer walks or hilly routes.
Motion is lotion as they say. Personally, the days I move less, because for example I’ve been traveling sitting in the car, my body tends to ache more. And my mood also gets a little off.
3 – Stress management
Easier said than done for most people, and my personal struggle!
Meditation, yoga, talking to friends, finding support groups, and getting restorative sleep are some things to try. Learning to say no (assertively and when appropriate), not over committing our time, setting boundaries and avoiding hyper-perfectionism help as well.
Meditation and yoga are my personal daily choices, and spending time with friends on regular bases as well.
4 – Limiting alcohol consumption
Alcohol is linked to multiple health issues, not only in the liver but also multiple types of cancer. It impacts our brain, interfering with its communication pathways and affecting its structure and function. This can lead to impaired judgment, memory problems, and changes in mood and behavior.
Alcohol consumption can cause addiction. Eventually, a dose may be needed to function and operate in daily life. I’ve heard of people needed one shot before speaking in public, for example. Even if this is not something that you do every day, and you don’t end up drunk, it can be considered addiction because you need alcohol to perform other tasks.
Even if you just consume alcohol socially and occasionally, you may still want to limit consumption to very select occasions, to minimize the risks.
A big challenge with alcohol is that consumption is socially acceptable in most cultures, and we are always surrounded by it. Going out with friends, your neighbor’s son graduation party, your niece wedding, happy hour at work, even long flights… alcohol is offered and accessible to anyone. So avoidance can be tough. And there are also those messages regarding the benefits of red wine consumption. Rest assured that you can get those same benefits from other sources…like maybe eating grapes with skin on?
If you consume alcohol, try to limit it to social occasions only and stay within moderate consumption (1 serving for women, 2 servings for men). If you cannot do this alone, there are multiple organizations and professionals, including health coaches, that can help.
5 – Avoiding tobacco
Any form of tobacco. Not only smoke, but also vaping and chewing. Compounds included in tobacco, like nicotine, create physical addition and are extremely detrimental to our health. Sure, we may know that person that lived until 95 smoking one package of cigarettes per day, but we also know that that’s the exception to the rule.
Fortunately, tobacco is no longer cool nowadays as it used to be, and you cannot smoke in most public places. I hope this will decrease the number of new people who get the habit. If you already smoke and are considering quitting, you might want use a tobacco cessation program, or work with a health coach who supports and facilitates your efforts.
Track your progress
We are visual creatures. That’s why I love the “Wellness Wheel”. These tool is frequently used in health coaching, to set up a base line, and then measure progress over time. Feel free to use it on your own as you start implementing lifestyle changes. The goal is to make the central area as wide as possible.
To fill up the wellness wheel, simply rate your current lifestyle, how you feel in each category. Then connect the dots, and you’ll come up with a star shape. Next, take some time to identify the behaviors that you use in the areas where you score the highest, and see if you can leverage those behaviors to improve the lower score areas.
There are multiple version of the wellness wheel. The one depicted below is from Vibrant Soulful Wellness:
Act today for a better tomorrow
This month, I invite you to implement one easy lifestyle action for better health. Here are some ideas:
- Discuss your personal preventive care plan with your primary care provider.
- Go for a brisk 20 minute walk 5 days a week.
- Use a home made vinaigrette with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and herbs, to dress your salads, instead of home bought one.
- Choose one day meat-free day a week, and replace meat by beans that day.
- Meditate for 10 minutes in the mornings and set an intention for your day.
- Practice gratitude at the end of the day, writing down the best thing that has happened today.
- Fill out the wellness wheel and identify one area to work on through lifestyle tweaks.
- If you smoke, research help available in your community to quick smoking.
- If you drink, aim for no more of 1 serving per day, and just a few days a week.
- Drink a relaxing herbal tea each night before bed, like chamomile or valerian.
We cannot be certain of what the future will bring us, and we cannot change our genetics; nevertheless, we can focus on what we can control (our lifestyle), and that way maybe impact on how those genes express themselves. And we will probably live longer and healthier, without having to take too many pills. Like the Blue Zones communities.
Your future self will be thankful of the actions you take today. Very.
What lifestyle changes are you planning to implement? What is your biggest challenge when it comes to it? I read you in the comments.
Be healthy,
Isabel
thrivebytheslice.com 