CONNECT: February 6, 2015

Stronger, Happier People through Better Health

Spoiler Summary: The risks we face loom large.  There are many. Maybe worse than the sheer number, in many cases the whole is greater than the sum of its parts....but it doesn't have to be as paralyzing as it sometimes is.  Keep it simple.

If we look at the total number of risks we face it's easy to get lost.  There are health risks, there are safety risks, there are financial risks and the list goes on.  It can be pretty daunting especially when you consider that some combinations of risk can have an exponential effect.  If, for example, we are carrying a few extra pounds around the middle there is an increased risk in both the health and safety category.  The same is true if our blood pressure is creeping up, or if our blood markers (especially triglycerides, glucose and "good" cholesterol) are going the wrong way; but when they combine, things get really dicey.  In fact, that particular combination can be lethal.  Having all 5 listed (metabolic) risks increases the odds of having a cardiovascular event (heart attack & related) dramatically as well as diabetes and congestive heart failure......but that's not all.....because of some of the impact that poor circulation can have on ALL tissues in the body, it's even been linked to movement and pain syndromes like joint pain and lower back pain as well as things like stress/anxiety/depression that might first show up as fatigue.

To say combined-risk gets complicated is probably an understatement.  For people with three or more of the risks listed above, it could easily mean multiple medications, lots of side-effects, and a major burden on our quality of life and the quality of life of those around us....but it doesn't have to. Some research for example has shown that a moderate reduction in weight (6-10%) for folks with this condition could lower risk by nearly 20%.  This is not new news.  Most folks with this combination of risk know (whether they heard it from their healthcare team, friend, family, news, TV, etc) that if they can take their weight down some it will benefit their health.....and many want to.  Now the question becomes: How?

The reality is, especially in the realms of health and safety, if we get to the root of the weeds we're looking at, as scary a process as that sometimes can be, the simple CAN defeat the complex because the same few roots supply lots of problems.  

Here are some "minimum doses" to consider.

MOVE: either every hour for a few minutes or continuously for 25 (vigorously) to 40 minutes (moderately) every single day.  Don't know what "vigorously" or "moderately" means?  We prefer heart-rate as the indicator of choice.

FUEL: eat more plants - 5 servings per day, every single day.  Not sure what 1 serving is? Something the size of an apple or a cup of leafy greens if you really want to get the good stuff.

RECOVER: for every hard "push" you need quality recovery.  That can mean reducing your exposure to system stressors (like smoking) or maximizing the quality of your recovery time. Get some sleep.....6 hours, deep and uninterrupted every single night.

ENDURE: in essence, this is about preparedness....about having enough reserves to battle life's storms when they come - for some it's physical, others it's mental, many it's emotional and others it's spiritual.  For everyone though, it's possible; and mindset is usually the place to start.  Try the 3-W's of gratitude - What Went Well today? Write it down.  Find at least 3 and do it every day.

CONNECT: we are hard-wired as social creatures - we can survive for a while in isolation, but we will not thrive.  Couple this with the simple reality that there is "strength in numbers" and finding others that we can band-together with has a major impact on your health.  This is how we learn, and it has a surprising way of motivating us to keep taking small steps over time. Find an ally and have a conversation about something positive you did to lower your risk - every single day.

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Yes, the simple CAN defeat the complex.  Healthy actions CAN battle back risk (and even cure disease).....and every single one of us CAN live stronger, happier lives through better health.

Now,  Go Do Something Extraordinary,

Mike Eisenhart, PT