Stronger, Happier People Through Better Health

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

CONNECT: March 27, 2015

Spoiler Summary: We are all unique in our own way. We each have a very unique combination of personal goals and desires as well as fears and vices. However, when there's something we're passionate about, we are more similar than different, and we share.

The meeting started like many do - with a "safety contact" - which is essentially a chance for each person to say something about a moment when they were particularly aware of health or safety in their day. The only difference this time was that each participant was asked to elaborate a bit on what they had been doing (or were going to do) differently in regards to health & safety.  The answers ranged from things purely safety related (such as driving related items like following-distance), to items that were more purely about health (such as early detection or healthy behaviors). Now this could easily have been mechanical.....just people filling in the time......however, quite the contrary, for most of the people in the room it wasn't contrived at all.  It was genuine and it was heartfelt - an entire room of people willing to talk passionately about health and safety and how it impacted them, what they can (or did) do to make their workplace a safer or healthier environment.  It was an entire room of people willing to (very openly) take personal ownership over actions that promote health and safety. I was thinking about it the rest of the day.....wondering why every group doesn't seem to be so open or care so much.

The next day I was with a different group entirely....theirwork is different, they have different risks and even the format of the session was entirely different.....but, about 15 minutes in, there it was again.....a person with passion standing in front of a crowded room talking about what he (and his wife together in this case) were pledging to do, to promote health & safety....in this case in their community.  Now, this was not a professional speaker or a rehearsed speech....it was a few minutes, from the gut, by a person who cared so much that he was willing to get up in front of a group and give his honest and genuine account.  I was super impressed and left wondering how different the world might be if everyone cared as much as that guy does.

And then, later in the day, I met a guy who was just about bubbling over.  When I saw him walk in the door I did a double-take.....he had clearly made some health changes.....and I said "wow, you are looking lean"....his smile engulfed his entire face and he said "I was hoping we'd cross paths....I've really been working on it"....and we talked a bit longer about how he had literally transformed himself, how much more energy he had and how his entire outlook had changed. He was charged up and feeling great....and talking passionately about it - rightfully so, I thought.  I drove home that evening wishing more people got to see in first person the power a health change can have.

So why aren't there more folks like these (relative) few? Why do so many people sit back and let the moment pass...even when they've got a fire burning inside them about something?  Why don't more people step up to the mic and put themselves out there about what they care about most?

Of course, we all know the answer already....it's about trust.  When we believe it is safe to do the healthy thing.....cool even.....then we will....but not until then.  If, when we go a bit out on the limb, we are given some positive response, we'll do it again, maybe even a bit further....enough positive feedback and it eventually becomes a habit, something that we pass on to others automatically.  

Want to take on a health-challenge? Want to make an impact? What if every time we noticed a person trying to make an improvement we simply said (in words or actions) "hey....I respect the effort you're making, Keep up the goodwork....I'm an ally"....would it make a difference?  Yes....and bigger than we might realize.

Health, Safety and Prevention are not just good ideas worth learning about, they are a way of living....a lifestyle worth promoting and sharing....with everyone we care about. When more of us who do care seek out & support those who want to, the faster caring this much becomes the norm.  ANYONE can improve the health and safety of the world around them, it only takes one step to be moving forward, and the support of allies to just keep going.

To all the individuals who have stepped up to share - thank you - we all benefit from your passion.

FUEL: March 20, 2015

Spoiler Summary: It can be years in the making....it can take a lot of soul searching to get organized and ready....it almost always takes consistent action over time.....and it's happening right now, sometimes quietly in the people you'd least expect.

What is the first image that pops into your head when you hear the word "achievement"?  Is it something fit for an athletic shoe company ad where a person crossing a finish line has arms raised high? Or maybe something more about the effort to achieve - like the image of a hand, clutching a cold, brightly-colored bottle of "ade" resting up against a sweaty brow as if to say "whew"?  Maybe it's a team of climbers reaching the summit of a snowy peak? Or the moment a team swarms the player who just did the winning "thing"?  But what about the person quietly making changes?  The person who's trying to make a comeback?  Are they the first image that you think of?  Me either. Until.....their story is sitting in front of you and you realize exactly how much work they've done.

 

I got an email recently from one of our coaches to share some good news about someone who had been working hard to make some changes.  After deciding she didn't have enough energy to keep up with her young family and her doctor urged her to take control of her health, she decided she was ready.  After looking at options and time constraints, she decided (30 days prior) to get after nutritional change. With the help of her coach, she made a strong effort to eat a higher quality diet, with a much higher percentage of plant-based foods and lower percentage of processed & sugary stuff......and 30 days later she is having success.  She's not only had a significant weight loss, she's also cut her "bad cholesterol" (LDL) in half and put herself into the lowest risk category on 4 of 5 key health metrics. Impressive.

Now, this is not some type of super-athlete. It is not a person who is working on lowering her 40 yard dash time or improving her vertical leap or maximizing her bench press.....I don't expect to see her cutting down the nets in Tampa early next month.....but this is definitely the face of achievement.  This is a person who is stronger and happier; this is a person who is enjoying the healthier version of herself - she was sick of being sick.....she knew she could do better and so she did. This is a person who decided to treat her health like an asset....and invest time and energy into making a more permanent change. She got serious, gained energy and lost stress. She lost some weight, set a strong example for her kids and drastically altered her risk of chronic disease in the process......her direct quote was: "This has been an amazing opportunity.  I'm loving life.  I cannot wait to see what is around the next corner." 

This person's image is probably not the first image that pops into our minds when we think of "achievement"....but maybe hers, and others who have tackled similar challenges should be.

 

It is amazing.  It is life changing.  It can be done.

Recover: March 6, 2015

Spoiler Summary: The human body is amazingly resilient, but like anything with as many inter-working complex systems, it requires balance and consistency to be at its best.  This time of year can be particularly important.

My mom's side of the family is very musical. I don't know if it stems from generations before my grandparents on that side, but my grandmother had a wonderful singing voice and occasionally my grandfather (at 90+) can still be found entertaining "the other old folks" (as he calls them) in the lobby of the assisted living facility where he resides.  It seems the love of music was passed down there: my mom has stayed involved in music her whole life and even though I never stuck with any formal training (it came down to sports vs. music and sports won), it's always been something I'm drawn to. Although I'm not sure when I started really enjoying it, even with an untrained ear, I find myself pulled into the sounds of a balanced symphony (resonance).....and thrown off, maybe even a little stressed, by sounds, even from a single instrument that is "out of tune", "out of sync" or don't seem to be creating a harmony (dissonance).  In a sense, our health, safety and ability to get things done is very similar.....sometimes everything "clicks" and we are able to move through the stresses of the day fluidly.....and other times, if something is even just a little off, we falter.  As strange as it seems, this is one of those times of the year for many, and worth knowing about for all.

As you've read in this blog/newsletter, we are often citing evidence that links 3 "base" actions and 2 indirect influences which come together to create 5 critical areas of health, safety and performance at any age and in any domain (workplace, home-life, community, etc);  We call theseELEMENTS.  Specifically, maintaining a finely tuned balance of MOVE (activity), FUEL (nutrition) and RECOVER (esp. sleep and smoking avoidance) allows us to ENDURE (perform on the long-term).  When done with others (socially CONNECT) we are able to perform our best, to thrive and flourish, which impacts all of those around us.

Although we don't love to talk about it (focus on the positive), we must from time to time acknowledge the alternative.  That when a body is not "in tune", that is, when a balance of MOVE, FUEL and RECOVER is not achieved, a person is far more likely to falter....to have an adverse health event or injury....the opposite of ENDURE, even when only 1 part is not helping harmonize.  There may be no truer example than a very short-lived, but incredibly important blip on the "system stress" radar that seems to consistently occur this time of year...one that points to how fragile the unbalanced system can be and how tragic the results of a poor recovery balance can become.

Although not widely known, and presumably (so say the experts) due to only 1 lost hour of sleep, there is a significant rise in heart-attacks on the Monday following daylight savings time....in some reviews, as much as a 25% increase.  Worthy of our attention.

I was reminded of this earlier in the week when my path crossed with a friend who remembered the passing of a good friend of his during this same time-frame last year and a conversation we had at the time related to this phenomenon.  Could going to bed just one hour earlier been enough to prevent this sad story? The evidence hasn't made this perfectly clear, however some signs, including a reduction by 21% of the same event in the fall when we "gain" an hour, make this a question people are trying to answer.  Perhaps, as simple as it is, it's worth doing anyway.  There are other considerations of course, but the critical message seems to be - maintaining a strong "base" (MOVE + FUEL + RECOVER), gives us the very best chance to flourish.

The human body is not a weak machine......and most of the time it functions like a symphony. If we listen closely and understand the risks we can know when we are out of tune, correct it, and continue to inch closer to our goals and the quality of life that good health and safety brings.  And if you're looking for some really great sounds (although not a symphony), I recommend Yo Yo Ma's Bach cello suites if you're wondering.

ENDURE: March 13, 2015

Spoiler Summary: We know our health is important, but very few of us think of it like as a bag of gold-bars or a house made of bricks.....what if we did?

If you've been reading along for a while, you know that I love old quotes.  Whether they be motivational or just thought provoking, it tells us so much about the timelessness of certain challenges we face.....and reminds us that there are a few things that seem to stand the test of time - making them key to our ability to live the life we want. 

 

One of my favorites is the old saying that goes "if you don't have your health you don't have anything". I have no idea how old that saying is - a quick google search yielded many different folks, including Hulk Hogan, that the saying was attributed to.....but something tells me it was around before the Hulkster. It's so simple, however so pertinent.....but it got me thinking - do we really believe it?  Or is it one of those things that we want to believe.....that health is at the root of everything that makes us who we are....but I'm not sure we really act like we believe it - at least not always.  How would life be different if we acted on the premise? That if without health EVERYTHING would be worse......would we change the way we get through our day?

Recently, more and more experts have gotten behind an idea that is very similar and seems to make a lot of sense. They have tried to help people view health, not unlike our wealth, as a "asset".....something that we hold dear AND can be used (leveraged?) to help us achieve our goals. Just like financial freedom, the greater the health asset, the more likely we can do the many things that make us happy with the people who make us happy. For example - the greater health assets we have, the more likely we will be able to enjoy those hard earned dollar-assets; And, as we are so clearly learning in the research at every turn, like finance or real-estate, the greater our personal health asset, the far greater likelihood we are to have something to pass down (habits, healthier genes being expressed) to future generations. 

 

It can be a bit abstract, because it's not as easy to see as leaving something tangible in our will (the way we can with money or property) but if every time our children or grandchildren (or anyone else we interact with) model the behavior and actions they see us do, which the research so clearly shows they will, we are handing this asset down every day of our life - giving the gift of healthy and safe behaviors, showing those we want to take care of in the future, how to use the tools of the prevention and performance trade.

But maybe it's not entirely abstract - could you measure this asset like a physical asset? Of course! It would include some measure of "metabolic equivalents" (which tells us a bit about "the foundation"). It would include some measure of "total functional movement" which is captured by measuring a combination of strength and range of motion as well as balance and stability (and tell us a little bit about the integrity of the frame and the moving parts).  It would need to include some measure of the "smart systems" (problem solving perhaps?) as well as the safety against external forces like bad weather (measures of stress and fatigue).....and it would probably need to have a maintenance log that makes sure it's being taking care of and that we're investing enough for the future.

Maybe we'll get there at some point.  Maybe we'll all start to focus on accruing more health assets and minimizing our liabilities in an effort to build a house of bricks and skip the house of straw.....it's not easy (bricks are heavy sometimes)....but it's worth it.