It is pretty apparent to everyone what's happening with regard to the state of health. We are getting heavier, more people are getting sick, drug prescriptions are through the roof, and most everyone knows someone with a disease or who has had surgery. But, what isn't apparent to most everyone is the root cause of all of this, who is paying the tab, and where does it stop? Sorry for the gloom and doom, but there's a serious problem and a relatively easy solution! This isn't meant to be a debate about health care reform, but simply some thoughts on simple prevention and intervention. It is estimated that 95% of disease and conditions are due to lifestyle choices, so could effective eating and efficient exercise be the solution to the crisis?

Here's how I see it:

 What's Happening: The public is being led to eat the majority of their food from rapidly digested carbohydrates, (most eat 70% of their daily intake) substandard protein sources (commercially raised feedlot meats and dairy), and inflammatory vegetable-sourced fats (canola & soybean oils). Prepared meals are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and chemicals no one but the food manufacturers scientists can pronounce. Doctors, Nutritionists, Dieticians, Weight Loss Centers, and food companies are all still peddling the same generic information they have for the past 40 years.

What Needs to Happen: Rely on a Species Appropriate Diet to seek out foods as close to the source as possible. Wild and pastured meats and eggs, vegetables and fruit close to home, nuts and seeds, and good fat from avocado, coconut, and olive.

Lack of Exercise

What's Happening: People are either too busy, not willing, or think they have to always go to a gym to workout. They get frustrated and give up.

What Needs to Happen: Get moving anyway/anyhow, ask a friend or family to join for motivation, start slow and progress.

 Sedentary Lifestyles

What's Happening: TV, video games, and too much work.

What Needs to Happen: Get outside, do join a gym, sign up for a recreational sport.

Inaccurate Exercise Advice

What's Happening: From magazines, to TV shows, to unqualified gym staffers, people are still being duped into the 'burn more calories', 'stand on the scale', and 'do more cardio' garbage.

What Needs to Happen: See there is no difference between 'Cardio and Weights' but a spectrum of intensity to be varied and progressed. Hire a Fitness Professional (rather than a personal trainer) who has taken the time to learn the body sciences, exercise mechanics, and the properties of resistance to develop a process for you and your body to become lean, strong, pliable, and resilient. Oh, and lose weight and get healthy as side effects. 

Weight Gain & Obesity

What's Happening: Too many carbohydrates. From grains, to sugar, and even too much vegetable and fruit. Too many carbs = too much Insulin. Too often and bad things are going to happen. Bad diet advice.

What Needs to Happen: See that quality protein, carbohydrates from vegetable and fruit only, and that all fat is not bad but in fact your preferred source of energy. It's not about diet & restriction but quality nutrients and portion control. Eat for fuel instead of taste and self-gratification.

Metabolic Syndrome 

 

What's Happening: Sneaking up on you as a little fat around you belly, inefficient digestion, headaches, rashes, joint pain, and acne, these are warning signs your eating choices aren't up to snuff.

What Needs to Happen: Boot the crappy carbs, crazy chemicals you can't pronounce, drink more water, be more active/exercise more efficiently/consistently. This is the time to make a change before it goes from bad to worse.

What's Happening: Once those warning signs hang around for a while, they develop into conditions and disease which the medical and pharmaceutical professions are happy to give you a pill to treat the symptom instead of address the cause. Treating and masking symptoms too long leads to disease, more drugs, surgeries, and a one-way ticket to misery. Simple, easy, and profitable BUT changing your lifestyle and eating habits are much easier...and healthier.

What Needs to Happen: A complete revamp of your lifestyle relying on proper eating and consistent exercise. Seek the advice of a Naturopathic Physician to get the non-drug point of view. The body is a resilient machine and it's usually not too late to recover. 

Sick Days, Loss of Productivity, Businesses Suffer

What's Happening: A body in revolt and you spend more time in pain than enjoying life with your family and friends. Your $30 co-pay is nothing compared to the $100,000 per year you are incurring on the healthcare system. An employer sees you as a burden and you become part of the system.

What Needs to Happen: Get control of eating habits, efficient exercise, and your mind in the right gear determined to make a change.

Health Care Costs Due to Metabolic Syndrome

What's Happening: Prices for goods and services go up, taxes go up, wages and full-time employment go down, to cover the cost of a lot of people eating too many carbohydrates and being inactive. Health Care has grown faster than the U.S.economy for five decades and is growing at a higher rate than Social Security and Defense spending. 

What Needs to Happen: Take a look at the first step and get a hold of Good Food Choices and eliminate the merry-go-round.