Garbage Disposal Disease Prevention
Back in college, one of my many nicknames was “Garbage Disposal” since I could clean off any plate that was not fully eaten. It was a joke that I could out eat most football players and was still a “tiny little thing” with the metabolism of a jack rabbit. While in exercise physiology class at Ole Miss, I found out my cholesterol was close to 300 - I nearly fell out and had them check it again, but it was indeed accurate. I realized that even though I was super active, exercised regularly and a normal weight, the trash that I was putting into my body was taking a huge toll on my arteries at the age of 20. My doctor wanted to put me on medication for my cholesterol, but I wanted to see first if I could get it down on my own, by changing my eating habits and adding some fresh fruits and vegetables to my diet. Disease prevention quickly became a large part of my thought process.
After interning in cardiac rehab for 2 years, I quickly learned that I wanted to be on the preventative side of medicine to try to help people before they had their first heart attack or were heading down the wrong path health-wise. Many chronic diseases can be avoided simply by leading a healthier lifestyle. I continually try to take better care of myself and try to educate my clients on doing the same.
Over the years, I have witnessed many of my clients that have made the following changes to their lifestyle and have been able to come off of some medications and feel much better in general.
Here are some helpful prevention tips:
Make healthy food choices. Try to stick mostly to plant-based foods, with lean meats as your “side dish”. Try to avoid ultra-processed foods.
Exercise on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be formal, just try to move more each day and keep from being sedentary.
Control your stress level. Exercise can be a great stress release, as is talking to a friend.
Get enough sleep. Adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Avoid or limit sodas. Avoid or limit alcohol to no more than 1 a day for women and 2 for men.
If you are a smoker, quit. Smoking causes about 90% of all lung cancer deaths and 80% of COPD deaths and is associated with many other cancers and diseases.
Control your weight. If you are overweight, you can help prevent Type 2 diabetes by losing 5-7% of your body weight. Keep your BMI in the normal range.
Schedule annual check-ups and screenings with your physician. Get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked regularly and stay up to date on vaccinations.
In the upcoming months, these will each be highlighted in more detail.
Daily small changes can lead to a much healthier you! As I like to tell everyone; if this bologna sandwich, kit-kat, hotdog, french fry, pizza, processed food loving girl can make changes over time, you can too! I have been able to keep my cholesterol under control all of these years solely by changing my diet. I take care of myself now so my children won’t have to take care of me later ;-)
~Thea