What does it truly take to preserve your health? This isn’t for those navigating extreme health conditions, whether from aging, genetics, or a lifetime of unhealthy habits. This essay is for the rest of us – the general population – who still have their health and want to keep it.
Here’s the stark truth: preserving health is far easier than eradicating ailments.
In the medical industry, we often have a pill for every ill. But these medications rarely, if ever, completely cure the problem. Look around: your parents, your grandparents – they’re likely taking multiple pills. One for cholesterol, one to thin their blood due to cardiovascular issues or stroke risk, perhaps medications for high blood pressure. Soon, the sheer number of pills can fill a small snack plate. How did we get here? How did these widespread ailments come to be? And how did humanity survive getting older just a few decades or a century ago, before this explosion of pharmaceuticals?
This relentless race to illness, followed by a frantic race back to “health,” has spawned entire industries. We’re talking about self-styled gurus, health influencers, advisors, longevity centers, countless measuring and monitoring devices, endless diets and dietary fads, supplement empires, numerous fasting styles, smart rings, watches, straps, and gadgets. Then there are data-crunching AI advisors, calorie counters, movement monitors, sleep trackers, emotional health advisors, and life coaches. But honestly, are we truly better off? Are we happier?
We humans are naturally drawn to complexity. The more intricate a concept, a piece of advice, or a “protocol” seems, the more confident we feel about the guidance we’re receiving. Yet, in reality, the majority of concepts related to health, nutrition, relationships, finance, and even science are remarkably simple. We often reject simplicity, believing we’re being “hoodwinked” or “taken for a ride.”
But here it is: If you still possess your health, preserving it is significantly easier than treating chronic illnesses. The path to preserving your health has only a few, straightforward tenets:
- Move Daily: You can’t outrun a day’s worth of inactivity by cramming all your steps into the evening. Putter around, find reasons to move throughout your day.
- Eat Wisely: As Michael Pollan famously advised: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” This simple mantra cuts through all the dietary noise.
- Practice Discipline and Self-Restraint: Too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily better. This applies to everything from food to entertainment. Moderation is key.
- Prioritize Sleep: Consistent, adequate sleep is non-negotiable for physical and mental restoration.
- Stay Strong: Engage in activities that build and maintain your physical strength. Muscle matters as you age.
- Avoid Harmful Substances: Don’t use recreational drugs, tobacco, vaping, limit alcohol and marijuana consumption, and steer clear of high-risk behaviors that jeopardize your well-being.
- Consume Mindfully: Pay attention to what you feed your body, mind, and soul. Choose inputs that nourish, rather than deplete, you.
- Embrace Discomfort: Don’t always seek comfort. Growth, both physical and mental, often happens at the intersection of comfort and discomfort. Challenge yourself.
- Understand Visceral Fat: Educate yourself about visceral fat and its dangers. Look into the Body Roundness Index as a simple metric to monitor your risk.
- Act on Data (If You Monitor): If you’re using electronic gizmos to monitor your health, learn what and how to change to make a meaningful difference. Merely looking at data does nothing for your health. You’ll soon realize that improving your health, sleep, and mental well-being often boils down to these fundamental, consistent actions.