Chronic disease is preventable and often reversible. It is the failure point of modern medicine which is superb at adding band-aids to the patient population for fixing the list current symptoms, but fails to get to the root of the problem that only persists in chronic disease.
Chronic disease is defined as any condition that persists over a long period of time, at least 3 months or more. Broken down, the definition of chronic (kronik)–persisting for a long time, and disease (dizeez)– an unhealthy condition of the body or mind. Or otherwise known as dis-ease–being in a state of which is not at ease.
The problem with chronic disease is that it can attack victims without them ever knowing, until some major event happens. At that time, perhaps, many symptoms may have gone unnoticed but now become evident. Or, no symptoms were present at all. When a condition slowly progresses, the symptoms are often so subtle that each day of decline becomes the new norm. So many people view their decline as just getting older, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Chronic disease is preventable.
The best way to assure good health and avoid a long term health decline is to participate in the following lifestyle habits.
Get regular physical activity—get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of moderate aerobic activity weekly or about 30 minutes a day.
Eat healthy—we recommend eating a plant-based whole food diet; foods that are in their natural state, unrefined and unprocessed.
Not smoking—a high cost self infliction that destroys the body (not just the lungs) and shortens life expectancy. It also reduces the quality of life, especially in the final years.
Avoiding or limiting alcohol consumption—it absorbed faster than it is metabolized and consuming excessive amounts will damage the liver, brain and heart among other parts in the body.
Have a good sleep regime—sleep 7-8 hours every day.
Avoid stress—simplify life when possible. Stress ages the body and can destroy mental health as well as physical health.
The question you may want to ask your self is, how much do you value the quality of your life? If you’re happy being the jolly fat guy and don’t care if you die in your 50s, then you won’t fret about your chronic issues, and having them consume you should be the apparent expectation. However, if your wish is to live a long and healthy life, see your grandchildren grow, travel the entire map of exotic places and fulfill the adventures on your bucket list, then avoiding and reversing chronic disease should be very valuable to you.
The time to care is now!
If you think the cost of eating healthy is expensive, then try looking at the cost of being unhealthy! How much are those prescription and doctor co-pays and insurance deductibles? How about loss of income because of illness? What about new clothes because the others don’t fit anymore? Wheel chairs, walkers, scooters, and specialized home equipment all come with a hefty price tag not to mention those upcoming nursing home stays that can cripple finances and burden your children.
Maybe those organic fruits and vegetables don’t seem so expensive anymore when put into perspective. You don’t always have to buy organic to eat healthy either. Understanding the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen can save you money. Eliminating or greatly reducing meat and dairy in the diet can free up lots of funds to buy healthier foods. Driving past the fast food restaurants and finding ways to cook for yourself and prepare your own beverages that are free of salt and sugar will save money and pounds. A plant-base diet can do wonders for your health. Plant a garden if you can for the very best fresh vegetables or start visiting farmers markets.
If you are having trouble navigating the life changes needed to create a happier, healthier you, then hiring the services of a Health Coach should be prioritized. The cost of this service is minimal when compared to the cost of the being on the path of chronic disease. That journey only gets worse. Once you have one chronic disease such as type II diabetes, you are at higher risk of succumbing to other illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Quality of life diminishes with any chronic disease to the point of total consumption. How do you want to live your final years?
The final question to ask yourself is, do you want to spend more of your life living, or more of your life dying? A healthy lifestyle can help you with the former, modern medicine and pharmaceutical companies are terrific with the latter. The choice is yours!
At Plant Food and Gratitude , we offer individualized coaching sessions to assist you in managing your health concerns and making healthy changes to support you and the health of your family. We will support you as you transition to a more vibrant healthier you! Our coaches specialize in working with many areas of health including weight reduction, stress relief, thyroid disorders, heart disease, cancer support, and can help you find ways to make a transition to a more nutritious diet including more plant based eating.
If you’re interested in more about what we do, consider signing up for our newsletter to receive instant access to our wellness wheel assessment. You’ll also receive recipes and important health information delivered to your inbox and much much more!
Please let us know your thoughts! Comment below – we want to hear from you!
Do you want to learn more about how a Health Coach can help? Check out this great article on the benefits. If you’re interested in coaching to have some support around these lifestyle changes, we’d love to work with you. Receive a FREE Consultation and let us match you with one of our amazing health coaches we have standing by to work with you!