Best Health Advice We Could Give
By The Chiropractic Health Centre
If we could only give three pieces
of health advice, what would they be?
This question is a basic variation
of the ‘elevator pitch’: if you only had 30 seconds to convince someone to
invest in your business, what would you say? Because I tend to have dozens of
random bits floating around in my head at any one time, it’s a bit of a
personal challenge to accumulate my thoughts into cotton candy blobs of truth.
But how to decide what would have
the biggest impact?
Well, first we looked at the most
common diseases (heart disease, back pain, common cold, headaches, depression,
cancer) and looked at the common risk factors. From there, we looked at these
risk factors and chose the ones we can actually change i.e. diet - yes :), age
- not so much :(. And lastly, I decided on the health changes that would have
the greatest possible impact on these modifiable risks - where we can find the
most ‘bang for your buck’. The most ‘bam for your lamb’. The most ‘kablooie for
your..’ ok we’ll stop now.
And the results are in! (drumroll,
please…)
1. DON’T
SMOKE. Smoking is the single largest modifiable risk factor for early death.
People who start smoking in early adulthood will be 2-3 times more likely to
die in middle age and live 10-20 years less than non-smokers. This is not to
mention QUALITY of life - smokers suffer more headaches, back pain, colds,
depression, etc. And stopping smoking helps: “Those who have smoked cigarettes
since early adulthood but stop at 30, 40, or 50 years of age gain about 10, 9,
and 6 years of life expectancy, respectively, as compared with those who
continue smoking.” So, don’t smoke & you’ll live longer and better.
2. EAT
MORE VEGETABLES. The biggest issues with our (Western) diets are the high
calories/pro-inflammatory molecules (e.g. trans-fats) coupled with low
micronutrients/fibre - all due to industrially processing every morsel before
it hits our lips. This contributes to heart disease, cancer, obesity, kidney
disease, dementia and diabetes but also plays a role in chronic pain, mood
disorders, frequent colds & flu, etc. But how can we affect such a complex
array of problems in our diets? We say: more vegetables! Upping the veggies in
your diet will increase vitamin/mineral/fibre intake, reduce overall calories
(fill up on low-cal veggies to reduce overeating), and provide ample
antioxidants to reduce excessive inflammation (which may extend your life).
3. DAILY
YOGA. Human beings are dynamic creatures. The sedentary nature of our desk-job
culture is linked to a whole host of chronic diseases as well as back pain,
headaches, etc, etc. This is why we exercise - every single system in your body
benefits from regular exercise. So why yoga? Yoga helps protect against heart
disease, depression, lower back pain and even helps mitigate the symptoms of
asthma. Yoga provides similar health benefits as aerobic exercise but also
improves mood & sleep. It trains your muscles, flexibility, balance, and
cardiovascular sytem all while maintaining a low injury rate. So… YOGA!
So, there you have it: safeguard
your health with these 3 keys. Or it’s at least a good start.
BONUS TIP: Calorie restriction - but
that is a complicated subject that deserves its own post. Coming soon!
Thanks for reading this far! If you
like what we have to say or want to get in touch with us, call 0216832996,
email claremont@chiropractor.co.za, or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or
Facebook (@TheChiroHealth).
