Movement and nutrition, the foundations of health

In our consumer-driven health care paradigm, it can be easy to get sucked into the latest and greatest medication, herb, supplement or surgery that promises to upgrade your life. Keeping you powerless and dependent on the biggest corporations for everything from the simplest of healthcare needs to the more complex and life-saving measures. But the foundation to health has always been in your hands! The air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat and the ways we move our bodies are the very keys to a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, despite the popular interest in life-style medicine (eat blueberries for brain health!), significant translational research remains lacking and providers and patients are left without clear answers as to what they can do to impact their health. The answers we get as to what we should eat and how we should move are vague, not personalized and based on decades-old research financed by industries that are not invested in healthy, whole Americans. Check out this article from the 2016 JAMA Internal Medicine highlighting the steps taken by the sugar industry to vilify dietary fat and cholesterol as the drivers of heart disease!  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27617709/

Start small and build up daily practices to have the most impact. Eat your 4-5 servings of whole fruits and vegetables early in the day and reap the benefits of improved nutrition without cutting out a single food group! Get your feet taken care of, then lace up those walking shoes and spend some time in nature. Connect with your loved ones and share your commitment to health and to life well-lived. Chase after that dream that you seemed to never have time for. I am amazed every day by stories of people who are 65+ climbing mountains, riding their "birthday miles" on a bicycle, lifting weights like professional bodybuilders and even becoming a certified lifeguard at age 70. Or the woman who began walking 5 miles a day at 90! It is never too late to improve your health. For more inspiration, please check out the Lotus Health Foundation, a doctor-founded non-profit that advocates for evidence-based lifestyle medicine, based in Rochester, MN.

https://lotushealthfoundation.org/