Often we (as a society) associate being thin and fit with being healthy. While that is ONE of the signs of good health, it doesn’t mean that you’re healthy just because you’re in good physical shape and not overweight.
A friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. While this would be a shock for anyone, it was especially shocking for her because she considered herself very healthy — she was 37 years old, physically active and not overweight, eating a mostly whole food vegetarian diet, practicing yoga and meditation, getting to bed by 10pm most nights and sleeping for 8 hours.
However, while she had a lot of really healthy habits, no one is perfect. We all have our vices.
And you likely know someone who lived to be 90+ years old while drinking alcohol, smoking, and/or consuming sugar.
Sure, genetics play a part, but it’s estimated that at up to 95% of illness is due to diet and lifestyle and only 5% genetics.
Each person is unique and there is not one RIGHT diet for the whole population.
Therefore, habits and weight are not good markers of health on their own.
In fact, according to Dr. Mark Hyman imbalances in seven key systems in your body contribute to breast cancer and every other disease.
1. Environmental inputs
2. Inflammation and Immune Balance
3. Hormones and Neurotransmitters
4. Gut and Digestive Health
5. Detoxification
6. Energy, Mitochondria and Oxidative Stress
7. The Mind/Body and Body/Mind Effect
I believe if we want to get out of this coronavirus pandemic, we need to start looking at health in a different way — and we need to stop seeing vaccines as the solution and instead, better health as the solution. Sure, the latter might not be as easy for entire population, but does that mean that we shouldn’t try? While vaccinations for COVID19 may provide some protection, we know they aren’t 100% effective either and they may come with side effects. We’re also seeing that there will always be another virus that comes along!
If we each focus on our own health first, we can serve as a role model to those around us to influence their health as well.
And if we each share the knowledge we acquire (like I’m sharing in this blog) with those in our circle of influence, we can start a ripple effect.
The best solution, and the long-term solution to protect yourself from any virus or pathogen, as well as all kinds of chronic disease – from heart disease to cancer to autoimmune disease – is to assess whether you are truly healthy, and then take steps to improve your health.
You need to be the CEO of your own health if you want to be truly healthy!
You can’t rely on annual doctor check-ups to be sure you’re healthy. If they do run labs, the reference ranges they use are based on 95% of the population (not a very good measure of health!) – so just because your numbers look “normal” doesn’t mean they are “optimal.” And they likely aren’t assessing all the 7 key areas of your health mentioned above.
If you’re not overweight, and you don’t have a chronic disease — even if you have symptoms like frequent headaches, trouble sleeping, anxiety, or PMS — most doctors would consider you healthy.
But does the absence of disease mean you’re truly healthy?
No.
In fact, I don’t even consider myself truly healthy.
Sure, I’m healthier than the vast majority of the population, but that’s a really poor comparison metric.
What does it mean to be truly healthy?
Here’s 6 ways to objectively evaluate if you are truly healthy:
- Vital signs
- Nutrient sufficiency
- Chronic symptoms and signs of imbalance/dysfunction in the body
- Metabolic health markers
- Your gut microbiome, which influences your immune function
- Inflammation
Honestly, the world we live in makes it hard to be “truly healthy” because of all the processed foods, EMFs, sedentary work, and thousands of environmental toxins we are exposed to!
However, we still have a lot of tools that we can utilize to be truly healthy, despite the challenges the modern world presents.
If you need support, schedule a free discovery call with me. I’ll help you discover the potential root causes of you chronic symptoms, and what’s getting in the way of you looking & feeling like your healthiest self. Whether it’s digestive issues, fatigue, an autoimmune or diabetes diagnosis, difficulty losing weight, sleep issues, or simply sticking with healthy habits — I can help!
Click here to schedule your FREE call.
References:
1. 10 Strategies to Prevent and Treat Breast Cancer
