As a physician, we are required to stay current on medical information by attending conferences, reading journals and obtaining continued medical education hours, CME’s.
Diabetes, hypertension, and cancer are many of the topics where there seems to be a plethora of information.
However, I sometimes feel that the knowledge I obtain in these areas seems to lag behind the large amounts of material that surface on the internet, in beauty shops and in living rooms regarding health and exercise tips. My patients amaze me with their lists of new gadgets, diets and cleanses.
Furthermore, I wish I could take all of the money that they spend on these things and place them in my oldest daughter’s college fund. With that amount of money, she could attend debt free!
Therefore, I thought we need to get back to the basics. Just learn the ABC’s of health!
-
Always exercise. Simple as that. To maintain a healthy weight, you have to move. People make exercise so complicated when it does not have to be that convoluted. Put on music and dance for 30 minutes. Try walking around your house or walking up and down your basement steps. And whatever happened to the good-old-fashioned jump rope? There are many inexpensive ways to obtain the recommended 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week.
-
Be consistent. Starting and stopping your health regimen is not what you want to do. Make incremental changes in your routine so that you are more likely to stick with it. If you were someone who skips meals, then start there. First add breakfast and then slowly add the other missing meals. After you have succeeded with this step, then you can begin with the specifics of the types of foods you are consuming.
-
Choose wisely. Your body was fearfully and wonderfully made. It deserves only the best ingredients inside of it. So, to be clear, that White Castle burger is probably not what the doctor ordered.
Your body is craving fresh fruit and vegetables. Believe it or not, you should aim for 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies per day. By shopping at local farmer’s markets or smaller grocery stores, you can obtain a variety of fruits and vegetables at a fraction of the cost. In addition, if you add up what you have been spending on fast foods, you more than likely can even afford some organic options.
-
Drink water. Most people do not realize that the bulk of their calories during the day have been obtained from consuming some type of sugary drink like juice or soda. Unfortunately, marketing departments have done a disservice to the public by making us believe that juice is better than soda. Most juices have about 30 grams of sugar per serving. Just by eliminating these types of beverages from your day could result in weight loss.
Everything I have mentioned above can be achieved on a modest budget and does not involve breaking the bank on the newest fad. To live a long, healthy life requires dedication, consistency and, from my point of view, simplicity. Let’s get back to the basics!
