Your Health Is Your Fault, and That’s a Good Thing
Photo by James Wheeler - from Pexels
Genetics Aren’t Causing Chronic Health Issues
It is incredibly common for people to assume that any chronic health condition they have, that their parents or other family members also have, is due to genetics. Though your family shares your genetics, they also tend to share your diet and lifestyle habits. The vast majority of the time genetics may make it easier for a chronic disease or condition to develop, but your diet and lifestyle choices are what actually lead to the development of these conditions.
It may feel uncomfortable to realize your choices led to an undesirable health outcome, and it also feels empowering to know that you have control and your choices. Which means you can improve and sometimes completely reverse chronic health issues.
Take Control of Your Health
Claiming responsibility for chronic health conditions is the first step. Now what? Diet, physical activity, sleep, smoking status, alcohol use, stress, and weight status are 7 key lifestyle factors that have a large impact on chronic health outcomes and prevention. There is more detail on each of these factors below.
Diet. The foods you eat can improve your health, diminish your health, or are relatively neutral. This post covers the basics on which foods to increase and which to limit for optimal health. There are no foods you need to avoid 100% of the time, it is all about choosing the health promoting foods as often as possible. If you have genetic predisposition to chronic issues like heart disease or diabetes, that means you would benefit from eating the health promoting foods the vast majority of the time.
Physical Activity. Most people do not meet the standard recommendations for physical activity - 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity (where you can talk to someone else during the activity, but don’t have enough breath to sing), and strength training every muscle group at least twice per week. There are even more benefits when people exceed those recommendations. Here are some tips to get started with exercise. If you have a genetic predisposition for a chronic disease, gradually work up to meeting these exercise recommendations, and eventually exceed them.
Sleep. Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep per night - some need a bit more. If you are not consistently meeting this minimum it can lead to increased visceral fat (the kind that increases heart disease and diabetes risk), increased food cravings (making it harder to keep weight controlled and harder to stick to the foods that support health), increased physiological and mental stress, and mood swings. If you struggle to sleep here are 5 tips for better sleep.
Smoking Status. If you smoke, take steps to quit. Smoking increases inflammation and risk of almost every chronic disease. The best outcomes for quitting include the use of medications paired with smoking cessation counseling, if you haven’t tried this combination in the past most insurance companies have programs. If you have tried it in the past, try it again when you’re ready.
Alcohol. Alcohol use increases risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and other conditions. This risk is highest when you are over-consuming alcohol (learn more here). If you have genetic predisposition for chronic conditions, limit your alcohol use as much as possible, ideally completely.
Stress. You can’t avoid all stressors, but what you can control is how you manage your stress. Many people manage stress with alcohol, drugs, and/or food (especially high sugar, salt, or fat foods) all of which can negatively impact health. Identify your current stress management techniques, and consider alternative options that better support your goals. Some methods for stress management are in this post from the CDC. If those aren’t a good fit, consider talking with a mental health professional to get individualized recommendations.
Weight Status. Carrying excess body fat does increase risk of most chronic diseases. Making the changes to diet, physical activity, sleep, alcohol consumption, and stress recommended above can often result in a loss of body fat. Losing weight through diet and lifestyle changes is difficult, but it can be easier with support - click here to book a free phone consultation to see if health or nutrition coaching can help support you in making changes.