The 3 Most Powerful Ways to Improve Your Health

SPEAKER_1 (0:04)

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John Jesse (0:32)

Hi, John Jessy with The Health Continuum here today, and another quick health tip. First, a little background. There is so much constantly in the media about new health hacks you can do to improve your health, whether it's supplements, a new diet, or some device. The thing they all have in common is that they are being promoted to make someone, not you, money. They are money-making schemes designed for maximum profit. No, they are not all the same. They are spread along a continuum with total fraud to legitimate science. Some are based on legitimate science and could possibly have a place in your health plan, but it's hard to find the legitimate ones. That is one role The Health Continuum is trying to fulfill by regularly visiting with legitimate health practitioners who are promoting some practice or science slightly outside the mainstream that is supported by research and which would suggest it may be something to be considered. Which takes us to my health tip for today. I mentioned the slightly outside the mainstream practices because I think people spend far too much time and resources chasing them when they haven't yet attended to the mainstream. The mainstream being those health practices that will give you the biggest bang for the buck, those overwhelmingly supported by research and practice. That is what the health continuum is about, helping you identify what you are able and willing to do right now to improve your health. And your selection should be from that mainstream. These are the main areas I would encourage you to look at, as they will have by far and away the biggest impact on your health, positive and negative. Want to improve your brain health? Choose one of them. Heart health? Choose one of them. Prevent cancer, diabetes? Choose one of them. Lose fat, gain muscle, get more energy? Choose one of them. If you look at the research to improve the health of any of your organs or systems in your body, it will say, choose one of them to work on. So when you're doing something healthy for your brain, it will also be healthy for your heart and your lungs and your blood because these core mainstream practices help your whole body get healthier. Here are the three most important things, no questions asked, that you can work on right now to improve your health. And until you feel you're in a good place with all three of them, please don't waste your time and resources on the fringe because you get far more powerful results by focusing on one of these right in the mainstream. They are improve your movement, improve your eating, improve your sleep. I like to say it this way. These are the three things that impact your health the most that you have control over. How you move, how you eat, how you sleep. And what is so exciting is that you do have control over these. You know, your age, your heredity have a big impact on your health, but you don't have any control over them. Moving, eating, sleeping, you can improve. Now, two cautionary notes before we talk about these three. One of the most important components of the health continuum is that you should only work on making one change at a time. That is how you'll be successful. So you should not try to work on your movement, eating, and sleeping all at once. Pick one of the three and one change for that one and get to work. But please know if you improve one aspect of your eating, it'll likely have a positive impact on your movement and sleep. Note, I said one aspect of your eating. So you work on improving one aspect of moving or eating or sleeping. For a deeper explanation of how and why, read or listen to my book, The Health Continuum. You can find it on Amazon. Second, cautionary note. There is no magic bullet. Let me say it again. There is no magic bullet. Everyone wants one and is looking for, including me. That's why all those marketeers who are promoting the fringe products are so successful in making money because they promise a magic bullet. Something everybody wants, but which in reality doesn't exist. There is no one thing you can do or eat to make you healthy. It doesn't exist. Good health is a byproduct of lots of factors, some of which you don't control. But three important ones you do, moving, eating, and sleeping. But they're not a magic bullet. And it takes multiple health choices and practices across all three to create a healthy lifestyle with each positive choice adding to your overall health. So first, you need to ask yourself, which of those three, moving, eating, sleeping, is most negatively impacting your health right now? And what is the most powerful change you are willing and able to make right now that would produce the most positive health benefit? Here are some questions you can ask yourself to get started. First, movement. Strength. Are you doing some sort of strength training twice weekly? This could be lifting weights, which could be your own weight, like pushups or full body squats. It could be using a machine or exercise band. All of these methods and lots more could work to strengthen your muscles, increase and sustain mobility and prevent muscle loss as you age, and many, many more health benefits from weight training. If you are not doing this, wow, what a great place to invest some time and resources right now that will be guaranteed to improve your health, and it doesn't take long. Just be sure to start slow. One exercise is a great way to begin, and then add another every week or so until you have a full body workout. You need to be patient and be committed. Last improvement is incremental, not all at once. How about cardio? Do you walk every day?