What the HEALTH!
What the hell is going on in the world?
My question is aimed at the very basic understanding of health.
How hard can it be to exercise regularly, get outside a bit, eat fairly healthy food, catch up with friends and family and occupy a satisfying life?
It's bloody hard and we all require help!
Here at SmallWONDERS health facility, we are not doctors, politicians, or epidemiologists. We are PHYSEDDERS. We have been on the ground floor of health for 25 years working on the foundations of basic health and well-being. We try to stay in our lane of expertise. This lane includes:
- General lifestyle coaching (stress management, goal setting, body rhythms, sleep, relationships)
- Exercise therapy (rehabilitation, movement coaching, performance)
- Nutrition planning (personalised plans, body composition, performance)
We feel that the last few years have been super stressful and also very enlightening. Seeing peoples coping mechanisms, planning skills, health habits, communication skills and emotional balance.
Whatever opinions you have regarding the pandemic and how the government has managed the unfolding crisis, it is time to look forward and offer a re-building package of healthy ideas to get our lives back.
(The following information is in conjunction with common sense public health measures and isolation rules when sick)
Don't stay home, don't live in fear, meet with friends and family, go out and support local business.
Your best defense is now to get as healthy as possible!
Being healthy means you won't have to hide from society.
Coverage on worldwide MSM has not been able to get the strong message across about how important natural immunity, healthy body-weight and overall health, fitness and nutrition are in the fight against Covid. I get it, they may say it's in the too hard basket, and a distraction from primary health strategies, But I'm calling the bullshit on that. If we had put as much effort into healthy lifestyle as a combined strategy, we may be able to help future-proof our country from not only less overall hospitalizations from all preventable disease, but also some form of protection against new viruses.
Like I have stated, we are Physedders. Holistic physical education coaches. We cannot give you information or expertise on medication, vaccinations, politics or how to solve the large world economic issues.
Today I wish to share some low hanging fruit from the holistic health realm:
Our mission is to provide better/ optimal health skills to our community.
Reducing co-morbidity. This means where possible, create a lifestyle that diminishes the likelihood of heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, dementia, respiratory complications, certain cancers and metabolic syndrome. Plus, all the physical mechanical ailments of course.
All of these have been linked to a shortened life span, poor quality of life, increased chance of hospitalization, and a stress on the health system.
I can create a pretty large, comprehensive list and guide to creating better health that keeps you more protected in the face of this world crisis, but I think first tackling the easy to reach but hard to talk about topics is essential and quite timely now.
OBESITY. Yes this is a very emotive topic and should never be about fat shaming. (that is not ok, and should not be tolerated). The topic needs to address how obesity can be measured and taken into the quality of life arena. It is obviously never a stand alone issue. It can have multiple associations with poor health. Lack of exercise, and poor food choices as well as potential mental health considerations.
Clinical obesity as measured from a body mass index of 30+ with potential co-morbidity markers.
(You can look up BMI height, weight charts to work out your number)
For general population BMI works quite well. There are outliers with more muscle mass indeed, but the percentage is low. We can measure with various fat composition tests as needed: Calipers and formulas, bioimpedence, Dexa scans. Then we can use a fat percentage and lean muscle mass as a gauge of health.
(Fat percentage over 26% for men and 33% for women is a general gauge of obesity)
Would you believe obesity has climbed to over 30 percent of the NZ population!
So can you have a BMI over 30 and be healthy? The answer could be yes. We have clients on the journey to better health with regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and lifestyle strategies. They have lost weight and now whether in maintenance or continuing to reduce body-fat have amazing health markers. They are still in the category of obese, but have great blood pressure, blood sugars, fitness levels, strength and controlled inflammation.
So you can see how blink judgments can be damaging?
Now if you have multiple ill health markers, do not exercise regularly and have never been taught how to consume healthy food and have been classed as obese, this is a ticking time bomb. Your chance of hospitalisation from the virus (or any virus) is exponentially worse.
As a side note, fat stored more around the mid-section has been linked with more potential health complications and therefore fat distribution must be considered.
How do we help kiwis get back to good health? Move more, eat less? Yes we all inherently know this.
Sugar tax alone will not save you. A 30 minute push play poster will not save you. Fast food facilities will not be slowing down any day soon. Getting all the politicians looking healthy won't motivate you (although it would be good to see).
A comprehensive holistic plan has to be implemented. You need great mentors, skills to understand metrics, choices, feedback mechanisms and long term habit formation.
Allow me to add to the obesity epidemic problem and push a few of the other issues with low hanging fruits:
Lower than optimal Vit D levels amongst our population (especially in winter)
Lack of skill in the eastern philosophy proven protocols
Lack of general strength and fitness
Low knowledge on supplementary protocols for nutritional health
So let me take those 4 and give you a basic rundown of understanding:
It may be controversial regarding Vit D levels in our country, but if you err on the side of caution, the remedy is simple. This nutrient is especially important for immune system health. Get a bit of sun each day (don't burn). Get all over body coverage. Supplement when required.
I will jump to the more eastern philosophy of the elements. They make sense to get into your day.
Get your bare feet on earth. (Safety, security)
Garden, go to the beach, connect to the soil. Contact with the earth's natural electrical charge stabilises human physiology, reducing inflammation, pain and stress.
Respect water. (Get in the flow)
Drink it, swim in it. Try cold showering, hot and cold contrast. Making up 75% of our body, it should be filtered for drinking and provide adequate electrolytes.
The sun element. (Fire in the belly)
Enjoy sunrise, and sunsets. Sunless buildings create unhappy people. Improving bio-rhythms, mood, immunity, are great benefits to your perfect balance of sunlight.
And then we have air. (Breath of life)
Learn how to breathe better, stronger, and therapeutically. Get outside and walk, learn Tai Chi, exercise in nature. Breathing is your power to control stress, action, immunity, and sits on the top of the totem pole for leadership to the entire body.
Simple, right!?
So tell me how much of these simple habits you have attained to a sufficient level on a regular basis all year round?
Nature has healing properties -Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual
Strength and fitness:
As little as 30-60 minutes per week of strength conditioning has been shown to lower the risk of early death by as much as 1/5th. This is independent of low and moderate aerobic activity.
With added 1-2 hours minimum weekly of moderate intensity exercise, perhaps including sport, general play, or laboring work, you improve longevity even further.
You can also add to this the 10,000 step idea (although never proven). If you have a sedentary job, I would highly recommend splitting up your steps throughout the day. This is to keep circulation optimal, reduce postural strain and improve mental well-being.
So in the state of a pandemic, this formula for baseline strength and fitness is essential.
If I was to throw a number out there as to what percentage are hitting the mark of adequate movement, it would be around 20% of our population. Is this good enough? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
My advice:
- Get to the gym at least twice per week
- Count your steps
- Program in general play at least twice weekly
Before you go putting gold nails in a rusty boat (supplements in a unhealthy body), try the free remedies mother nature provided.
So what can we simply put into the supplement category without getting too complicated?
(this is obviously added to a nutrient dense diet. Not replacing bad food habits)
I will just add the common protocols I find work well for many people once assessed as being deficient:
- Magnesium (our soil is deficient and this can be a game changer for stress management)
- Being a co-factor in over 300 bio-chemical reactions in the body, this is a big player!
- Digestive help (increasing enzymes and probiotic use is life changing for a good gut micro-biome)
- Stress, aging and poor lifestyle habits severely deplete digestive function. You are what you digest!
- Zinc and Vit C (simple remedies for improving immunity) Get zinc tested before supplementing
- Zinc deficiency is disastrous for hormones, digestion, cognition, and immunity!
These are pretty simple issues to remedy to support immunity, improve sleep and manage stress.
Just like medication for various ailments, high quality nutritional supplementation can be administered for remedy and performance. Be sure to ask practitioners for valid research.
(Be sure to get advice for supplemental quality and quantity)
So how do you get to know your health numbers?
Everyone should get measurements. Here is your homework. Do it for the team of 5 million.
I want to know your BP, Fasting blood sugars, waist circumference, BMI, Fat percentage, lean body mass, CRP levels (inflammation marker) or a body pain diagram, Vit D level(if not, your white skin pic or sun diary), Sleep diary, food diary, exercise diary. and a list of any ill body symptoms.
Now we will have something to work with. I know it seems like a lot, but I use the quote;
"One life, One body, You are worth it"
Put a healthy home survival pack together to add to your throat lozenges and pain killers.
It can include medicine, supplements, lifestyle techniques, food remedies.
(if you want the comprehensive healthy home pack, send me a request)
Between your GP and a personal coach this can be made easier. There are optimal ranges and ways to assess all of these health markers. And personalised ways to manage your symptoms and deficiencies.
I'll finish by stating the 6 foundation principles of holistic health:
Thoughts - You have 70,000 per day. Find ways to stay optimistic. Great conversations are a start.
Breathing - Find a teacher and study this well. A strong diaphragm is gold
Hydration - Get lots of quality water every day. The solution to pollution is dilution.
Nutrition - Create nutrient dense meals. Keep calories controlled, you eat more than you know and need less than you think. Supplement only where deficient.
Exercise - There are no days of fun movement. Gym, bike, sport, swim, play etc.
Sleep - Good sleepers are healthier people. Talk to a health coach for guidance.
(If you want really good book references for each topic, please just ask)
So get out there NZ!
Get fit, get stronger, get lighter and be healthier.
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