Life, But Better: 8 ways to sleep better, eat better, do better in 2024 for Health & Wellness. Begin with this fitness guide based on scientific research done on the topic.
We are now in the New Year and it is the best time for most people to make their New Year’s resolution. Thus, a large number of many people are interested in bettering their life’s quality. Which are the ones that have most impact to their health?
As identified by CNN wellness medical expert Dr. Leana Wen, the five most important things a person can do for his/her health are exercise more, stop smoking; drink less, avoid ultraprocessed foods; and get better social connection.
I interviewed her to understand why such decisions differentiate people, and how one can begin the journey of change? Wen is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. She formerly was health commissioner of Baltimore.
Dr. Leana Wen: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s prescriptions for physical activity are 150 minutes of moderate- to high-intensity movements weekly. For instance, a study conducted last year that undertook meta-analysis on data from 196 papers, confirmed that the kind of exercise has incredible health benefits.
Compared to inactive adults the persons enrolled in this level of physical activity featured 31 percent lower mortality from all causes, 29 percent lower mortality from cardiovascular diseases and 15 percent lower mortality from cancer.
The next thing that took my attention was that the authors established that those who practiced half of the recommended quantity also enjoyed numerous health gains. Most notable, ‘moderate’ activity defined as 75 minutes per week was proven to have a 23% reduction in the risk of death in the early years of life. This also reduced the occurrence of cardiovascular disease by 17% and of cancer by 7%.
My first message here then is that, the frequency of the exercise does count. It is with this regard that people should endeavor to meet the 150 minutes a week as recommended. However the vision of going from a sedentary lifestyle to this amount of exercise may scare some people off.
That’s why the second takeaway is so key: It may seem like only 11 minutes a day, but big changes can be made. This could be achieved through daily activities such as walking for 30 minutes at a brisk pace around the block, taking rather the stairs rather than the lift or doing very intensive cleaning.
They say that the total sum of harm of body depends on how many years and how much someone smokes. The degree of harm from smoking is calculated by the frequency of smoking and the number of years. Most of these effects are however removable if the patient stops smoking.
The main benefits associated with the cessation of the habit include diminished risk of cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases as well as cancer. The earlier the better though even those with other complications such as heart and lung diseases will benefit from the action of abstaining from smoking.
There is a number of different strategies available to assist individuals in quitting smoking including use of nicotine, drugs, applications and groups. I encourage the current smokers to seek anon from the physician on the above-said options. U
CNN: You also have alcohol on this list. That leads to the all-important question: how much alcohol is too much? In what circumstances should people think of moderation in alcohol consumption?
Wen: There are two issues in respect of this. One is the proportions of alcohol taken vis-a-vis the pre-scribed limits. According to the American dietary guidelines, men who consume alcohol should not take more than two units of alcohol per day while women should not take more than one unit of alcohol per day.
Additionally, according to the CDC level one ‘heavy drinking’ is consuming fifteen or more drinks in a week if you are a man or eight or more if you are a woman. ‘Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one drinking occasion for men, and four or more for women.
Those who consume more than recommended dietary amounts or are classified as either ‘heavy drinkers’ or ‘binge drinkers,’ should cut down on their alcohol consumption. There are also questions you should answer, for instance, whether you are drinking at work, home or with friends? These are some of the early warning signs of possibly having un healthy relationship with alcohol.
The concept of Dry January is for those who need to rethink their alcohol consumption wants to find out if they can abstain for one month. Daily drinkers should not use the methods of quit taking the substance suddenly without a proper plan. Basically they should consult their physician who can guide them when it comes to treatment.
CNN: Now let’s go to the next item, which directs us to know, or to cut, ultra processed foods. What was the reason you decided to go with this one?
Wen: The obesity is the second high priority preventable cause of death in Americans after cancer. Obesity affects a large proportion of the population in America where over 40% of the adults are recorded to be suffering for this sickness which has been associated with several poor health related issues.
Addressing obesity is complex. There is evidence that there are new drugs available which may benefit a large number of people. Other aspects of metabolic health include the food that one takes in their system as well.
In particular, ultra-processed foods, elevate the risk of obesity and other diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer. These are foods with such ingredients as ‘those which are said to never or rarely (be) used in kitchens or classes of additives whose role is to add taste or make the final product appealing’ according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Examples of these additives are; preservative agents, emulsifying agents, colors and dyes, sugars and sweeteners, and salts and fats.
These additions are aimed to make the food tasty and appetizing thus they do not have any health or any nutritious value. However, some of these additives may be toxic and weak gorge, and ultrasaturated food looks less stimulating appetite and therefore people will overeat them in relation to less processed whole food products. It has emerged that people who consume processed foods result to consuming more calories and accumulating more weight as compared to those who consume whole food diet with minimal processed foods.
To a great extent, it might be impossible to fully exclude ultraprocessed food from our diets, but we can from time to time try to add more whole foods to our diet such as; vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grain products, milk and fish and meat products.
Attempt to cut down on fizz pop drinks – including pop – and snack-type foods like chips and candy and cookies which are good examples of junk foods and drinks; fast foods that include foods that are prepared and packaged to be eaten immediately and other foods and drinks with long list of ingredients some of which are additives.
CNN: Finally, social connection. Still, there is no doubt that the fear of loneliness seems to be growing at a high rate across the world.
Wen: Yes. A 2023 Global Study that was conducted with 142 countries established that 23 percent of those people aged 15 years and above felt very lonely or fairly so. Isolation and loneliness have high risks with many negative health impacts such as increased premature mortality.
It is a good time to pay much attention in developing social relationships as we carry out our activities in the new year. There are basic things which have been clearly outlined as follows; That which includes getting time to meet friends and a conscious effort of not using phone or other ‘gadgets’ when with our loved ones. These small steps can result to better emotional health and can also work towards the improvement of our overall health in the long run.
