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Susan Young is the Bangor Daily News opinion editor.
It’s one of the most common bits of advice you’re likely to hear: Don’t neglect your health. Or a variation: Be thankful for your good health.
It’s also one of the most universally ignored bits of advice. I know because I’ve long taken my good health for granted and I certainly haven’t done enough to ensure that I stay healthy.
It’s so cliche, it’s hard to admit: I know I need to lose weight, eat healthier and exercise more. Me, and tens of millions of other Americans, it turns out.
I know the statistics: Being overweight and out of shape, and not eating a healthy diet, can lead to a long list of long-term health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and on and on. It can shorten our lives and reduce our quality of life. Poor living habits also overburden our health care system and cost all of us a lot of money.
But, it is so easy to get caught in a routine, to make excuses. I’m too tired. I’ll exercise tomorrow. I shouldn’t have dessert, but man does this ice cream taste good. I should have a salad instead of fries, but I’ll “treat” myself today.
All these little decisions add up. Until one day, you’re feeling terrible, your lab work is full of red marks and you wonder how you ended up like this.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that a health wake-up call (relatively minor, I think, thankfully) is going to completely turn my life around. But, I was reminded recently that I am ignoring far too many warning signs at my peril.
Generally, I am in good health, and for that I am eternally grateful. I am in awe of friends, family, coworkers and others who are navigating significant diseases and conditions with grace and optimism. They remind me to count my blessings — but also to get off my butt and to skip the cookies, because I am lucky and can do some simple things to improve my health.
I am not writing for sympathy or to shame others. Perhaps, by putting these thoughts — and a desire to do better — into a column I can hold myself accountable. That, for me, is the biggest hurdle to improving my lifestyle and my health: accountability.
I am not alone. There’s long been a growing, and lucrative, weight loss and fitness economy because so many Americans are seeking help, and support, to improve their health. Yes, some of us look for easy answers. A supposedly quick workout or a new diet that will help us shed pounds and build fitness.
But, as we know and have heard hundreds of times, there are no shortcuts. The formula is deceptively simple, yet frustratingly hard to follow. Eat a healthy diet, which means plenty of leafy greens, legumes and other vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts and grains. Eat low-fat dairy and go easy on the meat, or skip it altogether. Be very sparing with sugar and salt. And hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. And, exercise regularly. Remember, I’m a newspaper columnist, so talk to your health care provider for real health advice.
The problem is that this type of diet can be seen as boring. Most Americans, it turns out, get the majority of their vegetables from two sources: tomatoes in pizza sauce and potatoes in the form of French fries. This is terrible for our bodies.
It can also be hard to eat a balanced diet when you live in a food desert where stores are hard to get to and are more likely to sell processed foods, rather than fresh fruits and vegetables. Plus, a healthy diet can be more expensive and time consuming.
So, to lean (probably too heavily) on another cliche: Everything in moderation, at least when starting a new diet. I haven’t had added sugar in nearly a week. This probably isn’t sustainable for me, but learning to enjoy a tiny piece of chocolate after dinner rather than a scoop of ice cream likely is. Eliminating carbohydrates from my diet doesn’t seem likely for me, but eating them sparingly can be. Of course, if bigger changes are medically necessary, I will have to make them.
Again, I am super fortunate. I can plan my meals in advance. I can afford healthier foods. I can find the time for exercise.
What I can’t buy is motivation and accountability. That, I must build on my own.
