While complex problems may appear to require equally intricate solutions, sometimes the answer is so simple. As stewards of group health benefits, we would all do well to focus our client work on what individuals can actually do to
We need to strike at the core of what matters when it comes to group health plans, which is controlling risk by
If someone is healthy, then they are going to
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I have recently been inspired by a number of nutrition-focused books, one of which was particularly poignant and impactful: "Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine" by Dr. Robert H. Lustig. I've come to realize that food should be thy medicine, and medicine should by thy food (who knew that a modern Greek would be such a fan of Hippocrates?!). I've been able to prove the authors right with my very own health status, so it seems I may be onto some axioms that I'm thrilled to share.
There seems to be a fundamental lack of granular advice when it comes to diet and exercise, with most of us told to just be mindful of our diet and exercise to address an innumerable variety of ailments, chronic diseases or even phases of life. But what if someone already believes they are adequately active, mobile, strong, etc., or that they do follow a healthy diet? The advice falls short, people become frustrated, their habits continue to compound and even a minor downward trajectory builds upon itself until the body is positively screaming for change and amelioration.
I recently shared that people lie, the body does not. Isn't it the case that if someone consumes anti-nutrients, empty calories, artificially created sustenance, sugary food and beverages that the body responds with declines in metabolic health? What we consume has implications that continue to impact the body until our last days. Referring back to "Metabolical," it was enlightening to discover that dysfunction in these systems produces collateral illnesses that may become chronic, and many also produce the unwanted side effect of weight gain, which continues to be an issue everyone would like to solve (read: popularity with new medications that suppress hunger and result in weight loss).
I'm a believer in applying data to health (surprise!), which is how my real journey began. I read about wearables in "Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity" by Peter Attia, M.D., and Bill Gifford, and while I used an Apple Watch for years to help track my workouts, I was only receiving a partial picture of how my body was doing (just during exercise, for the most part).
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The WHOOP strap was a welcomed new way to see how my stress levels were throughout the day, sleep quality, heart health (i.e., heart rate variability, respiratory rate per minute and the like), and what tended to impact these variables based upon my behaviors and diet. It was so eye-opening that it led to significant positive reinforcement of my healthy behaviors and a minimization of those that were clearly of negative impact to my well-being.
Alcohol use, for one, had the single most deleterious effect on me in comparison to anything else. Because I put this in the magnifier, I am critically attuned to my decision to imbibe or pass, but in having used data to support my suspicions, I now have convictions to better guide my decision-making in this area and so many others. I learned how to recover, the amount of physical work I should put in, how much sleep I needed to optimally perform the next day and much more.
Sleep is arguably the single most important aspect to recovery, but how many people do you know who are not getting enough rest? Despite me averaging 9 hours and 23 minutes in bed each night over the past six months, which I'm still falling short of 100% sleep performance by 5%. That should serve as a wake-up call for many (sorry, I just couldn't resist the wordplay).
With regard to nutrition, I concluded after reading several books and Substacks and viewing or listening to podcasts and videos that whole foods are fundamentally one of the most important aspects of good health. The key is limiting processed, refined, packaged and sugary foods. I distilled all that advice into good habits, consuming five to seven servings of vegetables per day to line the gut with the two types of fiber needed to ensure proper functionality of the digestive system. It also slows down the bad stuff to avoid spikes if I consumed something refined and quickly absorbed sugar.
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I leaned into oily fish, unheated oils, nuts and multi-colored foods that show their antioxidant properties on the outside and pared down meats. I had been a Carnivore for several years, thinking it was for the best, but then realized I was overnourished (a polite way of saying overeating). My system didn't like it and responded in kind. I also did a 22-hour intermittent fast daily for about five years, which gave my body time to flush out toxins, work on using fat reserves for energy and powered me through the day energy-wise.
I've come to love this schedule, but know it isn't for everyone. It's also easier to be strict about what I am eating since that only occurs once per day. Like you, I thought because I was a snacker my entire life that I would never be able to just have black coffee and water and only consume calories in one two-hour window. It took some getting used to, but after just a couple of weeks of shrinking my eating window, I was on a one-meal-a-day routine and have stuck to my guns about it. Embracing this diet has produced very positive results for me.
In having taught myself in this way and applying data to my exercise and routines, I'm nearly back to my 18-year-old weight. I feel great, too! I'm not special, particularly advantaged, or by any means have nutrition and fitness deciphered, but in being my own guinea pig and enjoying the fruits of my efforts by being in good health, I want to shout from the mountaintop that achieving optimal health status pays tremendous dividends.
Positive health costs the healthcare system dramatically less than ignoring these areas until the body cries that it is too late. Everything I've done to improve my health has only cost me time and effort. Fasting is free, buying real, unprocessed, natural and healthy food can be exceedingly cost-effective, and even my workout routine all year has been bodyweight exercise-driven, so that's membership-free, too.
Imagine what you could do for your employer clients by helping the employee populations you serve become healthier, happier and more productive, which will improve health outcomes and lower claims. In this best-case scenario, everyone wins.
