Would You Choose Pills and Surgery Over Lifestyle Change?

How many of you would rather choose “pills and surgery” over lifestyle change? Most people believe that medicine is more effective than lifestyle change. The photo above clearly illustrates this unfortunate reality. The line for pills and surgery is full, while there is no line for people who decide to change their lifestyle. Given the benefits of exercise and lifestyle changes versus the risks and side effects of medicines, oftentimes the best choice is to change your eating habits and start an exercise program.

Here are some common health issues that can be avoided by changing your lifestyle:

Diabetes. There is a clear-cut link between being overweight and having an increased risk of developing diabetes. Obesity is a driving force behind type 2 diabetes. By losing excess weight, you automatically lower your risk for diabetes and its severe complications – loss of vision, foot amputations, kidney disease and in some cases, an early death.

Heart Disease. Obesity is also a risk factor for heart disease, the #1 killer, but did you know that cardiovascular disease causes ten times more fatalities in women than breast cancer? Most people are not aware of this fact, or that heart attacks occur more often in women than men. I had the privilege to interview Dr. Ford Brewer on my Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, who explained in detail why this is the case and what you can do about it. Prevention is the key which has to do with lifestyle change. You can watch my interview with Dr. Ford Brewer here.

Blood Pressure, also known as the “silent killer.” Exercise will reduce blood pressure even in patients with the toughest blood pressures to control—resistive hypertension,” says Amy Doneen, MSN, ARNP, co-author of Beat the Heart Attack Gene (Wiley, 2014) with Bradley Bale, MD. “One of the biggest causes of high blood pressure is pre-diabetes. Lots of pre-diabetic patients have hypertension and are on several blood pressure medications. Once they start moving away from diabetes, their blood pressure will start to decrease and blood pressure medications can be reduced or stopped.

“Exercise is known to lower blood pressure and is considered a cornerstone of blood pressure management,” adds Doneen. “The average reduction is approximately 3 mmHg systolic (the top number) and 2.5 mmHg diastolic (lower number). This amount of reduction translates into a significant reduction in mortality risk from stroke and heart attack of around 9 percent and 6 percent respectively”…”The good news is that studies show that both aerobic and resistance training improve blood pressure.”

I would also like to include that 5 minute deep breathing exercises every day will also lower your blood pressure naturally, especially when you breath in through your nose and out through your nose. Try doing this every day for 30 days and watch your blood pressure drop to a normal range. You will also notice a decrease in anxiety, which is extremely important today.

Heartburn & Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Why take a drug when you can change your diet? In the case of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), many sufferers choose to pop a pill and risk side effects, such as heart disease, vitamin deficiency and bone fractures. But medical experts have found that by eliminating certain foods from the diet, adding others and watching portion size, GERD can be prevented and treated almost entirely by these lifestyle changes.

In short, eating a whole food, plant-based diet equals less heartburn, it also promotes weight loss, prevention of diabetes and the prevention of heart disease, and when you mix in a little exercise every day or on most days of the week, you will improve your health significantly.

Sometimes it’s easier said than done to change your lifestyle. Some of us may need a little help and support and that is why I created the “Six Weeks to Family Fitness program”. Our 3^rd annual New You for the New Year, Six Weeks to Family Fitness program will begin on January 9^th, 2024, but I strongly urge you to sign up now if you are interested in reducing chronic disease and getting into shape for the new year.