If you are interested in avoiding or seeing a change to chronic disease and reducing reliance on medicine to control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, lifestyle medicine claims to be the way.
According to The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) , Lifestyle Medicine is the use of a whole food, plant-predominant dietary lifestyle, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and positive social connection as a primary therapeutic modality for treatment and reversal of chronic disease.
This lifestlyle change claims that there is much to gain from changing what we eat, how we move, and what we think in the treatment of common diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity. The focus is on eating whole, plant-based foods to increase the fiber in your diet, which is beneficial for controlling blood sugars, decreasing cholesterol and decreasing inflammation. Eating mainly plant-based foods also decreases inflammation by increasing the natural antioxidants and healthy minerals and vitamins that are critical for improving our health.
An increase in movement every day is also essential, as studies show daily activity is powerful medicine for decreasing inflammation, lowering blood pressure and lowering cholesterol in addition to stress relieving benefits. The recommendations for adults is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity, aerobic exercise weekly.
This they say can be done in 10-minute bouts, three times a day, or for 30 minutes, five days a week. Moderate-intensity, aerobic exercise is defined as activity that will cause your heart rate and breathing to increase to the point that you cannot sing, but you can still hold a conversation. It is also recommended that adults participate in resistance training with light weights at least two days a week. The strength training helps to build stronger muscles and bones to help decrease falls as well as we get older.
The mindset which affects the mood and how we think is also an important focus here. Having decreased stress levels helps maintain improved blood sugar, improved blood pressure, and prevent plaque build-up in our vessels reducing the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.
At least seven or eight hours of sleep every night, is recommended to maintain a healthier life and decreasing the risk of chronic medical diseases. You will have to watch it literally as se of devices such as phones, watching TV etc within one or two hours of going to sleep can decrease the natural melatonin released and can decrease restful sleep.
So listening to relaxing music, reading a relaxing book, taking a warm bath or shower and drinking warm, decaffeinated teas are suggestions to improve the ability to fall asleep. It is also recommended that bedroom temperature cooler around 20 degrees Celsius for a more restful sleep.
So will you be trying this soon? Yay or Nay?
