Disease Prevention & Healthy Aging: What Will the last 10 years of your life Be Like?

You’re in charge of your future health

Take the wheel of your health now. I’m a horse girl, so I’ll also put it this way: take the reins. You get to steer your life, even when it comes to your health.

Whatever day today is for you, dear reader, today is the first day of the rest of your life. Today can be a new start, a continuous renewal of strength and persistence and resolve, or it can be another excuse, weak link, uninformed day and inaction that slips into the future, soon to become the past.

Whatever today is for you, it’s Decision Day. Decide today what your next steps will be that will prepare you for the future results you want. Are the results guaranteed? No. Nothing is except death and taxes, right?

But we can do our best today to get the best chance of the best possible result later.

Prepare Well, Take Action

We do it for work, sports, vacation and dinner.

For most things in life, we plan & prepare. Then we do and enjoy the outcomes whatever they may be. Why not for health?

That vacation in the Bahamas? We plan how we’ll get there, what we’ll do and who we go with. Then we enjoy the outcome of a nice tan, relaxation and special moments spent with friends and family.

That work project due in four weeks? We brainstorm, research, outline, draft, propose, adjust, implement and finally, as bestseller author and marketing guru Seth Godin says in his books like Linchpin, “ship it.”

So why do most people approach health differently when its impact is so great?

Chronic illness is costly to finances and families

The burden of chronic illness is vastly unnecessary. We don’t have to suffer or age unwell. Making diet and lifestyle changes today is critical in the health outcomes of the future.

Chronic diseases are significantly influenced by lifestyle factors, with estimates suggesting that up to 80% of chronic diseases could be preventable through lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, and avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol use. (CDC)

Six in 10 Americans have at least one chronic disease, and 4 in 10 have two or more chronic diseases. (Buttorff C, Ruder T, Bauman M. Multiple Chronic Conditions in the United States. Rand Corp.; 2017.)

“The estimated cost of chronic disease is expected to reach $47 trillion worldwide by 2030. Individual lifestyle and behaviors and community factors play important roles in the development and management of chronic diseases. Many of these conditions (diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory diseases) are preventable, and their leading risk factors are physical inactivity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol. Unfortunately, the investment in prevention remains small compared with treatment, both from a lifestyle perspective and a social determinants of health perspective. Given the future trajectory of chronic disease, innovation in technology and pharmaceuticals with a concomitant investment in prevention will be required. Our future depends on it” ~ (Hacker, Karen. “The Burden of Chronic Disease.” Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes vol. 8,1 112-119. 20 Jan. 2024, doi:10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2023.08.005)

The modern-day reality is, generally speaking, we live longer, but we live longer unwell.

Unless we consistently employ a nutrient-dense diet and active lifestyle, modifying daily behaviors to prevent chronic illness and everyday health issues, we will add to these types of medical statistics.

Truth is, we can age well and live longer in good health, not bad.

Pass With An ‘A’ Not A ‘C’

When my son was in elementary school, he started taking TaeKwondo. A few years later, my daughter joined in and before we knew it, both my husband and I also took lessons. Martial Arts has a special place in my heart for all that it taught me as an individual and us as a family.

We learned skills, concentration, discipline and mental acuity. Some of the lessons we learned were not even directly taught.

One testing cycle while preparing for the belt exam, lead instructor Mr. Reade asked his students, “Do you want to pass with an ‘A’ or a ‘C?”

All these years later, I still think of that question because it’s so applicable for everyday life, not just a belt exam. And it’s applicable for what we do for our health.

Sure, we could have passed the belt test with the equivalent of a ‘C’ and got our next belt rank.

Or we could have prepared by practicing and applying the proper skills with quality to earn an ‘A.’ As TaeKwonDo students, that ‘A’ level of passing the belt test prepared each of us much better for the next belt test and the next, because we mastered the proper skills and built upon them for what’s to come in the future.

We were more confident with a high level of passing, and ‘A,’ than if we just barely scraped by and got the next rank anyway.

Personally, I remember being more prepared for some belt tests and tournaments than others, and it’s those well-prepared times that I was the most successful, proud of myself and confident in my skillset.

Because I worked hard, applied the proper skills and practiced them over and over again, I enjoyed the outcomes that I’d hoped for.

Passing with an ‘A’ also applies to aging.

Your Last 10 Years Of Life

Apply Mr. Reade’s life-lesson of passing a TaeKwonDo belt exam with an ‘A’ to health.

Do you want to pass into and through menopause, retirement, and grand-parenting with an ‘A’ or a ‘C?’ Do you want to be confident, proud and feel good? Sure you do! I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t!

The Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation hit the nail on the head when it comes to aging. A Lifestyle Medicine physician friend of mine plays their video, “Make Health Last” to nearly every new patient who visits, because it’s so profound. He knows how powerful a well-planned, consistently engaged nutrient-dense diet & active lifestyle choices are to general health and healthy aging.

What each one of us does today, and what we consistently do over time, greatly affects the last 10 years of life. It affects our health next week, next month and next year, but for the sake of this article, it also impacts far into the future.

When will the ‘last 10 years of life’ happen for you and for me? Only God knows that answer.

But we do have the power to push that finish line further out while also enjoying the journey towards it.

I want to finish well. Do you too?

March 2009, TaeKwondo tournament. Applying Mr. Reade’s lesson, preparation paid off with a team medal!

From Info Overload To Decision Day

Today you might be overwhelmed. Most of us are or can be at some point or another. Work, family and our own personal health struggles can keep us overloaded and worried if we’re not well prepared with the right skills and information.

When it comes to health, figuring out the best diet and lifestyle can certainly be overwhelming with the plethora of information and opinions out there.

Most people I talk to in my health coaching practice tell me they don’t know where to start, what to eat or who to believe. That keeps them stuck in a rut. They often feel alone too. Not everyone in the household is wanting to make the same changes they do. They may want similar outcomes, but they’re not as ready as you are.

And finally, most people tell me that going it alone is certainly lonely. Alone, there’s no accountability, no course-correction and no vetted resource for information to keep things going towards success.

Taking plant-based cooking classes are just one way to prevent chronic illness later in life.

Take away info-overload by doing some research, getting well-qualified help for your unique situation. Then take the first step in that direction, and keep taking more steps with a trusted, well-skilled partner.

Thanks to Mr. Reade’s life-lessons, I eventually earned my Second Degree Black Belt and won medals at tournaments because I consistently prepared well with the right skills.

And thanks to my well-designed whole food plant-based diet and active lifestyle, I’m living in great health with the confidence to age well, stay active, enjoy future retirement, play with my grandkids when they come and keep my independence.

I live daily with the confidence and peace of mind that I’m doing everything I can to prevent chronic illness like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, dementia and a slew of others.

I want that for you too.

What will you do today for The Tomorrows You Want?

Chronic illness takes time to develop, if at all. It’s not a necessary or inevitable part of life. Plant-centered diets tend to result in healthier aging than Standard Western Dietary practices.

You are in charge of your future health. Whether the health you experience is costly to finances or your family can have a lot to do with what food you eat today and how you live your daily life.

You’re not in this boat alone. Many people struggle with the same things you do. Many have gone before you and made changes to get better outcomes, like these clients. And many people address long-term health with a team-approach between their healthcare provider and National Board Certified coaches like me to help them with sustainable behavior changes that lead to more freedom in health.

To bring it all home, I’m asking you directly today, “How do you want the last 10 years of your life to be?”

Only you can answer that question.

Only you can make changes today that create the future you want.

I believe you have gifts and talents that this world needs. I believe you deserve good health and happiness today and always. I believe you have the ability within to grow and change.

Take the right steps forward today and your future healthiest self will thank you.