There is much we can do to stay healthy and avoid disease. Our bodies have an amazing capability to heal when provided the right conditions. For those who have a predisposition for certain diseases and autoimmune conditions, it is even more important to do everything you can to help your body do its job of maintaining (or restoring) good health.
Here are eight lifestyle factors necessary for optimal health and well-being:
Nutrition
If you read the healing stories on this site, you’ll notice that in every case, dietary changes were a core part of their healing. What we put into our bodies determines our health to a large degree. I didn’t start healing until I significantly changed my diet. But what diet? Go to any bookstore, and you will see an entire wall of books on diet and nutrition, with wildly conflicting information. After reading hundreds of articles and books, we were convinced that a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet made the most sense. It is the only dietary approach that is supported by decades of research proving its ability to reverse disease.
Exercise
You’ve heard the saying “A body in motion tends to stay in motion”. Our bodies were designed to be active and need to move to stay healthy. Today’s lifestyle of watching TV, playing video games, working a desk job and other sedentary activities negatively affect our health. This is made worse when we’re not balancing it with a regular exercise regimen. Exercise releases natural chemicals (endorphins, adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine). Endorphins, for example, trigger a positive feeling in the body similar to that of morphine, but in a natural way. Yoga and stretching routines are beneficial for aching joints. Exercise improves cardiovascular health, reduces stress, improves sleep and is a great antidepressant, among many other benefits. A recent study in the UK found that people who exercised less over the previous three years had a 22% decrease in well-being. Exercise improves your health and helps you feel better, both physically and emotionally.
Stress
Have you ever experienced a headache, neck tension, stomach problems or fatigue due to a stressful situation? Those are examples of the real physical effects stress has on your body. Stress is also a well-known trigger for lupus flares. When you’re body is already under attack from an autoimmune disease, adding stress to the equation just makes it worse. Stress ages you. Stress makes you sick. Stress kills. My journey with lupus started because of stress, and over the years my flares were always associated with stressful times in my life. Effectively managing my stress was a huge part of my healing process. Today, knowing the damage that stress can cause, I employ many techniques to reduce stress in my life. I am both healthier and happier as a result.
Gut Health
Over 70% of the body’s immune system is located in the gut. More research is showing that gut health has a tremendous impact on our overall health and could be the root cause of many chronic and autoimmune diseases. As an example of how all of these are related: diet, sleep and stress (as well as most medications) all affect our gut health.
Sleep
Sleep plays an important role in our physical health. Sleep is the time when our bodies heal and repair themselves. Sleep deficiency is linked to a plethora of health conditions and diseases, yet millions of people don’t get enough. In 1942, less than 8% of the population was getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night. In 2017, that number was almost 50%. Sleep quality is an important as quantity. Sleep needs to be recognized for its critical role in our health, and prioritized in our lives.
Relationships
We’re relational beings. It’s how we were designed. Studies show that people who are chronically lonely typically are sicker and die earlier. But it’s not the number of relationships that matters, it’s the quality and depth of our relationships that has a profound impact on our health and longevity. What about my online friends? Unfortunately, today’s social-media society has had a negative impact on our well-being. Studies show that social media doesn’t provide the health benefits of personal interaction, and it adds a host of negative problems, from stress to depression. The solution? Have dinner with a friend instead of just texting them. Give a hug instead of a tweet.
Beliefs
Have you ever heard the phrase “You are what you believe”? It really is true. Our beliefs affect our health and well-being. It’s important that we understand this connection and learn how to maximize our health by adjusting our beliefs and expectations.
Purpose
Humans were created to live with a purpose. Understanding what that is, and living it out, is important to our well-being. Whether we realize it or not, many of our negative habits and conditions can be attributed to searching for that meaning in our lives. People who are living out their purpose are happier, healthier and less stressed because they are more focused on others than themselves. Conversely, the death rate is higher for people who recently retired, as they can lose their purpose (their job) and don’t find a new reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Improving any of these areas will certainly help you, but neglecting just one will undermine the benefits of the others. Example: you can eat the perfect diet and exercise every day, but if you are chronically stressed or sleep-deprived, you will still have health issues. For those who are susceptible to certain conditions and diseases, it is even more important that you do everything possible to maintain a healthy state.
Your lifestyle DOES impact your lupus and its severity, as well as your overall well-being. If you have an autoimmune disease, ask yourself, “Am I doing everything I can to maximize my health and give my body its best chance to heal?“. If not, you’re undermining your health and helping your disease. When you address all of these areas, you create the optimal environment and conditions for your body heal itself.
