20 Things I Wish I Knew About Health When I was 20

At 20 years old, most young adults feel invincible. With youth, muscle tone, and boundless energy, most 20-year olds can’t imagine their bodies not performing well or looking great. The Olympian, Shaun White recently told an interviewer “I’m not big on aging. It has been hard letting go of physical things that once were easy. I’m going into this new phase gracefully….It’s a humbling part of my life.” Those words were spoken by a 37-year old former pro snowboarder and the winner of three Olympic gold medals in snowboarding, and my initial thought was …wait until he turns 60.” All the more reason to take care of yourself so you can enjoy an active life.

1. Don’t underestimate the power of eating fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds.  Food matters. You can’t out exercise a bad diet.
2. Avoid the SAD (Standard American Diet) that includes fast food, processed food, and a heavy emphasis on meat and dairy products.
3. Don’t fall for the protein pressure (the protein deficient people are those who are caloric deficient; most of us get more than enough protein in our diet, including vegans and vegetarians).
4. Consider a doctor’s advice but be your own decision maker. Don’t hand your health decisions over to someone else.
5. Research, advocate, and take responsibility for your own health. Don’t blame genetics for health issues (i.e. high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc)  that are are often lifestyle related. Your parents may have had high cholesterol because of what they ate (and not because of genetics), just as your cholesterol may be high because of your diet.  Reconsider what a “healthy” diet is.
6. Combining cardiac exercise, weights, and resistance training, along with balance exercises is best.
7. Don’t rely on YouTube for health information.  The source matters.
8. When medical or health claims are made, ask for the study and find out who paid for it, how it was done, what the conclusions were, and then determine if the study or claim has merit.  Don’t rely simply on abstracts.
9. Don’t take pills, powders, or liquids to fill a need (i.e. more fiber) that can easily be remedied by adding fruits, vegetables, and flaxseed meal to a diet.  I always laugh when I see a commercial for a fiber drink or a pill that has the nutritional content of numerous fruits and veggies. A company recently contacted me to promote their powdered capsules that contained the nutritional content of 5-6 fruits and vegetables.  I was perplexed and asked why would’t a person just eat 5-6 servings of fruit and vegetables a day?  The answer:  “people are too busy.”  If people find the time to eat cheeseburgers, hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fried foods, frozen foods, etc then they can find the time to eat fruits and vegetables.
10. Have bloodwork done once a year and ask for a copy. Read the bloodwork results and educate yourself on the tests and how to interpret the results. Know what HDL, LDL, and Triglyceride levels mean.
11. Put honey directly on canker sores for relief.
12. Always consider the side effects of a prescription drug when trying to figure out the cause of a health issue.  Often times, a drug can be the cause of a new or chronic condition that occurs.
13. Know that side effects (adverse events) of prescription drugs are reported from drug trials. There is no comprehensive nationwide reporting of side effects of drugs. Dig deep and do research.
14. Choose whole grain breads over white bread.
15. Warm baths with Epsom salts can provide great relief to tired muscles.
16. Walk, walk, and walk some more.
17. Add a tablespoon of flaxseed meal to your diet every day.
18. Wear sunblock every single day.  Being pale is ok…accept the color of your skin.
19. Always get a second opinion.
20. Don’t wear shoes that are too small or too tight.