Today’s medical advancements have allowed us to live longer than ever before. Treatments have been discovered for many illnesses and ailments that would have killed us in prior eras. However, we have turned into a culture of treating illness instead of aiming for prevention. 

It’s almost as if modern medicine has allowed us to live however we want with little regard to our future health. Knowing that we can see a doctor that will be able to treat whatever comes up along the way.

You can’t blame modern medicine completely for our inability to foresee future ailments. Living a preventive lifestyle becomes difficult long-term as there is nothing for us to see, feel, or achieve in the short run. 

For example, you are told you have high cholesterol or heart disease. The majority of people may change their habits short-term. After 3 months or more we lose our motivation to continue the new lifestyle and fall back into old habits. 

Living a preventive lifestyle is difficult because it requires constant foresight and treatments are readily available. The ease of being able to go treat any medical condition when it arises has essentially allowed us to eat and live however we feel like. 

Unfortunately, the stress that certain lifestyles put on our body one day leads to long-term medical issues that lead to other complications and a shoe box full of medicines. Although this may take several decades however, it could have also been prevented as well.

Living a Preventionist lifestyle

Taking on the task to change any habit, let alone lifestyle, is a difficult task but with determination and the right mindset it is achievable by everyone. 

We all know that we need to eat more vegetables and fruit, cut back on sugar and fatty foods, and exercise more to live long healthy lives. As simple as this sounds, if you were to follow this advice you could actually prevent many of the ailments of aging. 

There is no need to take any special supplements, magic pills, or exotic ingredients from far away lands. We have and know all the secrets to keeping our body healthy yet we convince ourselves that it has to be more complex. 

Afterall, it can’t be that simple right? Eat well and exercise daily, no, there has to be more to it. Luckily, the truth is for the majority of us, really is that simple. For some people, a more complex diet and lifestyle may be needed but typically this is due to accommodating existing ailments.

You have the choice

If it really is as simple as it sounds then why is it so difficult to follow this lifestyle? Many factors play into this but a major one is the food industry's knowledge of the human body and mind. 

They have spent millions in researching and developing products that appeal to our senses and make us crave them. They are essentially exploiting our own bodies against us to increase corporate profits. 

We all crave sugar and fat naturally, but this is due to a low availability of these types of foods in nature. Our bodies were not designed with an abundance of sugary and fatty foods available to us 24/7. We essentially lack the ability of having an off switch in our brain for craving sugar and fat. 

If that’s not bad enough, these same companies spend millions more on finding the best ways to market these products to us. We are exposed to marketing every single day. Just think of your drive to work. How many billboards with images of food are you exposed to?

Some of the best marketing companies have found ways to make us crave food simply by seeing the logo. Imagine seeing the McDonald's golden arches, what comes to mind?

Luckily, none of these companies have the final say in your lifestyle choices. If you take a minute to ask yourself, what good will this product bring my body, it becomes easier to pass on it. 

I’m sure some of you read the example of seeing McDonald’s golden arches and pictured greasy fries and lack-luster hamburgers that made you gag. And if that’s you, then that is awesome. 

I admit, and I’m sure McDonald’s does too, their food is nothing special or even delicious. They are just really good at making you want it. 

The key takeaway

Our long-term health is often impacted by the choices we make today. What we eat, drink, and do daily may not change how we feel tomorrow; however, it can change how we feel years from now. 

It’s never too late to change your lifestyle and maybe even undo the damages of youthful fun. Just remember that as we get older, our bodies are a reflection of what we did years past. 

If you want help making lifestyle changes and being held accountable, schedule your free consultation with me today! 

Written by: Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD