Our Health and COVID-19
I am sure you are feeling deprived of this week’s topic….COVID! I know what you are probably thinking…but don’t jump ship quite yet. This message has been on my heart for a few months now and with no end in sight, it is more important than ever.
The “REAL” pandemic
Let me take a moment and draw your attention to the “REAL” pandemic that has been running rampant for years and continues to take millions of lives. In fact, 80% of ALL DEATHS occur due to this pandemic, 6 in 10 adults will “get it”, and the US healthcare system spends trillions of dollars each year to combat it.
You may be asking yourself what is “it”. The answer is not shiny, sexy, or cool. You may even be numb to it because you have heard it so often. “It” is CHRONIC DISEASE: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and COPD to name a few.
The truth is, 80% of chronic disease is preventable with basic lifestyle changes yet we continue to be sedentary, gain a little extra weight each year, and decide that taking medication is the only option. (Which I must say is just a Band-Aid and not addressing the problem)
Those at risk
Now let us go back to who is at risk for being severely sick and dying from Covid-19.
- >65 years of age
- Obese (>30 BMI)
- Having an underlying condition (Chronic Disease, Metabolic Disease, High Blood Pressure, etc.)
Two of the three major risk factors are preventable! Woo-hoo that is good news!
Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I am not saying healthy individuals cannot contract COVID but their ability for the infection to take over the host is poor; therefore, they may not experience as harsh of symptoms.
I often hear the argument, “Well this individual had no pre-existing conditions and they are really, really sick.” My argument to this is, are they really “healthy”? 1 in 4 individuals are walking around pre-diabetic and don’t even know it. How many people are hypertensive, have low-grade systemic inflammation due to a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle? All these things matter.
Risk Adversity
Life is all about measuring your risk adversity. For example, 3700 people die each day in the world from car accidents yet we do not fear getting in our cars and driving each day, right? The same is true with Covid-19. We should respect the virus but not live in fear. If you are <65 years old and healthy, your risk is relatively low. According to the data, you have 0.1% chance of dying. To put that in perspective, I have a higher chance of getting struck by lightning in Wyoming, 0.24% in fact, then dying from COVID.
Now, this is where I start to get a little passionate. If you were sitting in front of me you may want to put your face shield on because I will probably start throwing a little bit of spit as I preach :)!
I am going to say it LOUD for the people in the back…WE HAVE A SAY IN OUR HEALTH! We can decide to focus on our health now or be forced to when we are overwhelmed by chronic disease.
Let’s not make it complicated
Let’s break down health in 5 elements. These 5 elements, research supports moves the needle: MOVE, FUEL, RECOVER, ENDURE, and CONNECT.
Move
Are you moving your body intentionally at least 30 minutes a day?
FUEL
Are you fueling your body with the adequate whole foods that will allow it to function optimally? 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day
RECOVER
Are you getting 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night?
ENDURE
How are you handling life’s storms when they are thrown at you?
CONNECT
Do you have a good social support group around you?
I don’t want to leave you all doom and gloom so I give you the 5 positives of COVID 🙂
The 5 positives of COVID
- The focus shift on health. A lot of people have used the extra time to start working out, eat healthier, or work on their mental health…I love this.
- The simplicity of Life. I love how the Pandemic has forced us to slow down, get back to the basics, and not overwhelm our schedules.
- The Great Outdoors. The pandemic has required us to be more creative with our extracurriculars and get outside and enjoy nature more.
- Volunteer Opportunities. My husband and I came across O.U.R. (Operation Underground Railroad) during COVID and have jumped on board volunteering. It is a great organization, you should check them out HERE! I will be sharing more on this in the future.
- Re-connecting with friends and family. I don’t know about you but during the early days of COVID, I was zooming, MarcoPolo-ing, and calling friends and family I haven’t talked to in forever.
Would love to hear your positives from COVID…Please comment below!
