Since the Covid-19 pandemic started I’ve been bothered by it. But not in the way you might think. What bothers me is that people are so worried about Covid-19 but NOT nearly as worried about the handful of diseases that have been killing most Americans yearly for decades.
Those are diseases that are mostly under our control if we just worked on some of our lifestyle habits. I realize that people are more worried about Covid-19 because it’s something we can catch. That makes it feel like we don’t have any control over it. But I want to argue that we do have some control.
The problem is, having those other diseases makes people more susceptible to getting and recovering from Covid. So it’s a vicious cycle. If you already have health problems then when a new virus comes along it’s likely to have a greater impact on you because you’re already more vulnerable.
So doesn’t it make sense to take this time to focus on our overall health? If we get our bodies stronger then we can quit worrying so much about the things we can’t control. Because those things will never go away. There will always be some new virus to threaten us.
In this article, I want to talk about taking control of your health and improving it so you don’t have to be so worried about Covid-19. And as a bonus, you’ll feel better and have more energy to do all the things you love in life!
America’s biggest killers
So what diseases are the biggest killers of Americans?
The CDC says that heart disease is number one. It kills over 650,000 people in the U.S. every year. Cancer comes in second killing over 600,000 people in the U.S. every year. Mortality statistics from Type 2 Diabetes are harder to sort out but still aren’t encouraging with over 37 million Americans diagnosed with it.
T2D leads to tens of thousands of deaths every year, but the “cause of death” listed on their death certificates doesn’t always mention it. “Studies have found that only 35% to 40% of people with diabetes who died had diabetes listed anywhere on the death certificate” (Diabetes.org).
This is because the large majority of people with T2D actually die from a heart event, or a “symptom” of the disease. So it’s hard to tell how many people actually die from diabetes as opposed to heart disease or infections.
My dad had T2D but technically died from heart failure, which was caused by the same factors that led to his T2D. If he had eaten a healthier diet and watched his weight, he likely would have avoided both problems and lived longer.
Reducing our risk of everything
According to Oxford Academic, “certain cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, renal disease, liver disease, cerebrovascular disease, obesity, smoking history and current smoking [are] associated with a higher likelihood of severe COVID-19 and/or mortality with COVID-19”.
The National Cancer Institute verifies that “If you have cancer, you have a higher risk of severe Covid-19”. This is not meant to scare you, but to motivate you to take control of your health and improve it where you can.
We can’t catch heart disease, cancer, or T2D, we develop them over years of eating and living a certain way. And they have huge negative impacts on our immune systems. This is why preventing them should be a priority so we can reduce our risk of not only Covid but other illnesses too.
These 3 diseases are the most costly health problems in the U.S. and there’s a lot of evidence out there to show that lifestyle changes can prevent them. Unfortunately, that takes some real effort. We can’t just put on a mask, wash our hands, social distance more, or get a vaccine.
It requires working hard at changing lifestyle habits like getting more physically active and eating a healthier diet. But these changes don’t all have to happen at once. In fact, if you work on one thing at a time, they’re much easier to accomplish and make into new habits.
Start by changing your diet
The first step to getting healthy is to change your diet. What you put in your body is what gives you energy but also the nutrients for a stronger immune system. And plants have many more nutrients than meat or fat do. Andrea Murray of MD Anderson says very simply:
“Plants give your body what it needs to help fight off infection”.
Notice she said “plants” not “meat”. This doesn’t mean you need to go vegan, it just means that plant-based foods should make up the majority of your diet. These days I eat a mostly plant-based diet because of all the nutritional science I’ve read convincing me of the long-term health benefits.
Years ago I never imagined eating the way I do now. But I started making small changes, one at a time, and now my much healthier diet seems normal for me. And I enjoy it! Believe me, you can do the same thing if you take it slow.
My husband grew up on a farm with a meat and potatoes diet and he even likes how we eat now! Neither of us feels like we’re sacrificing taste in order to be healthy. He’s found out that all those plants are really good when you find the right ways to prepare them! It just takes a little effort to make that change.
I make it a point for us to get as many nutrients from our diet as possible (I’m the cook). If there’s anything we may be missing in our diets (like Vitamin D), then we take a supplement. But we don’t rely on supplements to make up for a poor diet. We make our diets work for us.
Eating mostly plants has also made it easier for us to keep our weight under control. Which means we don’t have to work out as hard to burn off calories!
Related article: How to lose weight on a plant-based diet.
Make exercise a habit by committing to it first
My husband and I were never really “exercisers” before, although we were always very active. But with some research and experimentation, we each found styles of exercise that we enjoy enough to do consistently. Sometimes you have to spend some time looking to find activities you really like.
I also believe that when it comes to exercise you first need to commit to it for a period of time whether you “feel like it” or not. Most people don’t “feel motivated” to exercise. But over time, you’ll train yourself to want to do it and when you miss a day it’ll seem strange.
My husband and I are not worried about Covid-19 because we’re confident in the way we take care of ourselves. We know we can still get it, and I’m sure it won’t be any fun, but we don’t worry about dying from it. We keep our bodies and immune systems healthy so know we’re strong enough to fight it if we need to.
Related article: How to make exercise a habit.
Health is mostly a mental choice
Being healthy is mostly a mental choice we make every day with how we eat, think and spend our time. I know we can’t avoid every disease or virus. Some things will get us no matter how well we take care of ourselves. But we lower our risk of everything by maintaining healthy habits.
There’s plenty of evidence to show that excessive worry suppresses our immune systems. So if I spend my time worrying about Covid-19 that’s mental stress I put on myself that makes me more vulnerable to getting it! I would rather focus on the things I can control and protect my body and mind.
One meta-analysis (a review of many studies on a particular topic) found that:
“For stress of any significant duration – from a few days to a few months or years, as happens in real life – all aspects of immunity went downhill”.
Take control where you can and where science has proven it makes a difference and quit worrying about the things you can’t control. We can control what we put in our bodies, what we put on our bodies and what we do with our bodies. If we do our best in these areas then worrying is pointless!
My final thoughts
I do know that even some “healthy” people that exercise and eat right get Covid and other diseases. But take a good look at your situation and try to be honest with yourself. Could your health use some improvement? What one thing could you change right away to improve your health?
If you’re now spending more time at home because of Covid-19 then start an exercise program. Start simple by taking a walk every day during that time you would’ve been driving to and from work! Then add some strength training to your program a couple of days a week.
Take some of the extra time you have to try some healthier recipes. Ramp up your immune system with natural foods and you’ll be less likely to catch anything, even a cold. R K Chandra says that “Malnutrition [is] the most common cause of immunodeficiency worldwide”.
If you’re worried about Covid-19 then use this time and new knowledge to make some healthy lifestyle changes. Empower yourself so you can quit worrying about things you can’t control and control the things you can. In the end, you’ll be living a much better quality of life. Isn’t that the point anyway?
For more education
If you want to learn more about how to eat and live better, then check out books written by some of my favorite doctors:
There are also videos and interviews with these doctors, and many others, that you can watch for free on YouTube if you’re not a reader.
I would love to hear from you in the contact form below how you’ve improved your life since Covid-19 changed all of our lives!