How the Decisions You Make Everyday Improve or Worsen Chronic Illness

 By: J.A., Writer for Hope Instilled 

Why what you eat is important, no matter how high your metabolism is, how thin you are, or how strong you are.

Would you like to be one of those people with high metabolisms who can eat anything they want and not put on a pound? Just to be clear, I mean the people who can easily maintain the same weight, not the people who are struggling with a health issue where they keep losing weight and can’t seem to put on enough.

Challenges of a High Metabolism

Perhaps you are that person with a high metabolism, and I envy you at times. Some days I would absolutely love to be able to eat whatever I want, whenever, and not have to worry about putting on any extra pounds. But most of the time I’m glad that isn’t the case. You should know I love eating and I love food. However, I don’t eat whatever I want, and that isn’t just because of the weight, it’s because I want to be healthy. I understand: “Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding a disease or fighting it” – Heather Morgan. I know it would be a bigger challenge for me to eat healthy if I had a high metabolism. However, that’s not the only issue, some people who don’t gain weight easily, may not be getting adequate exercise, unless they are already wellness-driven, or enjoy regular exercise. And exercise is super important when it comes to our health.  

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover

Some of us may look at people and think that because they are thin, strong, or overall in good shape that it somehow equates to them being healthy. I can tell you this couldn’t be further from the truth. We might think…oh what’s their secret? I want to look like that! But, you should care more about your health than your appearance. If you have to sacrifice sleep and other healthy habits to have that amazing body, it will not benefit you long-term. If you go on some crazy diet and then just go back to eating whatever it was you used to eat, you are not doing yourself any favors.

You don't know what people have to go through to look the way they do, or how much they don't do. Sometimes people who look like they are in good shape are the unhealthiest eaters, don't regularly work out, and may have little strength. Maybe a super muscular, fit person doesn't get enough sleep because he or she works too much and spends a lot of time at the gym. Then, he or she also struggles with stress and has negative mental health problems. I can tell you there are people who easily put on muscle look like they have 0% body fat, but are not healthy.

My husband knows a guy in his 20's who is physically in excellent shape. But he is not healthy, when he eats 3-4 donuts in the morning for a week (on a work trip) and no vegetables, proteins, or anything else (not that it would cancel out those donuts). Apparently, he never eats vegetables. His lunches typically consist of energy drinks, burgers, or fried food. My prediction is he is going to be chronically sick in a few years or tomorrow unless he starts making some changes.

Some people have health issues where they struggle with putting on weight, and can’t stop losing weight. Some people struggle with losing weight due to health issues, and some people struggle to stay in shape because they are suffering from a chronic illness. So, don’t judge a person’s health by how they look, and don’t compare yourself to others.

PLUS, We All Have Different Body Types

When I was younger, I used to think my weight wasn’t ideal. This was simply because all my closest friends had smaller body frames, but I didn’t realize at the time I was just built differently. I look back on pictures now and I can’t believe how thin I was. Now I pay attention to having the best body type for me, not in comparison to anyone else.  

We are all made differently with different size body frames, different digestive systems, and so on. It’s good to find the positive in your body type and embrace it!

The Unseen Health Problems

The truth is that no matter how thin or muscular you are, whether you are overweight, or in the normal range, your body size does not ultimately determine how healthy you are. How you are taking care of your body, what you are putting in it will. Everything you eat is either feeding an illness or preventing one. It doesn’t matter how good you feel right now with eating sugars for breakfast, eating fried food frequently, over time these decisions will hurt your health. Internally, toxins will be building up in the body. Most likely you will notice changes in how you feel mentally and physically when you eat healthier. A poor diet can cause low energy, trouble sleep, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and more…

Here is How the Decisions You Make Now Could Make You Chronically Sick Tomorrow 

Your body is able to get rid of a lot of toxins, it works very hard. But today our world is so filled with toxins in everything, our bodies can barely keep up. We have more processed foods, more chemical ingredients, genetically modified foods, toxins in the air, chemical cleaners, toxic body care items, and toxins in everyday household products. So a lot of these toxins will build up in the body over time.

The Bucket Theory

Think of these toxins accumulating in a bucket. Some people may have a big bucket that holds more, and some buckets maybe half the size of other people’s. Stress, lack of sleep, too many processed foods and sugars, and other unhealthy decisions can fill up the bucket to the tipping point. Often before the bucket tips, you may get some warning signs: frequent fatigue, migraines, constipation, or anxiety, etc. It’s different for everyone.

The problem is no one knows how big their bucket is, or how full it is at this point in time. Many things can affect our bucket. Genetics can play a role, and you may have toxins stuck in your body that were there since birth, passed down from your mother. So if you are making a lot of unhealthy decisions, your bucket may tip sooner rather than later. Could be... tomorrow, months, years, a decade. And once your bucket tips, you become chronically sick. This could be any type of illness from fibromyalgia in your 20’s or 30’s, to early cancer, or Alzheimer’s later in life. Almost every chronic illness is related to toxins.

You don’t know how big your bucket is (how much your body can handle and for how long). You can’t think, “I will worry about this when I’m old” because people are becoming chronically sick at younger ages. AND recovery is not easy or cheap! This is a legitimate concern because chronic illness is at an all-time high with 45% of adults struggling with an ongoing health issue! About 1 in 59 people are born with autism, breast cancer is 1 in 8 people, it seems like 50% of the millennial generation suffers from migraines, and the percentage of people with gluten sensitivities keeps increasing (due to genetically modified seeds).

Managing Your Bucket (improving your toxin load)

In order to keep your bucket from overflowing, you need to make healthy decisions. If your bucket has already tipped, you really need to make some changes! Everything you eat has an effect on your short-term and long-term health. No one is completely safe from becoming chronically sick. The key to being healthy and obtaining a healthy body inside and out is to continuously work on wellness. I have 9 of the most important wellness concepts outlined in my blog: Obtaining Wellness: The Most Important Healthy Choices to Pay Attention To. Wellness can be overwhelming, but coming from someone who is chronically sick, I can tell you it is better to try than not to try.

Eat more organic, whole foods, less processed foods, keep stress low, stay positive mentally, do regular exercise, remove as many toxins as possible from your home. As you focus on all these things especially eating healthy, your bucket will become lighter. You might also feel a sense of balance and positive energy knowing you are taking excellent care of your body.

To learn about the role modern medicine plays in our health view: The Gaps in Our Healthcare (Which Affects Everyone).