We're still in the first few months of the year, which means it’s still the time of year when we get bombarded with messages about drinking less, eating a heart-heathy diet and getting — and using — a gym membership. I know, as a health reporter, I'm part of the bombardment.
Just looking at my inbox full of health-released press releases, I know it's a lot — especially as some of us battle seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, which is feelings of depression that can come on in climates where there is less sunlight. It didn’t help that January was the third cloudiest on record since the 1950s, according to a Fox 8 meteorologist.
And sometimes the health advice is conflicting. Just this week, we learned that niacin, a common B vitamin previously recommended to lower cholesterol, can pose risks to our cardiovascular health when ingested in high amounts. Researchers found Cheerios and Quaker Oats, long touted as healthy breakfast options, contained traces of a pesticide linked to reproductive problems. It seems like every TikTok dietician is telling me to eat more protein, which, uh, may not be good?
In a time with so much health-advice noise, what should we focus on? And what should we tune out?
Lately, I’ve been looking inward. I think about days when I feel good — and it's usually because I got enough sleep, saw friends or loved ones and moved around a little. I know I’m motivated to try small changes when I have a better shot at accomplishing them.
I also start with what’s tried and true. What do I know, in my heart, that I should be doing because my doctor has said it a million times. Maybe instead of that new health fad, eat one meal a week with twice as many vegetables. Maybe sign up for an exercise class. Maybe charge your phone in a room outside of your bedroom for the night, so you actually go to sleep when you should.
In the fall, I signed up for a spin class twice a week, which I had never really done before. I paid for the two months up front as part of a special, and if I hadn't, I might not have kept up with the classes. I was really out of shape and, frankly, terrified of the club-type music and room of sweaty people who let out a scream of enthusiasm after a long climb. I joked with friends that I had joined a cult. But I did start to feel better and adjusted to the experience of the class, something I was privileged enough to do because I had money to spend on classes.
It’s important to emphasize how much social determinants of health — things like income, environmental pollution, redlined neighborhoods — are often the true markers of health, and we need policy solutions more than individual solutions to address those.
But if you have your basic needs met, what’s stopping you from making one positive change?
You probably already know what to do.
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