IncTake Back Your Health--Starting Now
Chris Kresser, expert in ancestral health, paleo nutrition, and integrative medicine, shares with CEO 1-2-3 advice on how business leaders can take back their health.
Chris Kresser's website states "Lets take back your health--starting now!" and that's exactly what he helped my wife and me do, starting several years ago. Or to be more precise: he helped us discover health we never had. He's so well regarded as the health expert in our household that whenever we want to learn about health, wellness, and nutrition, we Google the topic plus "Kresser." I was also his patient.
Chris is a globally recognized leader in the fields of ancestral health, Paleo nutrition, and integrative medicine and author of the New York Times bestseller, Your Personal Paleo Code. I'm excited to introduce the readers of CEO-1-2-3 to him.
Chris, we know there is a correlation between low education and income, and poor health. But I suspect that most business leaders are in poor health too, and probably worse than they think. Do you agree, and why is health so elusive?
One answer is because we live in a society that doesn't value health much. Sure, we pay lip service to it, but there isn't really much support for the things that promote optimal health, including getting plenty of rest, not sitting too much, eating a clean, nutrient-dense diet, having time for leisure and fun, etc. In our culture we tend to wear busy-ness as a badge of honor, and it's implicitly--if not explicitly--understood that work should be valued above almost all else.
Now I have learned about health and nutrition, in large part from you, it seems that a lot of people are trying very hard to be healthy--to exercise, eat right, make healthy lifestyle decisions--and it just isn't working. Are we just inundated with bad information?
Bad information is certainly an issue, as is information overload. A lot of what we've been told by mainstream health authorities over the years has turned out to be wrong. When that happens often enough, people understandably lose faith, and they don't know whom to trust. That said, information is only part of the problem. Let's face it: most people know they should eat real food, exercise, and get enough sleep, but many people are still struggling with it. This points to the cultural norms that I mentioned above.
What is your standard for health and how is it different from how most doctors or nutritionists might answer?
The conventional medical system is almost entirely oriented toward managing disease--not promoting health. So in that model, health is defined as the absence of disease. A more expansive definition of health comes from Mosh Feldenkrais, who defined it as "the ability to live your dreams." True health isn't just not being sick; it's having the energy, vitality, mental clarity, and resilience to live the life you want to live.
You have studied the health of primitive cultures versus ours, and if I recall, you even studied Victorian England's health versus ours. How do we stack up?
The advent of emergency and trauma medicine, and the discovery of antibiotics, has translated into a longer average lifespan for people living today than ever before. That is certainly a positive development. However, we've traded a decrease in acute, life-threatening disease for a dramatic increase in chronic, inflammatory diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and autoimmune disease. These conditions have had a profoundly negative impact on our quality of life--yet they were either rare or nonexistent in traditional cultures who followed their ancestral diet and lifestyle. Put another way: yes, we may be living 10 years longer than we used to, but if we spend those final years in a diaper and a wheelchair, how valuable are they? The good news is we don't have to choose between extended lifespan and increased quality of life. We can combine the advantages of a nutrient-dense, traditional diet and active lifestyle with the best that modern medicine has to offer to live longer and healthier lives than humans have at any other time. That's the opportunity we all have today--and it's precious.
Chris, I want to ask you for three pieces of knowledge you could share with readers of CEO 1-2-3. What's the first?
#1. Eat nutrient-dense food. In the industrialized world, we are overfed but undernourished. We're eating 360 more calories per day than we were in 1960, yet more than half of Americans are deficient in essential vitamins and minerals like zinc, magnesium, vitamin A, and vitamin E. And these aren't minor deficiencies. Up to 50 percent of Americans consume less than half of the RDA for these nutrients. Why does this matter? Micronutrients are the fuel for our body. We can survive with suboptimal intake of them, but we will never thrive. With this in mind, I suggest maximizing nutrient density with every bit of food you eat. This means emphasizing meat, fish, organ meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and starchy plants like sweet potatoes.
#2. Sit less. We all know how important exercise is. But recent research suggests that reducing the amount of time you spend sitting may be even more important. Even if you get the recommended 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week (i.e. 5 30-minute gym workouts), you're still at higher risk of disease and early death if you spend most of the rest of your time sitting. There are many ways you can reduce your sitting time, even if you work in an office. You can get a standing desk, bicycle or walk to work, drive or take public transport to work part of the way and walk the rest, take walking meetings, do your own yard work, etc.
#3. Do only what is essential. Most people I know, in particular high-level executives, are completely overwhelmed. We live in a world with constant demands, distractions, and interruptions. The only way to cut through this noise and work with productivity and focus is to do only what is essential, and forget about the rest. And the best way to figure out what is essential is to get crystal clear on your purpose. What are you really here for? If you were on your deathbed, looking back on your life, what would give you the greatest sense of fulfillment? If you don't know what your purpose is, every demand or responsibility seems equal in value, and it becomes almost impossible to focus. But when you know exactly why you're here, it is easy to focus only on what accomplishes that purpose, and say no to the rest.
Thanks, Chris. You know I'm in agreement one hundred percent. How may people learn more about you and your work?
At my website, chriskresser.com. You'll find free eBooks, hundreds of articles, and my top-ranked podcast. If you want to learn more about optimal health through nutrition and lifestyle, check out my New York Times best seller Your Personal Paleo Code. Note that a paperback version will be released end of month with a new title: The Paleo Cure.
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