The pillars of self-care

Americans are far less healthy than they could be. Six in 10 live with at least one chronic disease, according to the CDC, and four in 10 have two or more. Chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes take a heavy toll on collective health and productivity.

In 2018, public health researchers analyzed data from the CDC and two long-term population studies and found that people who practiced five specific lifestyle habits dramatically cut their risks of heart disease and cancer compared with those who practiced none.

The healthy participants:

Ate a diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and unsaturated fatty acids, and low in red and processed meats, sugary drinks, trans fats, and sodium

Did not smoke

Got at least three and a half hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week

Drank only moderate amounts of alcohol (no more than one drink a day for women, two or fewer for men)

Maintained a healthy body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9

How effective were these measures?

Practicing all five habits from age 50 onward extended life by more than a decade compared with practicing none. Women who adopted none lived to 79 on average, while those who kept all five reached 93. Men without the habits averaged 75; those with all five lived to nearly 88.

Self-care habits

These five habits sit squarely in the realm of self-care - an evidence-based approach to preventing and treating disease through healthy habits. Rooted in lifestyle medicine, self-care does not replace traditional medicine, but it is a powerful complement to it.

Habits that build a healthy body are a good starting point for self-care, but scientists have learned that mind and body are inseparable. Thoughts and emotions shape health in many ways: stressful events spike blood pressure, depression lowers pain tolerance and makes pain feel worse, and loneliness now appears to contribute to premature death - to name just three examples.

Any genuine self-care program must therefore reach beyond these five habits - but they remain the foundation of wellness.