Looking Healthy vs. Living Healthy

We all hear the old adage, “looks can be deceiving” or “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” This also applies to an individual’s health.

Some may consider me “lucky.” I have been a runner for more than 15 years. I haven’t had any major medical issues. I exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, and get a good night’s sleep. My diet…..well, read on.

Having trained for, and run, several marathons, I give relatively little consideration to calories and fat grams. “I’ll run it off” tends to be my mantra. While I don’t do it daily, I certainty don’t think twice about eating a few pieces of pizza or a hamburger every few weeks. And you will NEVER find me passing up Mexican food (bring on the nachos….the more cheese the better!!). To top it off, I have an awful sweet tooth that I indulge on a frequent basis. Oh well, as long as I “run it off.”

But a recent visit to my general practitioner put this “run it off” thought process to a halt. I tend to be pretty proactive regarding my health and went in for annual blood work. Much to my dismay, my fasting cholesterol was well over the 200 mark. While I may be running off the calories, the “bad stuff” in my frequent “treats” is not running off. My doctor is giving me a few months to work on my diet before placing me on cholesterol medication. I must adhere to a more restrictive diet, sorry Mexican food industry! I’ve dropped my “I’ll run it off” mantra, and have begun to make better choices about what I’m putting in to my body.

The moral of this tale is….just because you work out and look healthy doesn’t necessarily mean that’s true. When I tell people my cholesterol level, they look at me in shock - but after asking around a bit - I have found other “looks can be deceiving” athletes and individuals. From high cholesterol to Type 2 diabetes, many so called “healthy” individuals are suffering the consequences of the wrong choices in diet.

The second moral of the tale is, regardless of your belief in how “healthy” you are, it is still of upmost importance to get regular checkups and go in for your CDC recommended screenings. My doctor feared that without control of my cholesterol through diet and exercise, I could approach the 300 mark.

For me, the most important lesson learned is that while it is nice to look healthy; living healthy is a much more appropriate goal. Check back in the coming weeks and I’ll be sharing my progress as I adapt to these lifestyle changes.

Jessica Reading, MPH
Community Health Educator
Texas Health HEB