Episode 3

full
Published on:

15th Jan 2020

3. Chronic Disease (The Bad and the Good) and Mr. Rogers

Chronic diseases have taken over as the primary causes of death in the developed world, and yet we seem ill-prepared to deal with them in our current healthcare system. But there is a silver lining in the bad news: we often can change our health by modifying our lifestyle. And the changes don't necessarily have to be big. We will talk a bit about the positive messages of Mr. Rogers, as his small actions had a mighty effect!

LET'S TALK THE WALK!

SOURCES and RESOURCES

Chronic Illness Resources

US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

"Chronic Illness: Why Can Coping with Chronic Illness Be So Difficult," The Cleveland Clinic.

"Living with Invisible Illness," The Atlantic

"Lyme Disease is Baffling. Even to Experts," The Atlantic

"Lifestyle Choices: Root Causes of Chronic Disease," The Cleveland Clinic.

"How to Live Life Without Major Regrets: 8 lessons from older Americans," today.com

"Why Spending Time with Friends is One of the Best Things You Can Do for Your Health," Time magazine.

"Doctors Tell All --- and It's Bad," The Atlantic.

"The doctor will see you now – but often not for long," Reuters.

"Doctors Should Be Doing More To Help Patients Eat Better, JAMA Editorial Argues," wbur.org

"Chronic Disease: The Power of Prevention," cdc.gov

"Prevalence of Both Diagnosed and Undiagnosed Diabetes," cdc.gov

"Chronic Diseases in America," cdc.gov

"Celiac Disease Foundation Releases Celiac Symptoms Checklist," celiac.org

"What is Lifestyle Medicine?" lifestylemedicine.org

"Commission Calls for Urgent Action Against Chronic Diseases," who.int

"Medicines to treat side effects of other medicines? Sometimes less is more beneficial," theconversation.com

"How Highly Processed Foods Liberated 1950s Housewives," womenshistory.org

"Living Sick and Dying Young in Rich America," The Atlantic.

The Disease Delusion, Jeffrey Bland.

The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles, Terry Wahls

On Mr. Rogers

"Can You Say… Hero?" Esquire magazine.

"Won't You Be My Neighbor?" hbo.com

Fred Rogers' Acceptance Speech, Lifetime Achievement Award, The Emmys, 1997.

"From 'Hustlers' to 'Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,' journalists become fall film stars," The Los Angeles Times.

DISCLAIMER

Neither I nor my podcast guests are doctors or healthcare professionals of any kind, and nothing on this podcast or associated content should be considered medical advice. The information provided by Wellness While Walking Podcast and associated material, by Whole Life Workshop and by Bermuda Road Wellness LLC is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment, and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including walking.

Some links may be affiliate links.

Listen for free

Show artwork for Wellness While Walking

About the Podcast

Wellness While Walking
Small Steps to Big Health
Welcome! Each episode of Wellness While Walking addresses the real health concerns you're facing:

• metabolism shifts and blood sugar spikes/weight gain
• establishing sustainable habits despite crazy-busy schedules
• adapting movement regimens (featuring walking!*) to work for you… in a fun way!
• implementing doable nutrition approaches that work with your midlife body and life

Hi, I'm Carolyn, a Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach of almost 20 years.

I was a health-rejectionist! I didn't think it mattered what our lifestyles were like – I even doubled down on this approach, working in the ultra-processed foods industry for a decade (and gained a lot of weight and was fatigued all the time, but I didn't connect the dots!) But then I got very sick. And my young children did, too. I started to open up to the idea that what we ate, how (if!) we moved, how we slept and more – how it did matter! I "walked back" my chronic disease diagnoses and my kids healed.

After over a decade of health coaching people in their midlife years, I also noticed another trend – that of extremes! Folks rejected things like walking and eating largely whole foods for their more intense counterparts, like running and "eating clean." I knew that I needed to fight this, because there are lots of health-conferring points in between on the spectrum, and I'm all about capitalizing on the low hanging fruit by taking small steps that we'll actually do and enjoy!

I do think we need to fight societal norms that leave us unhealthy – we call that "walking against traffic" – but this can be a moderate, doable, fun and effective path! Getting this word out to the wider audience beyond my clientele led me to introduce the Wellness While Walking Podcast in January of 2020, and we've been going strong since!

I hope you'll join me, Health Coach Carolyn, for Wellness While Walking—your 30-minute movement companion that delivers research-backed strategies for weight management, metabolic health, healing chronic conditions and extending your healthspan in a motivating, compassionate format!
Whether you're seeking accountability for consistent action, clarity on conflicting health advice, or gentle guidance for aging vibrantly, Wellness While Walking meets you where you are with understanding and actionable solutions.

By the end of each episode, you'll feel physically energized, mentally renewed, and equipped with clear next steps—having moved, learned, laughed, and found the motivation to take the next meaningful step on your health journey! (*Did I mention that we play a beep halfway through so you know when to turn around if you're walking while listening?!)

Today is a terrific day to start so press "Follow" and then "Play," and let's do this, together!

About your host

Profile picture for Carolyn Cohen

Carolyn Cohen