Stacking Advantages for Health

I’ve been thinking about my previous article on advantage stacking, and was thinking how this applies to health. There really is no way to “win” at health. Even people who seem extremely healthy, like Lance Armstrong, can get sick. It does make me wonder, however, what kind of success he would have had beating his cancer had he not been an elite athlete, with all the health advantages stacked in his favor.

I’m not an elite athlete, but I do work out regularly, and do my best to take care of my health. So, here are some of my strategies for stacking health advantages in my favor. This is not a complete list, just some examples of ways you can stack advantages.

1. I’ve heard quite a number of people say that taking vitamins only results in expensive urine. To a certain extent, that may be true, but I personally would rather have expensive urine (and really, vitamins are not all that expensive) if it ensures that I will not have a deficiency in any key vitamins and minerals. Why not stack the advantages in my favor?
2. There is much controversy over the safety of artificial sweeteners and food colorings. While it is unlikely that there will be any acute (immediate) symptoms from ingesting these products, the long term hazards are not well known. I stack the advantages in my favor, by avoiding artificial sweeteners and food colorings. That doesn’t mean I never have them, but I do pay attention to how much is going into my body.
3. City water is somewhat purified. But its also got chemicals like chlorine and flouride added to it. Many of these chemicals are designed to kill bacteria and other harmful stuff. I don’t suppose they are all that beneficial to my body either. At the very least, my body will need to put in some effort to get rid of these chemicals.  Purified water has the bacteria and other contaminants, including any added chemicals, removed. That’s a big difference from the way the city treats the water. I’ll give my body the purified water everyday, just to stack the advantages in my favor.
4. Another way I stack advantages is to look for agreements in the professional community. Most health professionals agree that fiber is an important part of the diet. Most agree that sugar, in excess, is not good for you and that most of your carbohydrates should come from fresh fruits and vegetables. Most agree that fat is necessary for many bodily functions, should be consumed in moderation, and that there is a difference between “good fats” like monounsaturated fats and “bad fats” like saturated fats and trans-fats. I’m going to follow the advice of the majority by making sure I get enough fiber, keep my sugar level low, get the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, and get a moderate amount of “good” fat while avoiding the “bad” fats.
5. There is also wide agreement that exercise is beneficial, so I make sure I get some activity every day, usually an hour or more.

Like I said, these are just some examples of the ways I stack health advantages.

Nothing is a guarantee when it comes to your health. But there is very little disagreement that abusing your body will lead to obesity, different forms of cancer and other diseases, and ultimately a lower quality of life. Many of these advantages are simple, like taking a multi-vitamin and drinking purified (or at least filtered) water. Others can be incorporated at least a little bit into your life, such as adding one piece of fruit or one small salad every day to your diet. And, of course, let’s not forget the most common advantage stack of all, recommended by many health professionals: get all the junk food out of your house. This doesn’t guarantee that you will lose weight and be healthy, but it sure does help!

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