How to use diet and exercise to take control of your health

Could you commit to exercising for seven hours per week and eating a whole-food diet? Physiotherapist and wellness coach Brad Dixon says this is “optimal” for reducing the risk of developing diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease
and cancer. He shares what he eats and how he exercises, and tells Megan Wilson how people can start with the “low-hanging fruit” to change their habits and use diet and exercise to take control of their health.

When Mount Maunganui’s Brad Dixon adopted a “pretty strict” vegan, whole-food diet nearly 10 years ago, he lost 10kg, slept better, and recovered more quickly from exercise sessions.

Dixon says a good diet and exercise helps reduce the risk of developing the “four horsemen of chronic disease” – cardiovascular disease, cancer, cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer’s and metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.

It also improves your “health span”.

“Rather than needing 20 years of rest home care, you might only need two. And you might be able to live independently and functionally for a lot longer.”

He describes the ability to move and live independently as “priceless” and something “money can’t buy”.

“The same with a good diet – if you’re eating good quality whole food that hasn’t been mucked around by man and hyper-processed with lots of additives and salt and sugar, then it’s again going to have a positive effect … on all of those four horsemen.”

How a physio eats and exercises

Dixon mostly follows a whole-food, planted-based diet but occasionally eats dairy, eggs and fish.

He says his typical breakfast is “soaked oats” – oats, soy milk, chia seeds, frozen fruit, cacao powder and water in a jar refrigerated overnight.

Lunch is typically peanut butter sandwiches with seeds sprinkled on them, and fruit and nuts.

He recommends raw vegetables and hummus for a “pre-dinner snack” if needed.

Dinner might be a plum and Chinese five-spice stir fry with tofu and seasonal vegetables, or a plant-based Mexican bowl with black beans, kidney beans and vegetables.

He says people should not get “hung up on the [diet] label” and find a nutritional way of eating that works for them.

Dixon says the “optimal” amount of exercise is 420 minutes a week including cardiovascular exercise, mobility or flexibility (such as yoga or pilates), and strength and core.

His weekly routine includes yoga, swimming, running, and biking with friends. Having “training buddies” is a great way to stay consistent.

Dixon says everyone should do resistance and strength work “at least” twice a week – particularly people over 40.

People could work up to those goals by starting with the low-hanging fruit”: “Can you go to bed earlier? Can you not snack on crap food after dinner? Can you get up early and go for a walk for 10 minutes with the sun rising?”

Preventative healthcare the way to go

He says preventative healthcare through exercise and diet can help mitigate, avoid and reverse a large portion the Government’s billions in annual health spending, and should be promoted more.

“You can create an amazing momentum with just one small step with intention. And if you keep that in your mind, the changes that I’ve seen in some of my clients, it’s just been mindblowing.

“It hasn’t cost them anything, in fact, it’s saved them money. They’ve gone to bed earlier, they’ve watched less Netflix, they’re buying better food, they’re feeling better, they’re more productive at work.”

‘Escalating’ rates of prediabetes and diabetes diagnoses

Taupō GP Dr Glen Davies says people eating more carbohydrates and “ultra-processed food” has led to “escalating” rates of diabetes and pre-diabetes.

The Government estimates more than 300,000 people have diabetes in New Zealand and that prediabetes affects about 20 per cent of Kiwi adults.

To combat this, the GP of 35 years says people should return to eating whole foods – “simple, unprocessed meat, fish, chicken and veges”.

“We will see a complete turnaround in these appalling statistics.”

Davies was named General Practitioner of the Year in 2021 for his engagement with diabetics and pre-diabetics.

He established the Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Taupō group to promote a diet that includes nutrient-rich, whole, unprocessed foods and natural fats, and avoids processed carbohydrates, industrial seed oils and sugar.

What are whole foods?

Davies says whole foods are things that have recently been growing, walking, swimming or flying.

He defines “anything that comes in a packet” as ultra-processed.

Examples of whole-food meals include an omelette for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch and steak, broccoli and cauliflower for dinner.

To help grocery shoppers make better choices, he believes the Government should intervene by warning about the dangers of ultra-processed food or introducing a sugar tax.

Davies and Dixon are speaking at a ‘Prevention is Cure’ event in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday hosted by social enterprise Prekure.

Some health factors out of people’s control

Ministry of Health deputy director of public health Harriette Carr says some factors contributing to health and wellbeing are “not under people’s direct control”.

Differences in social, cultural, economic, accessibility, practical and personal factors contribute “significantly” to inequity in diet, physical activity and health.

The Ministry agreed a preventative approach to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes is “critical” for individuals and society.

She says eating well and staying active are important for physical and mental health and more than a third of health loss can be prevented by addressing common risk factors such as smoking, alcohol abuse, obesity, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

Carr says the ministry’s Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults gives reliable information, built on evidence and expert advice.

72-year-old summits Mauao for the first time in ‘years’

Pāpāmoa 72-year-old Marie Benvin had not climbed to the top of Mauao for “many years” but recently achieved the feat after participating in a Sport Bay of Plenty challenge.

Benvin said her GP referred her to the organisation’s Green Prescription Programme this year as she was having trouble with her weight, exercising, and experiencing pain in her knees and hips.

She signed up for a challenge to climb Mauao.

Benvin said her fitness was “reasonable” before and she walked twice per week but had trouble with her blood pressure when she went on longer walks that included hills.

After making “gradual progress” in the five-week challenge, reaching the summit felt “absolutely awesome”, and her fitness and health improved “greatly”.

She got a puppy she walked for an hour each day, and is in a walking group.

Sport Bay of Plenty organised the Mauao Challenge to inspire people to adopt a more active lifestyle and improve their wellbeing.

Green prescription advisor Danilo led the Mauao challenge and said the goal was to support clients with “achievable milestones” starting with smaller portions up sections of Mauao.

The Green Prescription programme – which started in 2000 – receives about 250 patient referrals per month from medical practices across the Bay of Plenty.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.