Cherokee Nation citizen Loretta Keener stays in shape by running on a treadmill
at the Male Seminary Recreation Center in Tahlequah, Okla. (Archive photo)


By Christina Good Voice
Staff Writer

TULSA, Okla. – Many people make slight modifications of their daily activities to live healthier, but by doing just five things they may add 10 years to their lives, says a Cherokee Nation health specialist. 

Laura Sawney-Spencer, a public health educator at the tribe’s Amo Salina Health Center, said those five steps are increasing physical activity, eating healthy, quitting tobacco use, taking medications as prescribed and getting regular screenings and health tests. 

She suggested the five steps during her March 3 seminar called “5 Things to Add 10 Years to Your Life” during the tribe’s third bi-annual Cancer Summit.

“It’s good to be physically fit,” she said. “You don’t have to be a gym rat, but just go out and try to get some type of activity in your life.” 

Being physically active also helps relieve stress; leaves a person happier, relaxed and looking better; they feel better and have more confidence, Sawney-Spencer said. She said it can also help prevent depression. 

“I know that’s a tool counselors use, to try and promote exercising as a route to help alleviate depression,” she said. 

Exercise is also known to combat chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. Physical activity can also boost high-density lipoprotein or HDL, or good cholesterol, while keeping blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaque in the arteries, she said. 

Eating healthy is another way to add years, she said, but it’s not always easy to do that for people on a fixed income. 

To eat healthy, people should emphasize eating plant sources such as five or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day, limit junk foods, choose whole grains over processed grains and sugars and limit eating processed meats and red meats. She added that when choosing protein, fish, poultry or beans should be picked before beef, pork and lamb. 

“When you eat meat, choose lean cuts and eat smaller portions,” Sawney-Spencer said. “Prepare meat by baking, braising, steaming, stewing poaching or microwaving, rather than by frying, charbroiling or grilling.”

Another thing way to add years to your life is to quit using tobacco products. Choosing not to smoke won’t only affect the smoker, but those exposed to secondhand smoke. 

She said there are two different forms of smoke from cigarettes, pipes or cigars – side stream smoke that comes directly from the burning tobacco product and mainstream smoke that the smoker exhales.

“All types of tobacco put you on a collision course with cancer,” Sawney-Spencer said. “Rejecting tobacco, or deciding to stop using it, is one of the most important health decisions you can make.”

She also advised that people should remember to take their prescribed medications prescribed if they want to add years to their lives. According to federal government reports, each year in the United States more than 125,000 people die from a failure to properly take their medications. 

She said there are different reasons why people don’t take their prescribed medications, including forgetting it, fear of the medication’s side effects and the desire to save money.

“Talk to your health care provider if you have difficulty affording your medications,” she said. “There are sources out there to help you get your medicine for reduced priced or even free.”

The final tip Sawney-Spencer offered was the importance of getting health screenings and tests to prevent and/or detect the onset of diseases. 

“We know more now than ever before about how the disease develops and what contributes to cancer risk,” she said. “We have better weapons for fighting the disease, with new technologies for early detection, more options for diagnosis and treatment and improved therapies.” 

People should also know their family history, she said. 

“Find out if you are at higher risk for some cancers because of your family history or your lifestyle,” she said. “You may need earlier or more frequent screening, so it’s important to ask your health care professional which tests may be right for you.”

Reach Staff Writer Christina Good Voice at (918) 207-3825 or christina-goodvoice@cherokee.org