Health can be interpreted as a state of complete well-being, and not just the absence of disease or illness. But is that something applicable to us today? Our current lifestyle is very far from the lives of our parents and grandparents. Caught as we are in today’s web age and jet age, certain unhealthy habits find their way into our lifestyles. Smoking, poor eating habits, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle endanger our physical and mental well-being.
People who work in metropolitan cities are more susceptible: poor lifestyle choices aggravate their physical health. When a nation reaches a certain level of wealth, a certain complacency sets in. People get used to a certain standard of living, a certain lifestyle, and boom! The nation is at a high economic level, but the health of its people may hit rock bottom. Urban migration brings with it certain lifestyle changes that negatively affect health.
Technology and medicine have succeeded in eradicating certain communicable diseases such as cholera and polio. The average life expectancy of people may have increased, but people would agree when we say that a plethora of diseases have entered the threshold of our life. And that includes Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, strokes, depression, and certain types of cancers. Developing countries like India are not far behind. India is said to be the diabetes capital of the world with numbers reaching staggering proportions. Then there is obesity, the main health risk factor that is determined by the amount of fat stored in the body. Someone who appears normal or thin could actually be considered obese. It is obesity that prevents people from leading productive lives, exposing them to heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, respiratory problems, fatigue, and muscle and joint pain.
A change in lifestyle brings with it changes in all aspects of life, including a change in diet, where one tends to consume more unhealthy foods. Physical activity takes a back seat. You begin to lead a fairly sedentary life. The need of the moment, therefore, is to adopt an adequate dietary intake and for sedentary adults, foods low in energy density, rich in fiber and containing many vegetables and adequate exercise would greatly contribute to providing satiety and maintaining a good Health. Health. That means no to that delicious slice of cheesecake in your fridge!
Women, especially career-oriented women, are no strangers to lifestyle-related illnesses. In India, the prevailing need for a double income in most cities requires women to go out to work. The woman feels responsible for meeting the needs of her family and at the same time must function in her workplace. Long hours at work, juggling home and career cause them to succumb to lifestyle illnesses, often at a young age. In the deal, your health is compromised. A survey conducted in 2009 revealed that women up to 35 years old were diabetic and suffered from hypertension. The situation continues to be dire.
Obesity is not uncommon in children these days. Junk food addiction, an unhealthy obsession with smartphones, and a generation of television addicts push physical activity out, leading to teens and even younger children battling obesity. Obesity is the cause of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental illness. School authorities and parents are expected to monitor children’s junk food consumption and time spent on phones or watching television. Ironically, according to a very recent newspaper report, support groups formed on social networking sites have helped obese people cope with their obesity and reduce their BMI by 0.64.
Lifestyle diseases are chronic and long-term. However, they can be prevented, albeit up to a point. Nobody wants to be stuck with illness and miss out on “life.” A 51-year-old worker and mother of two, living with diabetes since 2003, sees it as the most depressing disease to live with. She maintains that a stress-free life, along with proper diet and exercise, helps maintain blood sugar levels. In fact, as difficult as it may seem to incorporate, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and exercise will do wonders for your physical and mental health. Therefore, one must motivate oneself to get rid of the bad and embrace the good. Moderation is key. Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking, as we all know, can cause irreparable damage to health. So go ahead, take one step at a time and change your life!