Navigating Health

Archive for December 8th, 2009

Your health is something that you can influence for better or for worse through the life style choices you make every day. People today are generally much better informed than their parent’s generation and the expectations of what medicine can do is also higher. It is possible to make small changes to the way you live which will lead to a healthier and longer life. Simple, realistic changes are far the best drastic measures usually prove difficult to sustain and tend to be followed for only a short time. Healthy choices are those that you make for life. In the 21st century more people are living for longer in fact, most of the world’s population is living 20 years longer than their parents. What’s the secret?

Today, we have access to better food, sanitation and health care services. Having a healthy lifestyle comes down to two factors- chance and choice. The chance factors are those you cannot change, such as your genetic makeup, which may protect you from or predispose you to illness throughout your life. But, if you find out that you are more likely to develop a condition, you can take positive steps to help you prevent the situation from arising. The choice factors are being aware of the foods you eat, whether you drink alcohol, whether you smoke, how much exercise you take and how you deal with day to day stress. As with most things in life, having a healthy lifestyle is all about a balanced approach. Occasional overindulgence won’t on the whole, damage your health irreparably but your body will need time to recover afterward and some tender loving care.