Have you seen any news articles lately on the state of health of the world? How about the state of health of New Zealanders? There is a lot of information when you look for it, and it can be really confusing, and the confusion is only escalated by the different opinions of dieticians, nutritionists, GPs, naturopaths, life coaches, gym coaches that are freely shared via social and mainstream media. Every week there is a new health trend guaranteed to add years to your life, or a new superfood that you simply must eat, so how do you go about making up your own mind about the right exercise plan? The right eating plan? The right lifestyle choices? Let’s have a look at some facts:
Almost 1 in 10 of the worlds adults has diabetes which leads to increased risk of heart disease and stroke and by 2030 there will be an estimated 366 million people worldwide with diabetes, up from 177 million in 2000
3 in 10 of the worlds deaths are caused by Cardiovascular disease
The percentage of deaths from chronic disease was 60% in 2001 and is projected to hit 71% by 2020
Chronic disease are largely preventable through diet and lifestyle changes
Despite growing evidence of epidemiological and economic impact, the global response to the problem remains inadequate
The evidence is clear for one thing: Our health is not getting better. So what are the health choices we can make to avoid becoming one of the statistics? It’s actually pretty straight forward and as with all changes in lifestyle all it takes is conscious commitment.
Get adjusted. The health benefits of regular chiropractic adjustments for the improved function of the nervous system, the reduction of stress hormone release, improved quality of sleep, improved immune response and better physical function are becoming more and more well known.
Cut out the processed food. Processing adds chemicals and sugar to our food. You’ll get far more nutrients from eating an apple from the fruit section than you will eating 1 cup of tinned apple slices. Eat food as close to its natural state as possible. You don’t have to cut out dairy or gluten if you don’t want too. But eat natural foods as much as possible. Hand in hand with this is knowing what’s in your packaged food. For instance “low fat” can mean high in sugar. If you buy something with a label, make sure you read it.
Move more. You don’t have to race out and join your nearest CrossFit gym, but walk. Play in the backyard with the kids. Take the stairs. Put some music on and dance while you cook dinner. Move. Each little bit adds up.
Limit or ideally eliminate toxicity from your body. Smoking, Alcohol, Caffiene, Cleaning chemicals, Sugar. Some are ‘less bad’ for you than others, but be aware that all are toxic and that toxicity adds up over time.
Decreases your stress levels. Whether it’s meditation, active relaxation, adult colouring in, reading….take some time out, just 10 mins a day to let your mind stop.
Get enough of it and prioritise it.
Drink more water. Hardly anyone drinks enough. The general consensus for your average adult female is around 2L per day and a little more for males. If you’re not hitting 2L and your urine isn’t pale yellow then you’re not having enough.
So whether you do CrossFit or go for a few long slow walks a week, live the Paleo way or eat a natural wholefood diet, do yoga classes every day or read a book, make sure you are incorporating some of these things into your life so that you can live a healthier happier life doing the things you love and NOT become a sad statistic.
*NB: All data regarding health trends came from the World Health Organisation website and documents