Many individuals use the beginning of a New Year to reflect and make many resolutions for the upcoming year. Resolutions related to health are very common but, unfortunately, many of these resolutions are not realised by many. The start of the year is a good time for many of us to start making healthy choices that will positively affect our lives. Adopting healthy habits can contribute to reducing the risk of premature death.
Why making healthy choices are so important?
A number of clinical studies have confirmed that many medical and health disorders are influenced by the choices individuals make. Many conditions can either be prevented or minimised by adopting healthy lifestyles. Lack of regular exercise, poor eating habits, smoking, engaging in risky sexual habits, abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs, can all have a negative impact on our health. The good news is that we can choose to change our lifestyles. If you have been leading an unhealthy lifestyle, it may be unrealistic to attempt to switch to better habits overnight. One option is to focus on adopting just one habit first and that may lead to you adopting more, or perhaps even all, of them.
Making health choices
There are many choices we can make that can influence our health. Some of the more common ones include the following:
Smoking – Everyone knows smoking is bad for your health. Smokers should work diligently to kick this habit. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of a smoke-free life for your health — as well as for the sake of those around you.
Maintaining a healthy weight – This is often defined as a normal body mass index (BMI) which is between 18.5 and 24.9. This might involve changes in diet and exercise. Make the decision today to achieve a healthy weight.
Regular exercise – This is important for many reasons. Benefits of regular exercise include: cancer prevention, heart disease prevention, stronger bones, and prevention of high blood pressure. Doing at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day is very beneficial for good health.
Healthy diet -Eating a healthy diet high in fruit, vegetables and whole grains, and low in red meat, salt, saturated fats and sugar, is strongly recommended – and can help prevent premature death.
Abuse of alcohol – The abuse of alcohol is related to many medical disorders like cirrhosis, liver cancer and alcoholism. Many health experts in Anguilla are concerned with the abuse of alcohol by teenagers and adolescents and females in Anguilla. The short and long term effects are significant for our community.
High-risk sexual behaviours – High-risk sexual behaviour can lead to the acquisition of sexually transmitted illnesses such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, or HIV infection. High-risk sexual behaviour is also known to be associated with various cancers.
Other healthy choices
There are many other health related choices that you can make this New Year. Learning how to cope with stress is vitally important especially during the present COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, I encourage individuals to pray, meditate or otherwise find solace – at sometime during each day even if it is for only ten minutes.
Conclusion
As we start this New Year, and make our resolutions, let us all try to make healthy choices that will lead to healthy living and productive lives. The most important thing to remember is that you can make a difference in your health and well-being. Take charge of your life, and be mindful of small behaviour changes that can make your life a healthier one. MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES THIS YEAR.
Ask Your Dr is a health education column and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. The reader should consult his or her physician for specific information concerning specific medical conditions. While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that all information presented is accurate, as research and development in the medical field are ongoing, it is possible that new findings may supersede some data presented.
Dr Brett Hodge MB BS DGO MRCOG is an obstetrician/Gynaecologist and Family Doctor with over thirty-eight years in clinical practice. Dr Brett Hodge has a medical practice in The Johnson Building in The Valley (Tel: 264 497 5828).
