OPINION

Carolyn Hansen is the co-owner of Whangarei’s Anytime Fitness centre and has been writing a column for us for the past six years.

Chronic disease is a modern health issue accounting for 70 per cent of all deaths. It is a serious business predicted to claim nearly 400 million lives within the next decade – all premature, preventable deaths from self-inflicted chronic “lifestyle” diseases.

Chronic diseases (incurable diseases that slowly worsen during a person’s lifetime) do not just happen out of the blue.

They take years and often decades to smoulder away until they reach the point where serious health issues and symptoms emerge. None of us are immune.

Every one of us has been affected by one or more of the top three “chronic lifestyle diseases”, either directly as a personal affliction/experience or as something that attacked, demoralised and stole the life of a dear friend or family member.

Topping the list of the top three chronic “killer diseases” is cardiovascular disease. One in every three deaths that occurs is attributed to this often silent-to-the-end, but deadly killer. Sadly, half of those experiencing a heart attack never make it to the hospital but die within the first hour of getting symptoms.

Second is cancer. This cruel disease affects one in two men and one in three women in their lifetimes. The fact is, 40 per cent of us will experience cancer in some form during our lives, a truly frightening prediction that nearly doubles cancer cases by the year 2050.

Third is diabetes. It comes with a multitude of health risks and complications including vision loss, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, amputation of toes, feet or legs, and even premature death.

About 10 per cent of the population already have diabetes, yet one in four are not even aware of it. Thirty-five per cent of the population are in pre-diabetes condition. These individuals register blood sugar levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as type two diabetes, so many or most of them are not aware either.

The good news is, there is abundant evidence that chronic diseases are not random occurrences, but the result of living unhealthy lifestyles (our daily habits), something we have complete control over. This places responsibility for our health and wellbeing directly in our laps and means that both disease and premature death are largely within our control.

There are four major lifestyle factors proven to reduce the risk of chronic disease by a whopping 80 per cent:

Physical activity

We need about three-and-a-half hours of moderately intense activity per week. Muscles make up 50 per cent of our body weight and play an important role in metabolic health and wellness. Weak flabby muscles cannot help to push oxygen and nutrient rich blood around the body. The result is all cells, tissues and organs suffer including the brain.

Movement/exercise is what triggers the “magic”… the chemical reactions that tell every cell in our tissues, organs and systems to repair, rebuild and renew. It is the stimulus that gets the human body to work at its best and prevents it from deteriorating.

Nutritious diet

We need to ditch the unprocessed, “clean” foods. Nutrient-dense foods offer us vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats. Examples include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free milk products, lean meats and seafood, nuts, beans, and eggs. All calories count-up – it’s time you made them count.

Healthy bodyweight

A body mass index (BMI) registering lower than 30.

Not smoking

Common chronic diseases are not part of the ageing process. They are the result of decades of lifestyle problems that render the human body a disease magnet. Violating basic health principles by adopting a no exercise lifestyle and subjecting the body to shocking food quality is an equation for disaster. Throw in a bit of modern-day stress and or smoking and the algorithm is set. The door’s been opened for chronic disease to take hold, dictating how health and longevity (or lack thereof) continue to unfold.

Just adhering to the four basics of proper exercise, eating a nutrient dense diet, sporting a healthy body weight (BMI) and no smoking has a huge impact on rewriting our future health, right down to the genetic level.

Yet, sadly, people worldwide continue to be robbed of their healthy years because they are unwilling to put some effort into proper exercise/activity or won’t ditch the chemically laden, processed, non-nutrient food choices that preserve shelf-life but steal real-life.

Yes, chronic lifestyle diseases are incurable, but they are also preventable. They are diseases we give ourselves because of our lifestyles.

The question is – what are you doing now, today, to ensure your functional fitness for the next 20, 30 or 40 years or more? If the answer is nothing or very little, you are living in a danger zone with a high risk of a shortened life.

Your current health defines your present – the quality of the life you live now, but it also carves out your future and dictates your longevity. Isn’t it time to choose real-life over shelf-life and movement over stagnation?