Capitalise on Healthy Lifestyle awareness month

Image courtesy of sattva / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The healthier people are - physically and mentally - the better they are equipped to deal with the strains and stresses of everyday life, remain economically active and productive, and contribute to a stable society and country. More importantly, staying healthy is an excellent form of insurance against the high costs of medical treatment.

At the very core of a happy, fulfilled and prosperous life is following a healthy regime. This, in turn, allows you to enjoy more aspects of your life and potentially remain in good shape, even at an old age. Moreover, in a country like South Africa where high levels of stress are rampant, increasingly causing related disorders and absenteeism in the workplace, a healthy lifestyle is not only desirable, it's imperative to keep the population active and the economy going.

Cancer kills more than 7 million people a year throughout the world - more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. African countries, including South Africa, carry a large part of this burden.

Begin healthy lifestyles in youth

At a time when the world's population is ageing rapidly, it comes as no surprise that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling for urgent action to ensure that people reach old age in the best possible health.

According to the WHO, in the next few years, for the first time, there will be more people in the world aged over 60 than children aged under five. By 2050, 80% of the world's older population will be living in low- and middle-income countries, including South Africa. Imagine the burden on this country - and on families - if the majority of our senior citizens are sickly and disabled.

The best investment a parent can make is to ensure that a healthy lifestyle is embedded in the family culture from the very beginning, as this is the key to a healthy and active old age. Conversely, quick fixes like crash-course diets or blindly accepting advice on what to eat and how to live from every possible glossy magazine will not help to entrench a healthy lifestyle, as it tends to be fleeting and short-lived.

Avoiding poor behaviours

A healthy lifestyle is a way of living that lowers the risk of being seriously ill or dying early. Not all diseases are preventable, but a large proportion of deaths, particularly those from coronary heart disease and lung cancer, can be avoided.

Several scientific studies have identified certain types of behaviour, such as excessive smoking and drinking that contribute to the development of non-communicable diseases and early death. The earlier people avoid these behaviours, the better their chances are of enjoying a healthy old age.

Nutrition, sleep, stress management are key

However, health is not just about avoiding disease, it is also about physical, mental and social well-being. While good health may be a matter of 'luck of the draw' in terms of genes, people can certainly enhance the health odds stacked against them by adopting and following a healthy lifestyle. Indeed, when a healthy lifestyle is adopted, a more positive role model is provided for other people in the family, particularly children.

Nutrition, physical activity, sleep and stress handling/management are the four main contributors to a healthier lifestyle. Individuals' personal decisions and choices on how to use them in their life are part of their lifestyle.

Common sense should dictate our standards of healthy living. This means not being trapped into predictability and monotony; instead, healthy living should be about encouraging and stimulating. We must match what our own personal taste buds like and prefer, to the foods we select. Likewise, we must enjoy our own favourite physical sport or activity, not necessarily the current fad. This way, a healthy lifestyle will follow naturally and sooner than later become an enjoyable way of life.

Corporate involvement

Liberty Medical Scheme signed up as a co-sponsor with Rehidrat@Sport at the Totalsports Challenge, which took place on Saturday 12 January this year. Since 2010, it has been a supporter of and partner in the Cloud9Golf and M-Net Cares 'Drive for the Cause' campaign, which contributes to two very important causes - PinkDrive Breast Cancer Awareness and the M-Net Naledi Children's Literacy Project.

The scheme offers a number of preventative benefits including breast cancer screenings and cholesterol tests. These benefits are paid from risk (rather than from members' savings accounts), which encourages members to have a more preventative than curative approach to their health and prompts an inclination towards a healthier lifestyle.