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Did You Know?
You hear the phrase healthy lifestyle all the time. But what is a healthy lifestyle and what
exactly does it entail? In general, a healthy
lifestyle is reflective of the things we do each and every day to stay fit,
strong, and free of disease and ill health — in other words, how we eat, play,
live, and work in order to feel good. It is a lifestyle that incorporates a nutritious diet, says “no” to smoking
and recreational drug use, consumes food and alcohol (if you drink alcohol) in
moderation, and exercise is an every day occurrence. But a healthy lifestyle
takes on very different meanings depending upon where you live.
While many countries have very particular
health risks that might affect their citizens, a few general and global health
risks will be addressed here.
In many countries, there is an obsession with working hard at
your job and exercising just as hard. But as a whole, many of us are not in the best shape. Obesity is at an all time high in many of the
higher income countries. Nutritionists
attribute this to the consumption of overprocessed (not fresh) foods,
consuming foods high in fructose corn syrup, and a growing addiction to
sodas — diet and regular — both having zero nutritional value. Combining this type of food intake with a
sedentary lifestyle — working at a desk job, coming home to television and video games — makes for a very unhealthy lifestyle. And even those who find solace in the gym, unless the workout is
combined with healthy and nutritional food sources, the lifestyle if far from
ideal.
In most countries, a healthy lifestyle is directly connected
to one’s income level, education level, and access to information. And in many countries, access to clean water
plays a large part in how healthy you are. While several countries have readily available water at all times, in
many countries, sickness, disease, and general poor health come from the lack of or
limited clean drinking water, and not knowing the safety precautions to take when there is an unclean water supply. The
worst result of unclean water, which is often seen in Africa,
is cholera, which if untreated can be life threatening.
General good health is also hard to come by in many
countries if malaria is at epidemic levels. With many countries prone to heavy rains and little to no money for
proper mosquito netting in homes, many people die from malaria every
day.
And the AIDS virus continues to plague the world.
For young people today, it is important not to be fearful when it comes to the discussion of AIDS and how it is
transmitted. Many young people today, are
raised in cultures that do not discuss sexuality or diseases that can be
transmitted through sexual contact. It
is important to realize, however, that to stay healthy and take
control of your life, if you engage in sexual activity the proper
protection should be used. After 20 years, people are still dying
unnecessarily from the AIDS virus and its devastating side effects.
If you are trying to kick-start better habits and live the
healthiest life you can, start by eating less processed foods, and instead eat more fruits,
vegetables, and healthy grains. It is also important to get
enough sleep, take steps to lose extra weight, and exercise regularly. And if you smoke, do drugs, or drink heavily you should work to eliminate these habits. None of
these promote healthy anything! And
remember a healthy lifestyle is more than just exercising; a healthy lifestyle
is shaped by our environment and the world around us.
Lesser Known Facts
Obesity, which is an excessive amount of body fat, is
defined as being 20% above your ideal weight for your height.
Just 20 minutes a day of cardio-based exercise can keep your
weight steady. If you need to lose a
moderate amount of weight, try boosting your workout to 40 minutes, three to five times
a day, adding some weight-bearing exercises.
High fructose corn syrup was introduced into the American
food supply in the 1970s, at roughly the same time as partially hydrogenated
oils. Since then, the United States
has seen epidemic levels of obesity, and the highest rate of disease and the
lowest life expectancy of any industrialized nation in the world. Foods made with high fructose corn syrup are
now in the world food market supply.
Processed foods are foods that have been altered from their
natural state for safety reasons and for convenience. The methods used for
processing foods include canning, freezing, refrigeration, dehydration, and
aseptic processing. Not all processed
foods are bad, such as store-bought milk, where the processing is used to keep it
fresh. But foods such as canned foods
packed with lots of sodium and high-fat convenience foods, for example, cans of ravioli
and processed meats are really the worst offenders.
Each year, about 3 million people worldwide die from
smoking; approximately one-third are from developing countries. Half of long-term smokers will die from tobacco.
Every
cigarette smoked cuts at least 5 minutes of life on average — about the same time
it takes to smoke it.
Smoking is the single, largest preventable cause of disease
and premature death. It is a prime factor in heart disease, stroke, and chronic
lung disease. It can cause cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and
bladder, and can also contribute to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidneys.
The top five healthiest countries in the world are: Japan, France, Iceland, Sweden, and Cuba:
- The Japanese focus on a low-cholesterol diet and enjoy daily exercise.
- Even though the French
enjoy a diet high in fat, France as a nation does not consume processed food, the French
eat slowly and practice portion control, and drink red wine in
moderation. Red wine in moderation has
been known to reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Iceland has world-class pre- and postnatal care so their infant mortality rate is
low. Infant mortality rate is one way of
determining the health of a country. Iceland has
free infant and mother services and universal health care.
- Sweden can boast with their country’s 100% child immunization policy. Children who are immunized have a greater
chance at becoming healthy and disease-free adults. Swedes also believe in a holistic lifestyle —
meaning a balance in their work, life, and family obligations.
- The island of Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the United States and has a high ratio of doctors to citizens — there are 6 doctors for every 1,000 citizens. Obviously, access to health care leads to a
healthier life.
Less than 80 million people in the 100 poorest countries
have access to health insurance.
The unhealthiest region on the planet for children is
Sub-Saharan Africa.
One million children die every year of malaria in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
Of the 6 billion people on earth, 1.1 billion do not have
access to safe, clean drinking water.
While the average American uses 80 to 100 gallons of water per
day, those in developing countries cannot find 5 gallons of water.
Cholera is an acute infectious disease characterized by
watery diarrhea that is caused by the bacterium vibrio cholerae and eating food
or drinking water contaminated with the bacterium spreads the disease. Since 2004, this disease has been on the rise
in Africa and some parts of Southeast Asia.
The best form of cholera prevention is to establish good
sanitation and waste treatment systems. In the absence of adequate sewage
treatment, the following guidelines should be followed to reduce the
possibility of infection:
- Boil it. Drink and brush teeth only with water that has been
boiled or treated with chlorine or iodine tablets. Safe drinks include coffee
and tea made with boiling water or carbonated
bottled water and carbonated soft drinks.
- Cook it. Eat only thoroughly cooked foods, and eat them
while they are still hot. Avoid eating food from street vendors.
- Peel it. Eat only fruit or nuts with a thick intact skin or
shell that is removed immediately before eating.
- Forget it. Do not eat raw foods such as oysters or ceviche.
Avoid salads and raw vegetables. Do not use untreated ice cubes in otherwise
safe drinks.
- Stay out of it. Do not swim or fish in polluted water.
Malaria kills more than a million people per year; 90% of those who die are African children.
When combined with HIV / AIDS, malaria is even more deadly,
particularly for pregnant women and children.
Bed nets prevent malaria transmission by creating a
protective barrier against mosquitoes at night, when the vast majority of
transmissions occur. Studies show that
the use of insecticide-treated bed nets can reduce transmission as much as 90% in
areas with high coverage rates.
Smoking causes nearly 5 million deaths annually worldwide.
In 2007, 33 million people were living with HIV / AIDS.
Young people under the age of 25, account for half
of all new HIV infections worldwide.
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