Your Role in Your Health.

As a young adult, it is imperative to learn the basics of maintaining good health before venturing out into the world. Once on your own, you will be solely responsible for making healthy choices for yourself and will also bear the responsibility for any poor health choices.

Unfortunately, many teens and young adults may not have a model of good health in the home and as a result emulate the poor health practices that they grew up around. In our society everything is based on the theory of “quicker, faster, and cheaper” and sadly that has extended to our food and general health as well. This mindset has led to a society where cancer and other diseases run rampant, two thirds of the population is overweight or obese and chronic degenerative diseases largely caused by a poor diet and lifestyle are causing people to age prematurely.

This does not have to be you.

Education is power, especially when paired with implementation. Understanding your options at a young age to living a healthy and balanced life will have positive ramifications not only for your own wellbeing, but for that of others as well.

Consider the following ways that embracing a healthy lifestyle as a young adult can benefit not only you, but those around you.

  • You will gain and maintain better performance in sports.
  • A clear mind and a healthy body aids in peak academic performance.
  • You will be better able to deal with the stressors of young adulthood, including body image issues and peer pressure.
  • You are less likely to suffer from an eating disorder and can identify the signs of one in your friends and help them to get assistance.
  • You will learn to avoid risky general and sexual health behaviours, which can have long lasting, if not permanent ramifications.
  • You can speak intelligently to family members about the risks associated with certain eating habits, smoking, drinking, and so on. You can be the catalyst for someone to kick a bad habit or for your entire family to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
  • In your workplace, you can serve as an example of health and balance and encourage other employees to adopt good habits which help to maintain happiness and productivity.
  • As a parent, you will feed and nourish your children in a balanced and healthy way, thus giving them the best start in life and gifting them with the invaluable inheritance of a healthy lifestyle.
  • When you enter midlife and your senior years, the healthy lifestyle you maintained throughout your years will allow you to escape many of the disease adults suffer from including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and a whole host of others.

As you can see, good health is something that you build upon for life. The earlier you adopt good habits, the more likely you are to thrive throughout your years and suffer from minimal, if any major health problems.

From the Panel of Well at Heart e-Health Magazine App

– By Dr. Anantharaman