Heads up, ACT readers: According to a recent survey, your lifestyle is one of the healthiest in the country! In the inaugural AIA Vitality Wellbeing Index report, you score big on physical activity, you're non-smoking and you've ditched those sugary drinks. Take a flexible and well-hydrated bow.
For the rest of us, well it could be time for a friendly wake-up call, because the lifestyle choices we make now will contribute to our wellbeing long-term.
Lifestyle is often the driver of non-communicable diseases (think cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and cancer) which are responsible for 90 per cent of premature deaths in Australia and New Zealand and, according to the World Health Organization, may make you more susceptible to COVID-19.
The good news is that a bit of preventative healthcare can help. "Proactive preventative healthcare means taking small steps now to improve and maintain all aspects of your life," explains preventative health expert Dr Zac Turner.
"By having a lifestyle focus which considers the impact of exercise, diet, smoking and alcohol, it can enable great health outcomes."
While the ACT is ahead of the rest of the country with 18 per cent of the population meeting the physical activity guidelines, the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is something we can all aim for.
Trainer and co-founder of Sydney's Flow Athletic, Ben Lucas, agrees. "A moderate intensity is an intensity that makes you work hard enough to burn off three to six times more energy per minute than when you are sitting," he says.
"Take a very brisk walk, ride a bike at a medium effort, do some light toning/strength training that doesn't involve the heaviest weights or some high intensity interval training."
Victoria tops the country on nutrition, the survey revealed, while NSW is all over the recommended daily fruit guidelines, and Tasmania has the most veggie eaters.
But it's not hard for every Australian to get on track. Integrative medicine practitioner Madeline Calfas says the biggest no-no is sugar, which can lead to health issues like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
"The best way to ensure you truly have a healthy diet is to follow the J.E.R.F. protocol: Just Eat Real Food," she advises. "By minimisingfoods that don't come from a packet, you can not only avoid hidden sugars, but you are also avoiding preservatives and additives that can wreak havoc in our bodies."
Smoking? Stop, or at least start cutting down, says Dr Turner. "If you go from 20 a day to 13, then nine, to six and then three, for example, over a three-month period there will be a significant improvement in your health," he says. "If you stop all together, in five to seven years you will get your lungs back to a pre-smoking state."
As for how much is OK when it comes to your favourite tipple, lifetime alcohol guidelines say we shouldn't consume more than two standard drinks a day.
"Drinking every day, or binge drinking more than four standard drinks on one day, means that you are putting your body at risk of alcohol-related illness such as fatty liver disease, diabetes, heart disease and depression," explains Calfas.
"Also, try to reduce the number of sugary drinks and cocktails you consume it's not just the alcohol that's the issue here."
Got all that? Turns out this preventative health lark is actually quite straightforward.
"Yes," agrees Dr Turner. "It's really all about keeping healthy people healthy."
And that's important no matter where you live.
AIA, with AIA Vitality, is on a mission to get all Australians making the small changes they need to become the healthier version of themselves. Head to aia.com.au/onelife for more healthy-living inspiration.
Original post:
How healthy are you, really? - 9Coach
- Utilizing your free, preventative healthcare coverage - KELOLAND.com - February 18th, 2024
- Preventive Pros: the Podcast - Department of Population and Public Health Sciences - University of Southern California - February 18th, 2024
- Heart health awareness and preventative care with Jen Lewis on Coast Live - News 3 WTKR Norfolk - February 18th, 2024
- Heart disease risk factors in women highlight need for increased awareness, prevention - American Heart Association - February 18th, 2024
- Preventive health care benefits | Opinion | thecabin.net - Log Cabin Democrat - February 18th, 2024
- Menopause and migraines: New findings point to power of prevention - Medical Xpress - February 18th, 2024
- How Young Is Too Young For Preventative Skincare? Here's What Experts Want You To Know - Health.com - February 18th, 2024
- Potential prevention of rheumatoid arthritis with injection? Clinical study brings hope for millions - WION - February 18th, 2024
- Heart disease risk factors in women highlight need for increased awareness, prevention - Medical Xpress - February 18th, 2024
- Stay on top of your fur baby's health: the importance of scheduling routine vet visits - FoxReno.com - May 17th, 2023
- Preventive healthcare - May 9th, 2023
- What Is Preventive Health and Why Is It Important? - May 9th, 2023
- What Is Preventive Medicine & Why Do We Need It? | AUC - February 16th, 2023
- Preventive Medicine | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier - December 3rd, 2022
- Migraine - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic - December 3rd, 2022
- Functional Medicine of Idaho | Preventative Root Cause Medicine - December 3rd, 2022
- These 2 Staten Island nurses believe IV hydration drips and vitamin shots are key to long-term health - SILive.com - December 3rd, 2022
- CNBCTV-18 and IIM-K's India@2047 Leadership Series: Challenges and opportunities in the fintech and healthcare sectors - Forbes India - December 3rd, 2022
- As N.W.T. mulls health coverage changes, petition calls for preventative HIV drug to be free - CBC.ca - September 20th, 2022
- EU regulator backs wider use of AstraZeneca COVID therapy - Reuters - September 20th, 2022
- Choose integrative medicine for health and wellness - Technique - September 20th, 2022
- The high hospital bills we make victims of rape and sexual violence pay - Vox.com - September 20th, 2022
- 4 Anti-Aging Products Youre Using All Wrong, According To Skincare Experts - SheFinds - September 20th, 2022
- Why Now is the Time to Double Down on Virtual Care - HIT Consultant - September 20th, 2022
- Tell Giselle: The price of good help is priceless - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader - September 20th, 2022
- Heron Therapeutics Announces U.S. FDA Approval of APONVIE (HTX-019) for the Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) - BioSpace - September 20th, 2022
- Pickleball injuries are on the rise: 5 preventive tips to keep you on the court - The Manual - September 20th, 2022
- The next big social movement and other takeaways from our regular meeting - POLITICO - September 20th, 2022
- 15 Mushrooms and How to Use Them in Vegan Cooking - VegNews - September 20th, 2022
- Use of honey in the management of Chemotherapy | CMAR - Dove Medical Press - September 20th, 2022
- Celebrity Strategy Consultant Predicts What Will Be The Most Impactful Area In The Pharmaceutical Industry - Forbes - September 20th, 2022
- C2C Care Course The Preservation of Our Global Photographic Heritage: Here, There and Everywhere - aam-us.org - August 3rd, 2022
- Loneliness: Causes, Effects And Prevention Forbes Health - Forbes - August 3rd, 2022
- Prevention and wellness is the new model, a leader from Henry Ford Health System says - Becker's Hospital Review - August 3rd, 2022
- FACT SHEET: White House Summit on Building Lasting Eviction Prevention Reform - The White House - August 3rd, 2022
- Getting Back to Employer Health and Wellness Programs - Cone Health - August 3rd, 2022
- Do ICDs Still Work in Primary Prevention Given Today's HF Meds? - Medscape - August 3rd, 2022
- Alzheimer's-defying brain offers clues to treatment, prevention - Harvard Gazette - August 3rd, 2022
- Wind-fanned lightning fire prompted precautionary evacuation notices near Medical Springs Sunday evening - Baker City Herald - August 3rd, 2022
- Experts discuss importance of cancer screenings and early detection - Merck - August 3rd, 2022
- King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research to test samples for monkeypox - The Hindu - August 3rd, 2022
- Consolidated guidelines on HIV, viral hepatitis and STI prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations - World - ReliefWeb - August 3rd, 2022
- Dr. Sanjay Gupta: While monkeypox cases rise, why are we waiting for the cavalry to rescue us? - CNN - August 3rd, 2022
- SCYNEXIS Announces U.S. Food and Drug Administration - GlobeNewswire - August 3rd, 2022
- Governor Whitmer declares August 2022 as Breastfeeding Month, highlights additional breastfeeding observances - Michigan (.gov) - August 3rd, 2022
- New student education program supports drug and alcohol abuse prevention - The Ohio State University News - July 25th, 2022
- Suicide prevention training for health care providers a first step in longer-term efficacy - University of Washington - July 25th, 2022
- Pharmalittle: Congress may miss deadline to pass FDA user-fee bill; ViiV is urged to lower price for its HIV prevention drug - STAT - July 25th, 2022
- Prevention of Bipolar Disorder Episodes: Is It Possible? - PsychCentral.com - July 25th, 2022
- GAO Found Gap in Dirty Bomb Prevention - Government Technology - July 25th, 2022
- Florida man in apparent medical distress crashes car through beach crowd before hitting the water - CNN - July 25th, 2022
- Study: Preventive care scarce in LGBTQ+ community - - Medical Marketing and Media - July 25th, 2022
- The rise of preventive insurance purchases in India - ETHealthWorld - July 25th, 2022
- Why Are My Feet Always Cold? Cold Feet Causes and Treatment - Prevention Magazine - July 25th, 2022
- Agency looking to open overdose prevention site in Saint John amid 'poisoned' drug supply - CBC.ca - July 25th, 2022
- UVA Expert Offers Insight on the Use of Dietary Supplements for Cancer Prevention - UVA Today - July 25th, 2022
- Alzheimer's: Targeting key protein in blood may slow progression - Medical News Today - July 25th, 2022
- NPPC, FAS focused on ASF prevention in the Philippines - MEAT+POULTRY - July 25th, 2022
- Implementation of IPT in people living with HIV | RMHP - Dove Medical Press - July 25th, 2022
- NL starts preventive vaccination against monkeypox in Amsterdam, The Hague - NL Times - July 25th, 2022
- Precautionary measures you can take against brain haemorrhage - Times of India - July 25th, 2022
- Acid Reflux and Liver Disease: Signs, Symptoms and Prevention - Healthline - July 25th, 2022
- What to do if you get an allergic reaction: symptoms, causes, and prevention - Fox News - July 25th, 2022
- How one woman took control of her rare disease and achieved her dream - Times of Oman - July 25th, 2022
- Tilman Fertitta donating $50 million to UH medical school, which will be renamed after him - Houston Chronicle - May 20th, 2022
- This new 3D screensaver collection includes a driving tour of global pylons - Rock Paper Shotgun - May 20th, 2022
- Dedication, generosity and compassion that had no limit! - The Sun Chronicle - May 20th, 2022
- Manhattan internist and cardiologist, Dr. William Priester collaborates with Castle Connolly Private Health Partners to create a new concierge medical... - May 20th, 2022
- Tips on avoiding mosquitos this summer - morethanthecurve.com - May 20th, 2022
- Nanomedicine and HIV Therapeutics - AZoNano - May 20th, 2022
- The HIV Vaccine: What We Know, And What We Don't - MadameNoire - May 20th, 2022
- What we know (and don't know) about North Korea's COVID-19 outbreak - WCVB Boston - May 20th, 2022
- Experts warn of health effects from dusty conditions as sandstorm blankets UAE - Al Arabiya English - May 20th, 2022
- Statin therapy: Does the gut microbiome affect outcomes? - Medical News Today - May 20th, 2022
- New Preventative Medicine Facility Wraps Work in NYC - Healthcare Construction and Operations News - November 7th, 2021
- MPD working with faith-based leaders to fight violent crime - FOX13 Memphis - November 7th, 2021
- Cornell grad and lecturer touts benefits of plant-based diet - ithaca.com - November 7th, 2021
- Meet the Cork-born bread activist who has Goldie Hawn buying her loaves - Irish Examiner - November 7th, 2021
- Pfizer says pill cuts risk of severe Covid by 89% - RTE.ie - November 7th, 2021
- The roots of ivermectin mania: How South America incubated a fake-medicine craze that took the US by storm - Yahoo News - November 7th, 2021