Genetic predispositions do not ultimately determine the development of the disease, which is why diet and exercise are so important as individually tailored preventive measures. Doesn’t trying to reduce the risk of disease by making a few changes in your life seem worth it?
Diet and exercise and lifestyle diseases
Prevention of civilization diseases – including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease and cancer, according to the idea of the World Health Organization (WHO) should focus on four main risk factors in a healthy population, namely:
- smoking,
- harmful alcohol abuse,
- unhealthy diet,
- low/lack of physical activity.
Physical activity in the world
Every 4th adult does not maintain a minimum level of physical activity. The situation is even worse among young people – as many as 4 out of 5 teenagers are not active enough. Insufficient physical activity is a key factor in the development of:
- cardiovascular diseases,
- Cancers
- type 2 diabetes,
Therefore, motivating ourselves and others to exercise regularly and taking care of this aspect of our lifestyle does not seem to require additional justification.
Why exercise regularly?
It is recommended to perform regular physical exercise to:
- reduce the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers (including breast cancer and colorectal cancer),
- control your body weight – prevent the development of overweight and obesity,
- take care of the condition of the osteoarticular system – prevent osteopenia and osteoporosis,
- reduce the risk of fractures – prevent injuries,
- improve the efficiency of our heart – prevent cardiovascular diseases,
- increase muscle mass and improve skeletal muscle function – prevent sarcopenia,
- improve cognitive functions,
- improve sleep quality,
- reduce the feeling of stress and anxiety – prevent depression,
- reduce the risk of excessive weight gain, gestational diabetes and postpartum depression in pregnant women.
What is aerobic training?
It is any effort that engages large muscle groups, e.g.:
- running,
- swimming
- cycling,
- dance
- group aerobics classes,
- exercises with the use of “cardio” training equipment.
Aerobic cardio training should be performed in at least a few sessions, ≥ 10 minutes each, evenly distributed throughout the week (4-5 days).
Food is one of the basic elements of our lives. There are plenty of highly processed products in the store, the list of ingredients of which is endless, and more than half of them do not resemble food. Sometimes it is difficult to protect yourself from the marketing of food companies that strongly encourage you to buy their products. Sometimes, however, it is worth stopping and thinking about what we care about. Low physical activity and unhealthy nutrition are the main risk factors for civilization diseases. An investment in modifying eating habits, which will not involve a short-term improvement of one’s diet for a healthier one, but a long-term maintenance of these changes and a positive impact, not only on weight control, but also on health and disease prevention, seems to be worth the price, time and work put in.