Unhealthy living can have far-reaching consequences. If good health habits seem expensive now, imagine the costs in time and money for bad health habits.
A century ago, the leading causes of death in the general population were communicable diseases like diphtheria, tuberculosis, pneumonia, enteritis, and diarrhea. Advances in sanitation practices like washing hands, sterilizing surgical instruments, pasteurizing milk, purifying drinking water, and the creation of sewer systems and indoor plumbing have all but eliminated these. As proof, today these diseases account for less than 4% of all deaths.
During this same time frame, deaths due to heart disease and cancer have increased by 500–600%. Add to them other preventable conditions like emphysema, COPD, liver and kidney disease and it accounts for almost ¾ of all deaths. Today, we largely suffer from terrible health curses that we actually do to ourselves.
We live in a day when convenience has trumped health. The reality is that those who say they don’t have time for healthy eating and exercise will sooner or later find that they will have plenty of time for illness. Some even say that following a healthy lifestyle is too expensive, well, wait till you see the bill for illness. There are consequences to the habits of unhealthy living.
There are four general categories that are completely doable for the average busy person that will make a huge improvement in their overall wellbeing:
- Stop smoking
- Eat four to six helpings of fruits and vegetables a day
- Exercise three or more times per week
- Maintain a healthy weight
