Modern life makes it hard to be healthy. Without knowing it, by the time we reach our 40s and 50s many of us will have dramatically increased our chances of becoming ill later in life, writes Dr Jonty Heaversedge…
Whether we are eating the wrong things, drinking more alcohol than we should, continuing to smoke, or just not being active enough, all of these things add up.
These habits could make it harder to keep up with the kids in the park or mean that your favourite pair of jeans are a bit tighter. More seriously, they increase the risk of you developing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Our busy lives often mean that our own health is at the bottom of our list of priorities. The One You campaign, recently launched by Public Health England, is here to remind you that your health matters. The campaign is aimed at people between the ages of 40 and 60 years old to help them make changes to improve their health.
Latest figures show that life expectancy at older ages is at record levels, yet many are spending their retirement living in ill health. Currently fifteen million Britons are living with a long-term health condition like diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma, yet studies show living healthily in middle age can double your chances of being healthy when you are 70.
A good way to start the fight to a healthier lifestyle is to take the free One You health quiz, ‘How Are You’. This innovative quiz provides personalised recommendations based on your results and direct you to tools and offers to help you take action where it’s most needed.
For more information and to take the online health quiz, search ‘One You’ online now.