The holiday season is often a time of indulgence, socializing, and festive gatherings. While it can be a special time bringing family and friends together, it may also be challenging to maintain our usual eating, sleeping, and exercising patterns and healthy lifestyle habits. So what factors are important and how do they directly impact our overall health?
US researchers examined four factors that they believed indicated overall health status – diet, exercise, body fat percentage, and smoking habits. Specifically, they defined healthy behaviours as follows:
- Diet – a diet score in the top 40% of the Healthy Eating Index
- Exercise – performing a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per week
- Body fat percentage – less than 20% for men and 30% for women
- Maintaining non-smoker status.
When researchers reviewed biomarkers and asked study subjects about their behaviour as it related to the four factors above, the results were alarming. Only 2.7 percent of U.S. adults engaged in all four behaviours promoting a healthy lifestyle. Given that these behaviors are known to safeguard against cardiovascular disease and may also help prevent cancer and type 2 diabetes, the results are concerning. Just think of the potential burden on health care systems in terms of costs and resources to manage and treat not only these conditions but an unhealthy population in general. The benefits of a healthy lifestyle may not be simply a choice but a necessity.
The Four Pillars of a Healthy Lifestyle
However, there is hope and a tremendous opportunity for improvement. Individuals have more control than they think in terms of promoting and supporting a healthy lifestyle. Let’s take a look:
- Balanced Diet: The benefits of a healthy lifestyle begin with what you put on your plate. In the study, a ‘healthy diet’ was classified as being in the top 40% of the Healthy Eating Index recommended by the USDA, and revealed that 38% of respondents ate a healthy diet.
- Regular Exercise: The study outlined a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise weekly. Regular physical activity provides multiple benefits such as strengthening muscles, improving mood, and reducing the risk of diseases. However, only 46% of study subjects were sufficiently active.
- Optimal Body Fat Percentage: Maintaining target body fat percentages of less than 20% for men and 30% for women are important in terms of a healthy lifestyle. Healthy body fat levels are linked to lower risks of obesity-related diseases and better metabolic health. Researchers found that ten percent of individuals in this study had body fat levels within a healthy range.
- Non-Smoking: Being a non-smoker drastically reduces the risk of numerous diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Based on this study, most adults seem to be aware of the negative effects of smoking, with 71% of subjects maintaining non-smoker status.
Linking Lifestyle to Health Markers
One advantage of this large scale study was that researchers did not exclusively rely on self-reports from the sample group (4,745 adults!). They also collected and analyzed biomarkers such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels. It is clear that our lifestyle habits are reflected in our physiological function.
A Surprising Reality Check
The researchers also noted that while only 2.7% of adults in the study engaged in all four healthy lifestyle characteristics, 16% had three; 37% had two; 34% had one; and 11% had none. Other findings revealed::
- Women are more likely to eat a healthy diet healthily and avoid smoking, but are less likely to engage in sufficient physical activity.
- Adults aged 60+ are less likely to meet physical activity requirements but are more likely to be non-smokers and consume healthier diets
While the link between lifestyle habits and overall health seem obvious, the study revealed that a majority of adults do not adhere to them. More research needs to be done to figure out why. Is more education needed? Are there other barriers such as time, availability, or cost? This study also reminds us that there are links between certain lifestyle behaviours and chronic disease prevention. While 2.7% of US adults may be meeting the mark today, the flip side is that there is a huge opportunity for improvement.
The Alliance Chiropractic Perspective
At Alliance Chiropractic & Wellness Clinic, located inAncaster and serving the Greater Hamilton Area, we understand the transformative impact of daily lifestyle choices as we strive to help our patients restore, achieve, and maintain optimal levels of health and wellness. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is not just about preventing disease or injury but also enhancing your quality of life no matter what stage you are at.
Take the First Step
Looking to eat better, exercise more, manage a healthy body weight, quit smoking, or treat an injury, our multidisciplinary team of practitioners and experts can help. If you have questions related to this article or your health, get in touch. We look forward to working with you to help you achieve your health and wellness goals.
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