Executive Summary – There is a marked increase in lifestyle diseases affecting or threatening young India. This is due to high disposable income, today’s urban lifestyle and lack of physical exercise. Changing these habits is essential to be healthy and well. Even following some good personal financial planning habits can also help to be more healthy.
India has made some good progress in the process of eliminating diseases like polio and TB which are major causes of serious health problems and death. But with economic development and better living standards, new diseases on the rise are lifestyle diseases. Lifestyle diseases are health problems like diabetes, cardiac disorders etc. caused due to unhealthy living habits. As per WHO, heart diseases will be single greatest killer in India by 2015. As per a study by Fortis Memorial Research Institute in 2013, 17 out of 100 people suffer from kidney ailments. Kidney ailments lead to excessive and unnecessary accumulation of fluids, salts and waste in the blood. Risks due to such ailments are more higher for the urban young typically because of their lifestyle choices. It has been discovered that the fasting glucose levels (sugar level in the morning when you are supposed to be on an empty stomach) on an average are higher for the urban young. The main reasons for these diseases and conditions on the rise are –
High Disposable Income – With a high disposable income and the overarching want to have everything and do everything have caused many health issues. Eating unhealthy food, junk food and from restaurants, having soft drinks and consuming alcohol have increased cholesterol levels, obesity and other ailments of the stomach and liver.
Erratic Working Hours – Earlier there was a clear demarcation between work life and personal life. Today with technological advancement and competitiveness in workplaces, there is no demarcation. People are always checking their work mails and having conference calls at any time. People are glued to their smartphones and tablets for work, socializing and entertainment. This leads to mental and physical stress not allowing the body to relax and rest. Erratic and long work hours leads to consumption of processed foods and too much of caffeine intake. This leads to accumulation of toxins in the body leading to stomach problems, decreased mental ability, joint pain and muscle pain.
Sedentary Lifestyle – We are too “busy” to exercise. We have time to go for movies, have late night parties with drinks and food but have no time for a daily morning walk or yoga. The young generation has no or very little physical activity and a very sedentary lifestyle leading to increased risk of diseases like diabetes.
Lack of Physical Exercise – When was the last time you played a game or ran a sprint? We are busy with our families and work and unable to schedule time for some physical activities. This combined with increased intake of soft drinks, fried foods etc. leads to unhealthy weight gain. Obesity can lead to many problems like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases.
We have to bring about some changes in our lifestyle to be more healthy. Some good personal finance planning habits can lead to a healthier lifestyle –
Make Shopping Lists – When we go out shopping for groceries/ food, we should make a list of the items that we need and ensure that we only buy that. Shops will have an attractive display of interesting goodies to eat but most of them are unhealthy. We should go for shopping after a proper meal so that we are not tempted by coffee shops and restaurants. This will curb unnecessary expenditure and we will avoid eating processed food and junk food.
Commute Smarter – Many of us commute by car or taxi or auto rickshaw. It is not easy for all of us to walk or cycle to work but we can make an attempt to make our commute more healthy. We could walk till the train station or get down from the cab or auto a little away from office and walk it up. We can check out options of public transport. Commuting in this manner would give us some exercise. It also means we need to get ready earlier meaning getting up earlier. Getting up early is recommended for good health. At the same time, if you use public transport for example, you will save a little everyday .
Having home cooked food – We should try taking home cooked food to office and college instead of eating in the canteen and food courts. Items there are neither nutritious nor healthy. Eating home cooked food will lead to a healthier lifestyle and also save some money as we are tempted to binge on unhealthy items when we have to buy food.
Getting rid of unhealthy expensive habits – Smoking and Alcohol consumption lead to excessive damage of our health. It is best to quit these habits. Smokers have a high risk of heart diseases and cancer. Alcohol consumption can affect the kidney and stomach. It also affects your mental ability. Quitting these habits help financially as well. A packet of 10 king size cigarettes costs around Rs.90. Smokers normally need to pay higher premium on life insurance and term insurance. Quitting smoking will reduce expenses. Similarly alcohol consumption in a restaurant is expensive considering the prices, taxes etc. This money can also be saved.
Do you think you have a healthy lifestyle? Let us know what changes will you bring about in your lifestyle to be more healthy.
High Disposable Income – With a high disposable income and the overarching want to have everything and do everything have caused many health issues. Eating unhealthy food, junk food and from restaurants, having soft drinks and consuming alcohol have increased cholesterol levels, obesity and other ailments of the stomach and liver.
Erratic Working Hours – Earlier there was a clear demarcation between work life and personal life. Today with technological advancement and competitiveness in workplaces, there is no demarcation. People are always checking their work mails and having conference calls at any time. People are glued to their smartphones and tablets for work, socializing and entertainment. This leads to mental and physical stress not allowing the body to relax and rest. Erratic and long work hours leads to consumption of processed foods and too much of caffeine intake. This leads to accumulation of toxins in the body leading to stomach problems, decreased mental ability, joint pain and muscle pain.
Sedentary Lifestyle – We are too “busy” to exercise. We have time to go for movies, have late night parties with drinks and food but have no time for a daily morning walk or yoga. The young generation has no or very little physical activity and a very sedentary lifestyle leading to increased risk of diseases like diabetes.
Lack of Physical Exercise – When was the last time you played a game or ran a sprint? We are busy with our families and work and unable to schedule time for some physical activities. This combined with increased intake of soft drinks, fried foods etc. leads to unhealthy weight gain. Obesity can lead to many problems like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases.
We have to bring about some changes in our lifestyle to be more healthy. Some good personal finance planning habits can lead to a healthier lifestyle –
Make Shopping Lists – When we go out shopping for groceries/ food, we should make a list of the items that we need and ensure that we only buy that. Shops will have an attractive display of interesting goodies to eat but most of them are unhealthy. We should go for shopping after a proper meal so that we are not tempted by coffee shops and restaurants. This will curb unnecessary expenditure and we will avoid eating processed food and junk food.
Commute Smarter – Many of us commute by car or taxi or auto rickshaw. It is not easy for all of us to walk or cycle to work but we can make an attempt to make our commute more healthy. We could walk till the train station or get down from the cab or auto a little away from office and walk it up. We can check out options of public transport. Commuting in this manner would give us some exercise. It also means we need to get ready earlier meaning getting up earlier. Getting up early is recommended for good health. At the same time, if you use public transport for example, you will save a little everyday .
Having home cooked food – We should try taking home cooked food to office and college instead of eating in the canteen and food courts. Items there are neither nutritious nor healthy. Eating home cooked food will lead to a healthier lifestyle and also save some money as we are tempted to binge on unhealthy items when we have to buy food.
Getting rid of unhealthy expensive habits – Smoking and Alcohol consumption lead to excessive damage of our health. It is best to quit these habits. Smokers have a high risk of heart diseases and cancer. Alcohol consumption can affect the kidney and stomach. It also affects your mental ability. Quitting these habits help financially as well. A packet of 10 king size cigarettes costs around Rs.90. Smokers normally need to pay higher premium on life insurance and term insurance. Quitting smoking will reduce expenses. Similarly alcohol consumption in a restaurant is expensive considering the prices, taxes etc. This money can also be saved.
Do you think you have a healthy lifestyle? Let us know what changes will you bring about in your lifestyle to be more healthy.
The article was originally published on Bizodisha.
The author can be reached at [email protected]
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