4 ways to chuck lifestyle diseases out of your immune system

India may have won no gold medals at the Olympics, (with the exception of Mariyappan Thangavelu at Rio Paralympics 2016) but there's an area where our country tops the charts.

According to recent surveys, about 50 per cent of Indians suffer from lifestyle diseases, both acute and chronic. With rapid economic development, increasing sedentary lifestyles, as well as poor dietary choices in the past couple of decades, predominance of these illnesses has reached alarming levels among Indians.

While we often read alarming reports on how lifestyle diseases are on the rise in our country, very few of us actually know what one is.

So, what is a lifestyle disease? It refers to those diseases which result on account of choices individuals make in their life.

These diseases share risk components similar to prolonged exposure to certain life practises and result in the development of chronic illnesses, particularly heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, obesity, metabolic disorder and a few types of cancer.

In my many interventions with clients, I have often seen a rather strong mind-body connect in most cases.

While we usually only treat the physical manifestation of such diseases, we need to understand that there is a lot that can be changed through little changes in one's mental attitude as well as small life choice.

In most cases, when I work with clients on coaching them through their wellness needs, we begin with nagging physical ailments but we often work our way through to deeper conflicts.

The good news is that common lifestyle choices that lead to illness are modifiable - smoking, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity. Modest, however, achievable changes in accordance with lifestyle behaviours are likely to have a significant effect at the individual level.

More and more people are now repeatedly realising that to remain healthy, it is important that we adopt healthy behaviours. Physical activity, cessation of tobacco consumption, eating a high-fibre diet supported by consumption complex carbohydrates, controlling body weight, and figuring out how to adapt to stress, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and early mortality.

Yet, the aim is to have a holistic approach to modifying lifestyle, mindset and behaviour. While in most cases, we attempt to look at each individual as a unique case study, one can adopt small but certain steps towards a healthier lifestyle:

1. Genetic profiling and family history is a good base to start

In people with a genetic predisposition, the risk of disease can depend on multiple factors in addition to a recognised hereditary change. These incorporate other hereditary factors as well as lifestyle and environmental factors. Although a person's hereditary make-up cannot be modified, some lifestyle and environmental modifications would surely help you benefit.

For instance, if your parents are predisposed towards high cholesterol or diabetes, constant monitoring of your own parameters, a healthy dose of exercise and sensible eating will go a long way in keeping them at bay.

2. Get a comprehensive health check-up

Job-related stress, unhealthy eating habits, inadequate rest, high levels of pollution - all add to our well-being problems today. A comprehensive health check-up helps to determine the onset of any disease. A yearly health check-up is one of the best things you can do to maintain good health.

The health check-up programmes study the working of all the fundamental organs in the body for any side effects of significant illness and also pinpoint potential areas of risk so as to prevent future health problems.

3. Consult a wellness coach for preventive practises

Unfortunately in India, we usually end up considering wellness coaching only when something happens to concern us. Behaviour and lifestyle modification needs to become part of your lifestyle before the onset of problems, as opposed to looking for guidance post they have arisen!

A health coach is a guide and mentor who provide ongoing support and guidance as you set goals and make sustainable behavioural changes that enhance your well-being and happiness. A health coach analyses your body's specific needs and helps in improving the overall quality of your life. There is really no age and stage to get a wellness coach, but more a mindset to make quality of life better, live fully as well as have the best health and wellness choices.

4. Learn how to be happy and what makes you happy

Different things make different people happy, these could be participation in sports, or social events, or even going out with friends, reading, travelling or just spending time with the family.

Once we know what makes us happy, it will lead to a healthier mindset, reduction of stress as well as positive hormones within our body.

A recent article in the DailyMail, UK stated that it is the simple everyday pleasures that give us the feeling of being content. Now keeping in mind that when we are happy, our immune systems perform better, our concentration levels are higher at work and we can build beautiful relationships, there remains no doubt that happiness is not just important for you as a state of mind but contributes to your overall well-being.

My suggestion is to have a daily happiness practise where you spend at least half an hour in the day doing something that makes you happy. Treat this like small doses of medicine and not self-indulgence.

So pay that long awaited visit to your health and wellness coach today.

You will not only recognise any symptoms lurking around the corner, you'll also be able to take remedial measures. A few lifestyle changes can help us in the long run.

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