Life is never a straight road. At different times of life It could be stressful with the challenges of juggling work, business , ministry , careers and family responsibilities. The list goes on, and on. Many people come up with different coping mechanisms.
In this article , we will be focussing on 5 killers of health that people resort to as coping mechanisms without thinking of the long-term implication . I recently attended a healthcare training program where we were discussing various mechanisms participants use to cope or manage stress . A number of the participants highlighted some of these 5 killers of health I will be discussing and their coping strategies.
The 5 killers of health I like to address here are the followings :smoking ,drinking , physical inactivity unhealthy diet and lack of adequate sleep,
In this article , I will highlight some of the evidence-based research regarding the dangers of these 5 killers and I will conclude by sharing some practical tips on two of them. So here are some statistical research evidence regarding the 5 killers of health.
Number one, smoking causes about 90% of all lung cancer
According to world health organization reports, harmful use of alcohol is accountable for 7.1% and 2.2% of the global burden of disease for males and females, respectively
According to world health organization reports 60 to 85% of people in the world from both developed and developing countries live sedentary lifestyles which is talking about physical inactivity This is likely caused by the nature of peoples jobs and the day-to-day activities such as doing a job where they have to sit down for so long. Others move from one sitting position to another sitting position, or they sit down and drive through long traffic, get to work, sit down to work. After work, they sit down in the car to drive back home. When they get home they sit down to eat dinner and to watch TV and then they go to bed and the routine continues the next day. That is a typical life of inactivity . The danger of physical inactivity is that it’s going to cause obesity and a high risk for developing cardiovascular diseases or heart related diseases like high blood pressure, stroke and other diseases .
Unfortunately the problem of physical inactivity is very deadly even though it is not sufficiently addressed by many people who do not appreciate the seriousness
The fifth one is lack of adequate sleep. A lot of people are guilty of this due to increasing pressure on our job and schedules.
Now, I would like to share a few practical tips on two of those killers which are smoking and physical inactivity
Smoking is generally a symptom of all the major problems, such as anxiety, loneliness and depression. A practical tip for a long-term solution, is to focus on the root cause of these deadly habits, as you take steps to overcome the symptom which is the habit itself. Some practical solutions to the issue of loneliness include identifying the right group that can help you quit smoking and form better habits. You also need to take steps to get out of the group or associations that promote smoking.
For physical inactivity, the best thing to do is to incorporate exercise into your daily activities. You may not always have time, but like Howard Wright said excuses are lies wrapped up in reason. We will always get time for what is a priority for us. Taking the staircase, parking up far away from the entrance of your office, stretching in between work, and in between long hours of sitting, are good and you can also take a walk at certain periods of time within a week.
As a person of faith I believe God is the ultimate preserver of our health as long as we play our own role. Being intentional about playing our parts is super critical. As I close I want to leave us with the memorable words of Dr. Kim Williams,a fellow of American college of cardiology who said I don’t mind dying. I just don’t want it to be my fault.”. As I conclude today, I have looked at five killers of health.I have also looked at some practical tips on overcoming some of these health challenges
