Some folks suffer the misfortune of unexpected, unpredictable and unpreventable illness. For the rest of us, which is the majority, a healthy life is built upon a series of simple decisions made daily. These choices are cumulative over time and may either balance in favor of health or may balance in the other direction.
Unlike weightier matters such as law, morals or ethics, health-related decisions are not about right or wrong – but they do have consequences. By example, you may choose to ride your bike routinely without a helmet. In all likelihood. you will be fine. Yet you are taking a health risk because preventable head injuries are a major consequence of bicycle accidents.
Another example of preventable injury involves routine seat-belt use. Like most other states, Colorado law requires that all vehicle drivers and passengers wear a seat belt. Nevertheless, more than 15 percent of people choose not to do so. This is a known health risk. In fact, among young adults, motor-vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death and disability. Statistics show that wearing a seat belt substantially reduces risk of severe injury.
The decision to smoke cigarettes, or to stop the smoking habit, is the classic example of a health-related choice. Mounds of evidence prove that smokers have substantially increased health risk and reduced life expectancy relative to non-smokers. Similarly, stopping smoking has been shown to reverse this trend. The effect is cumulative. The longer and more you smoke, the greater the health risk.
Health professionals are good at preaching the health benefits of exercise – and rightfully so. Yet in our excitement to convey this important message, we get caught up in the details.
For instance, I would like every adult patient to exercise 30 minutes daily, which is recommended by health experts. The evidence clearly shows this would be beneficial. However, committing to daily exercise is too overwhelming a task for some who may feel self-defeated before they start. The reality is that small amounts of exercise are better than none, and more exercise is generally better than less.
A simple decision to turn off the TV today and take a walk with my family will enhance our health whether we choose to do the same tomorrow. Also, the health benefits of each similar single decision to exercise will be cumulative. In other words, the more times I choose to exercise the better, whether daily or not.
There is no category of lifestyle choices more frequent than food and nutrition. By definition, we make health-related decisions about food and drink multiple times daily. Do we eat the doughnut or the apple? Do we drink a bottle of water or a bottle of soda? Do we finish the plate or stop when we are full? Any single decision may be inconsequential. Yet the cumulative effects of our decisions will certainly affect our future health.
In summary, for most of us, we can balance our future in favor of health by balancing our daily decisions on healthy choices.
Dr. Matthew A. Clark is a board-certified physician in internal medicine and pediatrics practicing at the Ute Mountain Ute Health Center in Towaoc.
