Urban Lifestyle Diseases: Prevention & Remedy

yoga for healthy living

He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything. – Thomas Carlyle

In my previous article on this topic, I highlighted an aspects of urban lifestyle which is proving a menace to the society. Long working hours, eating processed junk food and no physical work is resulting into the creation of unhealthy urbanites. Conditions like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity and infertility problems have become really common in India especially in metropolitan cities like Delhi. So, how does one go about addressing this problem? How do we keep these diseases at bay, that are engulfing even the youth of the country? Well, the answer lies simply in “going back to our roots.”

Yes, people! Eating right, sleeping at time, going for regular work-outs and leading a stress-free life is the solution to all your health related problems. Heard it many times from our parents I know? And how we tend to ignore it! But, people what do you think is better, suffering from diabetes or a 30 minute brisk walk in morning? In fact, people suffering from obesity, hypertension and high cholesterol can also benefit from a 40 minute work-out or brisk walk every day. Working-out, being the most important factor, should be followed rigorously. Secondly, we must focus on our diet and make sure we have a balanced diet. Yes, all of us are very busy nowadays and we tend to hog on junk food or pre-processed food which is loaded with preservatives to save our precious time. And not to forget, nobody likes the “roz ki daal-roti” made by our mothers. But people, adapting healthy eating habits is really very important. You just can’t do away with it.

Third most importantly in the list is having sufficient sleep. You should not sleep 10-12 hours a day, which many of us college students do. And neither should you be sleep deprived, like most working professionals are. A sound sleep of 7-8 hours works wonders for the body. Sleeping at the right time and waking up at the right time (Remember, early to bed..early to rise..makes Jack healthy, wealthy & wise!) matters a lot too. Fourthly, the last nail in the coffin of all the urban lifestyle related diseases we need to beat would be to not lead a stressful life. Yeah, each of us are burdened with our sets of problems. Managing careers, achieving something big, family problems, peer pressures etc are some common modern day issues. Stress is the root problem to every disease. Infertility problems are increasing at a high rate in the urban scenario because of this. The simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management. Managing stress is all about taking charge of your thoughts, emotions, schedule and the way you deal with problems. Try meditating! It refreshes your inner soul and mind.

To sum up, I would like to highlight some points now which can be attributed to healthy living:

  • Give time to your body. Your body is a temple for you, worship it! Go for work-outs. Simple morning walks of about 40 mins will benefit to a great extent. Or, hit the gym!
  • Plant more trees! Green cover cleans up the air up and you tend to inhale cool air in morning while walking. It’ll rejuvenate you
  • Go for yoga and meditation exercises. It will help you calm down and will give you a break from the hustle & bustle of daily life
  • Eat right! Include lots of green vegetables and fruits in your diet. Add more of proteins and carbohydrates and say no to things high in fat content
  • Avoid junk and processed foods
  • Drink lots of water, at least 8-10 glasses per day
  • Sleep and wake up at decent timings. Take an 8 hour sleep
  • Lead a stress-free life.
  • Say no to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
  • The most important thing: laugh a lot. Smile away all your problems
  • Last, but never the least, just enjoy life in its natural ways

Due to a quicker pace of life nowadays, people are facing health issues. We can do our best in preventing these diseases by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Other than that, even if someone suffers from any lifestyle disease, he/she should get themselves checked monthly from the family doctor. Plus should work-out and eat well to avoid the problem from worsening. Mahatma Gandhi said, “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” So, it’s time people! Get going and say hello to a healthy lifestyle.

Image by StudioTempura via Flickr

Ritika Kapoor

Ritika Kapoor is a researcher at the Euro Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change, Bologna, Italy with advanced degrees from Furgusson College, Pune and University of Delhi.

One thought on “Urban Lifestyle Diseases: Prevention & Remedy

  1. Its realy a meaningfull thought if one can adopt only a few changes in lifestyle we can fight & overcome our health problems. Its great ritika.

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