Lifestyle Choices

Positive lifestyle choices

Positive lifestyle choices include:

taking part regularly in physical activity
eating a balanced diet
getting sufficient sleep
balancing school/work and other commitments
making time for relaxation and leisure pursuits
having good personal hygiene
recognising the emotional, social and physical implications of sexual relationships
avoiding or minimising harmful risks, eg smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs
managing risks in the wider environment, eg road safety, in the home
seeking information about or support for concerns, eg friends, family, doctor, teacher

Negative lifestyle choices

making negative lifestyle choices can be active – something people do – or passive – something people choose not or neglect to do. They include:

not doing enough physical activity
being too sedentary, ie sitting or lying down for long periods
having an unhealthy diet, eg eating too much or too little, eating too much fat/sugar/salt
not getting enough sleep or having erratic sleep patterns
smoking
abusing alcohol, ie drinking too much and/or too often
misusing substances, eg taking drugs, using performance-enhancing drugs, overusing prescription or over-the-counter drugs
self-harming
taking unnecessary harmful risks, eg having unprotected sex, driving over the speed limit
ignoring signs and symptoms of illness or emotional strain

cONSEQUENCES OF A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE

A sedentary lifestyle means that an individual has very little or no physical activity in their day to day life.

Having a sedentary lifestyle has many consequences including overweight; overfat; obese; increased risk to long-term health, e.g. depression, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, increased risk of osteoporosis, loss of muscle tone and poor posture

Causes of this include:

Increased amount of desk or office jobs, the lack of manual work means that exercise in now a choice and not a necessity.
Longer working hours meaning less time is available for active leisure.
Increases in labour saving gadgets and technology such as sit on lawn mowers and remote controls which reduces an individuals movement.
Developments in technology such as video games reduce the amount of physical activity people do, but also advancements in on-line shopping which keeps people from leaving their house to walk around the shops.
If parents do not exercise they become a poor role model for children to exercise.
Increased concern over child safety means that children play outside less.
Developments in TV have meant that more choice is available to viewers such as live sport which can reduce the amount of people actually participating in playing sport.

CONSEQUENCES

Overweight

Being overweight is having weight in excess of normal. A person is classed as being overweight if they have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more. Being overweight may increase LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease HDL (good) cholesterol.

Overfat

Having more than the ideal (healthy) amount of body fat. Men with 25% or more body fat and women with 32% or more body fat are considered to be overfat.

Obese

Of the weight related conditions (obese, overweight and overfat) being obese is considered to be the most dangerous to our health. A person is obese is when the BMI is 30 or more. Obesity can be defined as: ‘an accumulation of excess body fat to an extent that may impair health’.

Depression

Depression is a common mental disorder that causes people to experience depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. A person experiencing depression will experience intense emotions of anxiety, hopelessness, negativity and helplessness, and the feelings stay with them instead of going away.

Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is linked to angina and heart attacks. CHD is when your coronary arteries become narrowed by a gradual build-up of fatty material within their walls. These arteries supply your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. This condition, known as atherosclerosis, is caused by the build up of fatty material called atheroma inside the artery walls. In time, your arteries may become so narrow that they cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to your heart. The pain and discomfort you may feel as a result is called angina.

If a piece of atheroma breaks off it may cause a blood clot (blockage) to form. If it blocks your coronary artery and cuts off the supply of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle, your heart may become permanently damaged. This is known as a heart attack.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is when the blood pressure reading is 140/90mmHg or higher. If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs, such as the brain, kidneys and eyes.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that plays a very important role in our bodies. After we eat, we begin to digest carbohydrates, breaking them down into glucose.

The insulin released by the pancreas moves glucose into our cells, where it is used as fuel for energy. It may help to understand that insulin is often described as a key, which open the doors to the cells, allowing glucose to enter.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break. It develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a minor fall or sudden impact causes a bone fracture.

Loss of Muscle Tone

Muscle tone is a residual muscle tension, is an unconscious low level contraction of your muscles while they are at rest. It is what makes your muscles still feel somewhat firm while you are resting and not intentionally tensing them.

Poor Posture

Posture is the position in which we hold our body while we sit, stand or lie down.

Scoliosis occurs where there is a curvature in a person’s spine that curves from side to side. Lumbar lordosis is a much exaggerated curvature of the lower back. It often appears as though the back is swaying, or the lower body appears to be standing outwards.

Solutions - Changing sedentary behaviours means altering many, often small, aspects of people's daily lives.

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