Lifestyle - The Culprit in Black and White

In my previous organization, I loved my Vertical Head (not quite literally!!). A decent guy who did well in his job; worked very hard and his career graph shot up in no time. He was always neck-deep in his work. The buzz in the office was that he drew a hefty pay package. We joked among us that just like his wallet, he too is growing fat - horizontally.
As the job and position demanded, he spent more time sitting in front of the computer and I hardly saw him moving around or taking any holidays. He had no time for exercise but late night parties with unhealthy food have been a routine; courtesy those frequent client dealings “off-office”. Poor guy, though he was in no bad habits as such but smoking and drinking became a social obligation.
Gradually as he started putting on weight (more around his belly), severe back ache was a constant bother and diabetes caught his way. Once I remember the office elevator was not working and he joined me in taking stairs to the office on second floor. He got really embarrassed as he started panting from the first level itself!
One day he blacked out on his seat. On being rushed to the nearest medical centre, he was declared brought dead. Doctors told his family that he has been suffering from high blood pressure and steep levels of cholesterol for a long time, which he himself never knew. A heart attack from nowhere was so grave that it did not give him any time to spend the moolah he made, drive his new car, or update his super boss for the next meeting’s agenda.
He just signed off.
And you know what, he was just 34!
Unfortunately, this case is not a rare one. Such incidents are being heard often around us. Today not war, not calamites but lifestyle is the biggest killer. And the irony of the matter is that lifestyle related illnesses like cancer, heart problems and diabetes are highly preventable by just altering little things here and there in our “way of living”.

Mend your ways before it gets too late to amend
These days heart attack, diabetes or cancers are not anymore an elderly’s visitors. A younger person with unhealthy lifestyle, poor eating habits and no exercise routine is equally vulnerable to fall prey to such debilitating illnesses.

It is prudent to start making small changes in the lifestyle with immediate effect, irrespective of one’s age. The trick is to do it unintentionally. Begin by taking stairs than lift (of’course we are not asking you to climb 12 floors in one go), park your car at the farthest possible spot from the entrance, swap butter to margarine and table sugar to artificial sweeteners, join a fast paced activity like aerobics, Zumba dancing, swimming or a running sport, order smaller portions in a meal like small fries, baby cup ice cream, or a mini pizza; do whatever possibly you can to cut down on sugar and fat in food and add on to your physical activity.
Age no more matters, a healthy lifestyle does!

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