The trick isn’t beating illness, it’s living well to avoid it.

Hypothetical question. Would you rather live a hundred years sick, or 50 years well? Difficult to answer in just a few minutes, or at all for that matter. You might ask how sick, as a way of negotiating the hypothetical. You could wonder, how debilitated you would be, and based on those conditions you could then ruminate over whether or not you could cope over the span of 50 years, in an attempt to calculate how probable it would be to live a life ill.

Would it limit you? Absolutely. Would it change you? Probably. Ultimately, though, the question should be asked, would you come to regret the choice you made?

. . .

In a recent survey of 50,000 general participants between the ages of 21 and 75, the same hypothetical was posed. Some of the results were unexpected. 54.0 percent of those surveyed chose a short life over a guaranteed 100 years, if it meant the promise of good health. Conversely, most of those with a history of chronic illness chose a long-life, which runs counter to basic human instinct, to stay as far away from pain as possible. The later group sited their reasons that pain, to them, was already part of life, so why not live longer. Whereas those not afflicted with disease choose a shorter life — 50 years. “Their reasoning centered around the fear of pain, and an unknown future living with it, where those already suffering had lost the fear of pain, and had become accustomed to it.”

This difficult hypothetical was designed to measure the value of well-being, and how we come to respect, ignore or actively set out to destroy it through our lifetime. But the bigger message appears to be something very different: Fear of illness is not always the motivator for wellness that it should be.

The common cold is caused by a large number of different viruses and virus serotypes, and these viruses mutate rapidly in the human host. This makes finding effective treatments and vaccines elusive.

Children, adolescents and young adults don’t spend a lot of time thinking about their health, it never really crosses the mind of the young. That’s the wonder of youth — for most, the lucky majority. Even as adults, we often don’t think about well-being until something happens to us, or impacts those around us. But as we age, illness, or avoiding it at all costs, becomes a front-and-center issue, mostly because aging in itself brings with it its own frailties and a reminder that the things we could do when we were young were no longer possible.

What the recent polling on wellness reminds us is, that if much of illness is avoidable, why do we make ourselves sick?

So, why then do we run towards illness?

No matter what your age, you have the power to change many of the variables that influence how long you live, and how active and vital you could feel in your later years is exponential. Changes you take now to increase your odds of a longer and more satisfying life-span, are really quite simple. So, why do many of us ignore them and choose a path towards sickness?

The most common illnesses, according to the World Health Organization, are for the most part, avoidable. Meaning to say, we essentially bring them on ourselves through the habits and poor choices we make. That’s the hard truth. Included in these are diabetes, tobacco-related illnesses, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. At the top of the list is obesity, which steals more years away from its victims than any of the others combined.

Breaking Bad Habits

However, wellness is not as easy as just avoiding terrible life choices — it’s a little more complicated than that. Each one of the above “dirty five”, are associated with life-habits. Habitual behavior, on its best day, is complicated. We form patterns, early on in life, often-times “inheriting” mal-behaviors from our parents. But according to the Department of Psychology of Stanford University, our peers and other outside influencers play a much bigger role.

“In modern societies, there are least three major contexts in which childhood socialization takes place: families, peer groups, and out-of-home contexts such as school classrooms or day-care centers in which the daily experiences of children are structured and overseen by adults.” We become bogged-down in habits by influences going back to the school yard and over years, and subconsciously, we actively look for ways to bolster those behaviors through habituation. By the time we set out into adult-hood, those conducts become cemented in our psyche.

When the time comes, and change is no longer an option, we are up against more than just the need to make a change. Odds are, we may have a mountain of obstacles holding us fast on the path we’ve carefully constructed for ourselves. Even poor behaviors feel normal, and in fact, comfort us. Which is why permanent change can be a life-long struggle.

Make small changes now to avoid disaster later

Acknowledging that we all have some re-mapping to do, changing now, today, could be the difference to living well, no matter how long a life you live.

Don’t smoke.

Smoking or vaping are enemies of wellness and longevity. If you want to live a long, healthy life, make sure you’re among the nonsmokers. Smoking contributes to heart disease, osteoporosis, emphysema and other chronic lung problems, and stroke. It makes breathing during exercise much harder and thus can make activity less appealing and appears to compromise memory, too.

People who quit smoking can repair some, if not all, of the damage done. After a smoker quits, the risk of heart disease begins to drop within a few months, and in five years, it matches that of someone who never smoked. Stroke risk drops to equal that of a nonsmoker within two to four years after a smoker quits, according to one study. The death rate from colorectal cancer also decreases each year after quitting.

At any age, quitting progressively cuts your risk of dying from cancer related to smoking, although this drop is most marked in those who quit before age 50.

Obesity is the leading cause of preventable life-years lost in the nation; a new study finds. — Robert Day, Health Reporter

Lose weight.

Obesity is the leading cause of preventable life-years lost in the nation.

Mountains of research suggest eating healthy foods can help extend your life and improve your health almost immediately. Studies reveal that a healthy diet can help you sidestep ailments that plague people more as they age, including heart disease, hypertension, and most cancers.

There is no shortage of new and conflicting advice on diet and nutrition. Stick to the basics with more broad-based changes, such as cutting back on meat; eating more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains; and striking a healthy balance between calories in and calories out.

Keep track of calories and macro and micronutrients. Women should strive for a daily intake between 1200 and 1600 of calories per day, and men 1600 to 2000 are consistent with weight loss goals.

Line up support and work with your doctor, a nutritionist or personal trainer. Ask for help in setting a reasonable goal and taking small steps that make success more likely. Tell friends and family about your goal, too to get the word out.

Aim for a small change. Trimming 5% to 10% of your starting weight is a realistic goal with excellent health benefits, including reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels and lowering the risk for diabetes.

Eat well.

Focus on vegetables and whole grains, which are digested slowly. Limit refined carbohydrates. Enjoy moderate amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in your diet and avoid added sugar.

Emphasize plant sources of protein, such as beans, nuts, and grains, to help you bypass unhealthy fats predominant in animal sources and processed foods. Enjoying a wide variety of vegetables and eating beans and grains helps you get a full complement of amino acids. Shy away from protein sources high in saturated fat. Favor fish and well-trimmed poultry. If you do eat beef, pick lean cuts.

Get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and choose from a full color palette. For even more health benefits, aim for nine servings a day and choose local and sustainable foods and organics when you can to avoid pesticides.

Cut down on saturated fats and avoid trans fats but don’t fall into the trap and eliminate all fat from your diet. Eat plenty of good fats including coconut and olive oils, avocados and nuts to lubricate the skin and nuts which are a great source of fat, fiber and protein, as well as vital omegas 3 and 6. Be careful not to eliminate food groups either like those containing healthy HDL cholesterol as the brain is reliant on cholesterol for normal brain functioning.

Exercise.

Step up activity. If you are struggling to maintain a healthy weight or need to lose weight, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 60 to 90 minutes a day of moderate activity. But many nutritionists agree that 30 minutes of exercise a day, especially when starting a new plan, will encourage you to keep going and keep the weight off.

It’s never too late

No matter your age, it’s never too late to begin a health or wellness program, even when facing an illness or recent diagnosis. Even if your first concern is not longevity, and you don’t fear illness in any form, think about the impact becoming sick would have on your family or your finances. Ask yourself this simple question, is my current lifestyle making me ill or keeping well?

Talk to your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise program.