Education on health-damaging habits, such as smoking, can also begin at a very early age and probably has the best effect when your children can see plainly that you yourself, for example, don’t smoke.

Positive health influences can take many different forms, from promoting a healthy diet to making an effort to organize family- group activities on a regular basis. Bike rides or walks to the woods, for example, that allow you to spend time together as a family, will set a pattern for later in life.

Your health is something that you can influence – for better or for worse – through the lifestyle choices you make every day. People today are generally^, much better in formed than their parents’ generation and the expectations of what medicine can do is also higher. It is possible to make small changes to the way you live which will lead to a healthier and longer life. Simple, realistic changes are by far the best – drastic measures usually prove difficult to sustain and tend to be followed for only a short time Healthy choices are those that you make for life.

In the 21st century more people are living for longer – in fact, most of the world’s population is living 20 years longer than their parents. What’s the secret? Today, we have access to better food, sanitation and health care services.

CHANCE AND CHOICE FACTORS

Having a health lifestyle comes down to two factors – chance and choice. The chance factors are those you cannot change, such as your genetic make-up, which may protect you from or predispose you to illness throughout your life. But, if ^you find out

Spending lime doing things you enjoy can be invaluable to both your physical and your mental health. Gardening can be an active pursuit while giving your mind something to focus on during any stressful times.

That you are more likely to develop a condition, you can take positive steps to help you prevent the situation from arising. The choice factors are being aware of the foods you eat, whether you drink alcohol (and to what extent), whether you smoke, how much exercise you take and how you deal with day-to-day- stress.