Small Changes, Eastern Sydney Division of General Practice, ESDGP

There is a vast amount of information about the increasing number of people with chronic disease. There are disturbing projections that these numbers will continue to rise in the future. The term "chronic diseases" refers to an illness or condition that has been present for at least six months or is likely to be present for at least six months.

Examples of chronic disease are asthma, diabetes, depression, arthritis, osteoporosis and heart disease; there are many others as well. Being overweight, having high blood pressure, high levels of high-density cholesterol and unhealthy lifestyle habits all increase your risk of developing a chronic disease, especially if there is a history of a particular disease in your family.

There are things you can do to reduce your risk of developing a chronic disease. Health professionals and their patients need to work together to address this issue and although it may seem a daunting task, it doesn't have to be!

Small changes in lifestyle have a positive benefit; i.e. drastic changes aren't always necessary
You are never too old to make small changes and experience subsequent positive benefits

Why not consider making a small change in one of these areas? At Eastern Sydney Division of General Practice, we have created a pamphlet to help you identify how you can make a small change; you can download this from our website.

A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
A healthy lifestyle can be summarized as follows:

Not smoking
Eating sensibly
Drinking alcohol in moderation and drinking enough water
Exercising regularly
Nurturing relationships
Participating in a non-work related hobby outside your home and where you can interact with other people
Regular check-ups with your GP

Not smoking

It is important not to smoke because smoking is bad, bad, bad. Smoking causes some cancers and other diseases such as emphysema. It also increases the risk of breast cancer in women and heart attacks or stroke in everyone. Smoking can change the way you look …. and not for the better; stained teeth and fingernails and a poor complexion (making you look older).

Eating sensibly

Eating sensibly does not mean "dieting".

Eating sensibly means that your day-to day eating habits includes lots of vegetables, fruit, fish several times a week, complex carbohydrates and protein (lean meat, poultry, eggs, legumes etc.) and your portion sizes are not too big. It is okay to have food high in fat or sugar every so often as a treat; it is not ok to have these everyday or even several times a week.

Drinking alcohol in moderation
A standard drink is:

100ml of wine
1 light beer
A small glass of full strength beer
A single measure of spirits

Men, your maximum limit is 4 standard drinks per day on 5 days of the week.

If you have health problems, the limit is 2 standard drinks a day on 5 days of the week or as your health professional has advised you.

Women, your maximum limit is 2 standard drinks per day on 5 days of the week. If you have health problems, the limit is 1 standard drink on 5 days of the week or as your health professional has advised you.

This DOES NOT mean you can "save up" to drink a week's worth of alcohol in one night!

If you drink more than these amounts, you are drinking too much
If you have alcohol everyday, you are drinking too much
Any alcohol is too much for children, adolescents or pregnant women

Drinking enough water means drinking 2-3 litres a day. Fruit juice, soft drinks or drinks with caffeine in them do not count.

Exercising Regularly

It cannot be emphasized enough how important regular exercise is. Exercise affects every system of the body and lack of exercise is detrimental to everyone, no matter how much they weigh. Regular exercise will reduce your risks of chronic diseases and cancer. Exercise is also important in managing conditions and preventing relapse or further deterioration.

To maintain the body in working order, it is recommended, as a minimum to do at total of 30 minutes of exercise each day. This can be broken down into smaller blocks of time, but should add up to 30 minutes. To increase fitness or burn body fat, you may need more than this. Aerobic exercise is important for cardiovascular health; weight-bearing exercise is important for preventing osteoporosis, depression and some cancers; exercise for flexibility is important for maintaining a good range of movement and balance. If you don't have an established exercise routine, consulting with health professionals such as exercise physiologists can be a good place to start.

Nurturing relationships

Everyone has different types of relationships with different people. You undoubtedly have a relationship with some if not all of the following: family, friends, spouse/partner, colleagues, acquaintances, teachers, doctors, health professionals, the staff at the local café or corner shop…..there are many people in your life with which you have some type of relationship. The question is how good is that relationship? Should you put more effort and energy into deepening or improving it?

Do you spend enough time or are you in contact often enough with the people with whom you have a relationship that is very important to you? Good relationships are important because when you feel lonely or isolated, you are more vulnerable to becoming depressed which in turn can increase your risk of developing other medical conditions.

Participating in a non-work related hobby outside your home and where you can interact with other people

Think about how much your life is governed by routines and responsibilities at home and/or work. Do you get to be creative?
Do you challenge your cognitive powers by learning something new?
Do you broaden your horizons by chatting with people you would not normally associate with?
Do you get to put aside your worries/stressors about work, home, family?
Participating in a non-work related hobby outside your home and where you can interact with other people provides an opportunity to enjoy something new and non-routine and help you maintain energy and enthusiasm for life.

Regular check-ups with your GP

Many people may not be going to their GP for recommended check-ups. The following is a guide (your GP or specialist may recommend different checks at different times).

Kids 2-5 years: check every 6-12 months for height, weight, waist circumference, hearing and vision
Kids 6-18 years: check every 1-2 years for height, weight, waist circumference, growth, progress at school & general development; people at higher risk of becoming overweight should be checked every six months (ask your GP about risk factors)
Women >45 years and men >50 years: check every year for osteoporosis
Adults >50 years: check every year for kidney disease and every two years for bowel cancer
Adults >55 years: check every year for risk of stroke
Anyone >18 years: do you know what your risk is for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke or diabetes? You could need checks every 6 months: DON'T CHANCE IT< FIND OUT NOW