Despite medical advances and technologies resulting in many new life-saving treatments to assist those living with cancer or chronic disease, our focus has remained on treating illness, rather than addressing the elephant in the room.
Prevention.
Globally, more people are living with chronic disease and mental health issues than ever before, meaning there’s never been a more pressing time to adopt a proactive stance and ask,
“What keeps us well?”
We already have the answers and yet we appear reticent to embrace the obvious.
Why do we defer, deny or deflect those lifestyle choices we can choose to adopt in deference to continuing to torture ourselves with overwork and chronic stress?
It’s not as if we lack an appetite for a way to deal with some of our greatest health challenges, like our rapidly expanding waistlines.
The arrival of Ozempic was seen as the miracle drug that would at last transform our struggles with our weight. Recent disputes over the supply of the drug, and the who should, or should not be eligible to obtain a prescription reminded me of our inglorious past where we fought and squabbled over diminishing supplies of toilet paper on the super-market shelves during the time of the global pandemic.
There is no doubt this drug has the potential to change lives, yet we have very little long-term data, and there appears to be little emphasis on education around the consumption of a healthy diet for the longer term, or an answer to the question of whether it is morally acceptable to require life-long adherence to a drug to maintain a healthy body weight.
Has our desire for the quick fix, the easy solution – perfect for our time pressed society where busyness has robbed us of critical thinking, meant we’re willing to pay, whatever the price?
What if, another new drug was launched, one with long-term scientific validation, that wasn’t going to be in short supply, or only available to the rich and privileged few?
A new drug so powerful, it not only afforded you improved mental and physical health but could also potentially lengthen your health span – living longer and staying healthy.
We already have it. But this is no short-term fix with potential side effects. This is something you can access where-ever you are, to start to gain the benefits.
It’s an activity. Which basically implies it’s something you choose to engage in. Rather than seeing this as just “one-more-thing” to add to your to-do list, it’s an activity that only takes as much time as you determine you have available and done at a time of your choosing. Better still it’s highly enjoyable and something to look forward to. (I can’t say I’ve ever been excited at the prospect of going to the gym.)
It’s time in nature. Yes, stepping outside provides us with a myriad of health benefits that are almost embarrassing in their ability to make you look and feel better and healthier.
We have become inside dwellers, spending over 90% of our time awake indoors. Plants deprived of sunlight become etiolated and wither – as do we. We evolved in nature and flourish when we spend time outside.
The evidence is in, time in nature has been shown to improve sleep, lower blood pressure and stress. It reduces your risk of developing chronic disease including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It elevates your mood, reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, assists with creativity and problem solving and strengthens your immune system.
Even if you’re not a nature fan, you can still gain benefit from being exposed to nature indoors or engaging with nature in a virtual space.
For me, time in nature is also an escape hatch from the busyness of life. It provides me a breathing space to relax and be still. The day I spend time outside is the day I feel better and achieve more. I look to get outside every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes, to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of being in a green or blue space.
If you only have 5 minutes, open a window or step outside to look out onto a green space.
If you only have 15 minutes, take your lunch outside to eat, or go for a quick walk.
If you only have 30 minutes, you have time to wander for longer, go for a short jog, cycle or swim.
What #onesmallthing do you do, to get outdoors and feel better?
As an avid fan of the outdoors I maintained the daily outing habit when my children were born and through out their childhood, the benefits even for a newborn were significant , good appetites and great sleepers , they also view the world through a lens of calmness and tranquility which impacts personality. The greatest gift I could have given them was our daily outings into nature .
Thank you for sharing this wonderful insight Alison. And what a gift!
Thanks for that Jenny. I knew the answer ( don’t we all) and am glad to have it re-presented as a reminder. I, like most, spend too much time working and don’t “have time” to get out and about as often as i know I should or even would like to!
Thanks Mike and I’m very happy you knew that to be the case. Isn’t it funny how we choose to deny ourselves that #onesmallthing because we see work as needing to take greater priority.
Thomas Weir, 17 August, 2024
.I’m getting on a bit (now 87) but my #onesmallthing is WEEDING. I live in the Hills on a property of half an acre. Most people hate weeding but I embrace it. It is a never-ending job, but I am out in the fresh air and It gives me exercise as I have to get up and down on my hands and knees. Also I get the satisfaction of seeing everything neat and tidy, at least for a while.
I never thought of it before but I now believe that the fresh air, the exercise of weeding and the proximity of Nature has contributed to my longevity. Thank you Dr Jenny for your article.
Tom, you epitomise healthy ageing and longevity. Bravo!! I love seeing our garden neat and tidy, but I confess I am not the best or most consistent weeder. Please let me know when you might have some free time—our garden needs your help.