Our health is mostly determined by our lifestyle. The quality of our life is dependent on the kind of lifestyle we lead.

Few years ago, I met a medical practitioner who’s a lifestyle doctor. I was amazed. I didn’t know there was such a course in existence.

I asked, ‘what does a lifestyle doctor do because, I am just learning about it’. With a chuckle and smiling eyes, she leaned in with a comforting tone, she responded. Nigeria does not have such a doctor. I am basically the first to be a lifestyle doctor around here.

Lifestyle medicine as described by The American College of Lifestyle Medicine, is a medical specialty that uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. It involves applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and positive social connections—also provides effective prevention for these conditions.

The lifestyle of a particular person or group of people, according to Collins dictionary, is the living conditions, behaviour, and habits that are typical of them or are chosen by them. I want to talk about the chosen habits.

There are certain habits that people have chosen to live by that are not only detrimental but also have become somewhat a part of them. It often gives one the feeling of living life, enjoyment and feeling cool after all as said colloquially, life is lived once, therefore, one should enjoy it with that chosen lifestyle.

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A lot of people move around with earbuds on their ear almost 24 hrs glued to sound. How about having ear problems in the future?

A lot of people use soft drinks as their water and many wake up drinking kai-kai firstly. While some indulge in drugs as they want to feel good and high. These are to mention but a few.

Few months ago, a doctor lamented on Twitter the number of people diagnosed with kidney problems that it is a close mark for the government to declare it as a health emergency in Nigeria.

Kidney and other internal organ problems, if not natural, are more from the lifestyle of people.

If people can make eating or drinking wrongly as their habit, they can also make a habit of healthy eating. It is about choice.

We all are struggling with habits, which could be lack of or inadequate sleep, eating unhealthy food or dwelling in snacks, lack of exercise, poor water drinking, being attracted to alcohol, substances, sugar and salt and many other things.

Someone who knows that salt is wrong for his health, sprinkle salt in what he eats anyway. But he wants to be healthy and well.

Water is said to be the antidote to many things. How well do we drink water in a day?

I was talking with someone recently about the importance of drinking water. He told me that he doesn’t drink more than a sachet of water in a day, but takes soft drinks more. How do you expect your body to process?

I once set a yearlong water drinking goal. I felt good. You too can set a goal and make it work.

Water could be expensive to buy these days but please try to drink more.

People may gloat that they are living their life. Some do so in a very reckless manner, sometimes co-opting another person. Nobody is in your way but in choosing your habits; choose the healthy lifestyle that will help you and your loved ones. Your life is important to the next person close to you. Choose the healthy part and inspire others to do so.