Assessing The Damage Done

Do you believe - actually, do you know - that you can live a longer, healthier, more energised life, no matter what your current situation? The power to make that come true is already within you and the guidance you need to succeed is within these discussion.
But it's time for some honesty. Decades of abuse to your health is not always easily fixed. For you to take charge of your health, it means, coming to terms with your past.
  Over the next discussion does something that few health books do: it looks backwards. First, you'll discover the fascinating science of how your body repairs and rejuventates itself.
Then you'll explore the habits and lifestyle choices that might have damaged your health along the course of your life. Finally, you'll find out which of these can most influence your future health and what exactly you need to do to minimise the risk.
  Be prepared for a few surprises. Some are good: for example many vices from your younger, wilder days have less of a lingering effect than you might think. But there are challenging facts to learn as well - some lifestyle choices, such as a disregard for summer sun protection in your youth, can have lingering health effects decades after the damage occurred.
  To start on this journey into your health's past, there are some tough questions for you to answer. On the facing page is a checklist that probes the unhealthy habits and choices you may have made during three periods of your life: youth, young adulthood and the past few decades. Check off all the statements that are mostly or entirely true.
  This isn't a quiz - there are no right or wrong answers, and no one else needs to see this. Instead, use the list as a personal catalyst. If you've checked off a lot of items, your need to correct past health sins is more urgent. If you've checked off just a few,
congratulations! You have little holding you back from achieving the longer, healthier life you desire.

Hard questions about my past

My Youth

I frequently got sunburnt
I had one or more serious injuries
My home life was not happy or supportive
I snacked a lot on junk food
I regularly ate fast food or frozen dinners
I was frequently sick with colds or flu
I lived with smokers
I lived in a polluted neighbourhood
I had a major debilitating disease
I watched television every night
I was frequently angry or hostile

my Teens and Twenties

I smoked cigarettes
I smoked marijuana
I regularly got drunk
I had sex with many partners
I snacked a lot on junk food
I regularly ate fast food or frozen dinners
I gained lots of weight
I regularly stayed up much of the night
I rarely exercised
I lived an isolated existence
I was frequently depressed

The past 20-30 years
I smoked cigarettes
I smoked cigars
I regularly got drunk
I had sex with many partners
I had poor romantic relationships
I got divorced
I had a very stressful job
I had workaholic tendencies
I spent myself deeply into debt
I rarely took holidays
I was frequently frustrated, cynical or angry
I rarely exercised
I lived an isolated existence
I gained lots of weight
I watched lots of television most days
I was a frequent user of painkillers or sedatives
I ate fatty or sugary foods most days
I lost touch with most of my old friends
I rarely saw a doctor