I had some major injuries when I was young
Damage done
Most childhood injuries - from a skinned knee when you fell off your bike to a bumped head when you took a tumble out of the neighbourhood tree house - heal swiftly, causing no further problems. But more serious injuries - the result of car accidents, bad fails or major sports injuries, for example - can have consequences that show up or grow worse later in your life.
Childhood fractures can change the way the bones finish growing. About 15 percent of injuries to a child's or teen's growing tissue at the ends of the long bones - can slow future growth of the arm or leg bones. While a slight difference in the length of your arms won't cause problems, even a tiny discrepancy in leg length could. Foot pain, knee pain, hip pain and lower back pain have all been linked to small leg-length differences that can be difficult to detect on your own.
Knees are especially vulnerable. Growth-plate injuries at the knee can lead to crooked legs and knee pain. And if you ever tore your anterior cruciate ligament - the key ligament that keeps the knee
joint stable - you may be at higher risk of arthritis later in life.
If you were a serious athlete at school or university you may well have been concussed at some point. If you experienced more than two such concussions, you may now be at higher risk of headaches, depression and memory problems as well as sleep problems, mood swings, ringing in the ears and poor concentration.
Can I undo it? No
But you can take important steps to compensate for some problems end to prevent future damage.
Plus benefits
You'll have less joint pain and, perhaps most important, less chance of a recurring injury.
Repair plan
PAST WORRY
I grew up in a heavily polluted area
Damage done
Children's lungs are more vulnerable to damage from air pollution and excess ozone than adults' lungs, since they are still developing and growing. The result is a high propensity for lung-related disease in those with constant exposure to smoke and pollution. This was vividly revealed in a study that compared healthy children in a heavily polluted area of Mexico city against similar children
raised in rural Mexico. X-rays of the Children's lungs revealed that more than half of the city children already had lung damage that may be predictive of future problems.
Another study shows that exposure to pollution for many years can raise your lung cancer risk by as much as 24 percent and can be as destructive as breathing second-hand tobacco smoke. In a different study that tracked 500,000 people from 100 cities for 16 years, researchers found that dirty air also increased the risk of dying from heart disease by 6 percent or more. The more polluted the air, the higher the death rates.
Can I undo It? No
Damage done to young lungs doesn't get repaired by your body. But there's plenty you can do to keep your lungs healthy and to protect against future damage.
Plus benefits
Achieving better lung health means improved, deeper breathing. Delivering better-quality air to your lungs results in greater stamina and overall energy, too.
Repair plan
Damage done
The more TV you watch, the higher your odds of being overweight and developing type 2 diabetes. In one study of more than 9,000 women and men, normal-weight people watched about 2.3 hours of TV a day, while overweight people watched 2.6 hours and obese people watched 3 hours or more. The connection? More screen time means less activity an increased eating.
In the same study, people who watched more than 2 hours of TV a day ate 150 more calories a day, downing more pizza, more sugary soft drinks and more high-fat, high-calorie, low-fibre processed snack foods than those who watched less Tv. Small wonder, then, that other studies have linked television viewing with the risk of diabetes in both sexes. In one, those who watched for 40 hours or more a weeek were three times more likely to develop diabetes than those who watched for less than 10 hours a week. Watching 21 to 40 hours doubled the risk.
If you watch TV instead of keeping up with an old hobby, vising friens or stretching your mind, you may also hasten memory loss, research shows.
You'll have fitter body and more time for sleep plus more energy, better moods, a sharper mind and more social connection, which may even help you to gain more self-confidence.
Repair plan
Damage done
Most childhood injuries - from a skinned knee when you fell off your bike to a bumped head when you took a tumble out of the neighbourhood tree house - heal swiftly, causing no further problems. But more serious injuries - the result of car accidents, bad fails or major sports injuries, for example - can have consequences that show up or grow worse later in your life.
Childhood fractures can change the way the bones finish growing. About 15 percent of injuries to a child's or teen's growing tissue at the ends of the long bones - can slow future growth of the arm or leg bones. While a slight difference in the length of your arms won't cause problems, even a tiny discrepancy in leg length could. Foot pain, knee pain, hip pain and lower back pain have all been linked to small leg-length differences that can be difficult to detect on your own.
Knees are especially vulnerable. Growth-plate injuries at the knee can lead to crooked legs and knee pain. And if you ever tore your anterior cruciate ligament - the key ligament that keeps the knee
joint stable - you may be at higher risk of arthritis later in life.
If you were a serious athlete at school or university you may well have been concussed at some point. If you experienced more than two such concussions, you may now be at higher risk of headaches, depression and memory problems as well as sleep problems, mood swings, ringing in the ears and poor concentration.
Can I undo it? No
But you can take important steps to compensate for some problems end to prevent future damage.
Plus benefits
You'll have less joint pain and, perhaps most important, less chance of a recurring injury.
Repair plan
- Seek help for limb or back pain if you have foot, knee, hip or lower back pain, see your GP promptly. A difference in the length of your legs could be the cause - and could perhaps be corrected with something as simple as an orthopaedic lift in your shoe.
- Tell your doctor if you had multiple concussions earlier in your life This can help your GP to make decisions about now to treat memory, sleep and mood problems.
- Protect your head if you had several concussions earlier in your life, skip sports and activities that could cause more damage if you fall, such as roller-skating or ice-skating. Be sure to wear a helmet if you cycle or skin.
- Exercise regularly, but not too intensely Stronger muscles can relieve some of the strain on joints that have previously been injured, and properly exercised joints get lots of nourishment and care from your bloodstream and immune system. Exercise also helps to prevent the risk of arthritis and other aches and pains of ageing. Avoid high-impact exercise, however, as it can actually hurt or aggravate existing joint conditions.
PAST WORRY
I grew up in a heavily polluted area
Damage done
Children's lungs are more vulnerable to damage from air pollution and excess ozone than adults' lungs, since they are still developing and growing. The result is a high propensity for lung-related disease in those with constant exposure to smoke and pollution. This was vividly revealed in a study that compared healthy children in a heavily polluted area of Mexico city against similar children
raised in rural Mexico. X-rays of the Children's lungs revealed that more than half of the city children already had lung damage that may be predictive of future problems.
Another study shows that exposure to pollution for many years can raise your lung cancer risk by as much as 24 percent and can be as destructive as breathing second-hand tobacco smoke. In a different study that tracked 500,000 people from 100 cities for 16 years, researchers found that dirty air also increased the risk of dying from heart disease by 6 percent or more. The more polluted the air, the higher the death rates.
Can I undo It? No
Damage done to young lungs doesn't get repaired by your body. But there's plenty you can do to keep your lungs healthy and to protect against future damage.
Plus benefits
Achieving better lung health means improved, deeper breathing. Delivering better-quality air to your lungs results in greater stamina and overall energy, too.
Repair plan
- Avoid smoke and dirty air The only way to avoid polluted air consistently is to live far from heavy traffic, factories with large chimneys and highly crowded neighbourhoods. If you live in an urban area, though, there are still many things you can do. Pay attention to the pollution forecast for the day, especially on hot summer days when there may be higher levels of ozone in the air. Take frequent trips out of town. stay indoors during peak traffic times.
- Don't smoke Tobacco smoke irritates fragile, already-vulnerable lung tissue.
- Pay attention to your lung health Call your doctor right away if you have chest pain or aches when you inhale or exhale or if you are coughing up blood. These, along with unexplained weight loss, can be symptoms of lung cancer, as can shortness of breath, a hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing, pain under your ribs and/or swelling of your face or neck.
- Watch for COPD See your doctor if you're coughing frequently, wheezing, have frequent lung infections or have a lot of mucus. These symptoms can be a sign of a complex breathing problem that doctors call chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, or COPD.
- Exercise It strenghtens the muscles that help you to breathe.
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables The antioxidants can help to protect lungs from future damage.
- Learn to control you breathing if You have COPD, your doctor or a respiratory therapist can teach you how to relax when you're feeling short of breath.
CURRENT HABIT
I watch a lot of television
I watch a lot of television
Damage done
The more TV you watch, the higher your odds of being overweight and developing type 2 diabetes. In one study of more than 9,000 women and men, normal-weight people watched about 2.3 hours of TV a day, while overweight people watched 2.6 hours and obese people watched 3 hours or more. The connection? More screen time means less activity an increased eating.
In the same study, people who watched more than 2 hours of TV a day ate 150 more calories a day, downing more pizza, more sugary soft drinks and more high-fat, high-calorie, low-fibre processed snack foods than those who watched less Tv. Small wonder, then, that other studies have linked television viewing with the risk of diabetes in both sexes. In one, those who watched for 40 hours or more a weeek were three times more likely to develop diabetes than those who watched for less than 10 hours a week. Watching 21 to 40 hours doubled the risk.
If you watch TV instead of keeping up with an old hobby, vising friens or stretching your mind, you may also hasten memory loss, research shows.
Can I undo it? Completely
By turning TV time into active time, and by commiting to a healthy TV/activity balance, you can burn more calories, become fitter and reduce your odds of related health problems quickly.
Plus benefits
By turning TV time into active time, and by commiting to a healthy TV/activity balance, you can burn more calories, become fitter and reduce your odds of related health problems quickly.
Plus benefits
You'll have fitter body and more time for sleep plus more energy, better moods, a sharper mind and more social connection, which may even help you to gain more self-confidence.
Repair plan
- Follow the 2/30 rule Experts suggests watching no more than 2 hours of TV a day - and doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every day.
- Set a no-repeat rule That is, never watch something you've watched before. If you find yourself watching that same old sitcom or film late at night, instantly turn it off.
- Set a 'no channel surfing' rule Turn on the TV only when there is something you truly want to watch. If you are turning on the TV without any particular show in mind, take that as a sign that you need to be more active.
- No snacking in front of the TV It's far too easy to eat hundreds of calories' worth of crisps and barely realise it. In fact, many weight-loss programmes smartly advise you never to allow food to go beyond your kitchen table. That also means no snacking in bed and no chocolate bars while paying the bills.
- Exercise while you watch Walk on the spot, do sit-ups or try the 'Easy Does it!' strengthening and while your show is on. Or drag your treadmill into the TV room and use it while you watch.
- Clean during commercials Empty wastepaper baskets, vacuum a room, put in a load of washing... it can add up to 20 minutes' worth of calorie-burning chore time every hour. When you're finished, your home will shine -and you will have saved hundreds of calories by moving instead of snacking. Added bonus: you won't have to watch all the food commercials designed to make you want to overeat.
- Resolve to leave home more often See more friends, do more interesting things and stimulate your mind every day.
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