The Triangle of Health

Today we are bombarded by information aimed at keeping us healthy, perhaps too much information. All of us want to be healthier, live longer and be fit and independent. The truth is staying healthy is really not rocket science. I like to think of good health as a triangle with three equal sides. If any sides are missing the triangle is incomplete, and as a result your health will suffer, perhaps not immediately but inevitably at some stage.

 

The three sides of this “Triangle of Health” are made up of sleep, nutrition and exercise. Each side is equal in importance, and each side is dependant upon the others. Maintaining the complete triangle creates the fundamental basis of our well being.

 

Think of it this way: if an individual eats well and gets plenty of exercise, they may seem pretty healthy. Consider, however, that if they wake up every morning exhausted, due to their late nights or poor sleeping habits, then they will end up with a sleep debt. Not paying this debt back results in negative consequences for the body and mind. Furthermore, this will start affecting their eating and exercise habits. They may start snacking on high sugar and caffeine rich foods to stay awake. As a result, their physical and mental performance will surely decline.

 

How about some one who doesn’t exercise? Well to begin with they will have a high resting heart rate. In other words, the heart will have to pump more often and work harder to meet the body’s demands. They will also be missing out on the great cancer reducing benefits that exercise offers. Their muscles will be less flexible, and as a result, every day chores become increasingly likely to cause injuries (such as back ache). Just to show you how one part of the triangle is integral to the other two sides, I must highlight that those who exercise sleep better, and a good nights sleep raises one’s immunity to disease!

 

What about someone who gets generally enough sleep and exercises but likes to eat junk food? First of all, by not eating our fruits and vegetables, we are losing out on the essential vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants which are necessary to maintain good health. In addition, foods with large amounts of processed sugar will lead to massive insulin surges. In the short term, the crashes in sugar levels which one would experience can affect mental and physical performance. In the long term, the risk of diabetes becomes an increasing threat as well as other chronic conditions secondary to weight gain.

 

Ask any athlete, and they will tell you that neglecting any one these aspects greatly affects their performance. For us mere mortals, it’s even more crucial. Neglecting any one side of the health triangle has significant knock on effects on the other two. Even if you are vigilant about some aspects of your health, but not another, you will create a massive gap in your efforts toward health. We all have times when we will neglect a particular side, that’s fine, so long as we don’t make it into a habit. Keep the concept of the health triangle in your mind’s eye to aid your understanding of what it takes to gain and maintain good health. Hopefully, it will help guide you into making the right choices. Over the next few weeks we will cover each side of the health triangle in greater depth.

Dr Shazan Chughtai MBBS