Looking out over the beautiful rolling hills of Kin Kin, I stop and reflect this ANZAC Day on how lucky we are in Australia. We don’t have to worry about conflict, IEDs, land mines or hostile gunfire. Australia is a wonderful country. Yet it wouldn’t be what it is now without the sacrifice of brave men and women – past and present. As a nation, we celebrate their legacy, and rightly so! They fought so we could enjoy freedom and safety – to pursue our own dreams and through them make this land of ours a better place for the future.

Australia lost 61,966 of its finest in WWI and 40,500 in WWII.

In 2010 in Australia: 45,499 people died from circulatory system diseases, 43,293 from cancer and tumours and 11,954 from respiratory system diseases. In ONE year alone 100,746 people died from these three chronic disease groups. This is only 1,720 people less than we lost in BOTH world wars!

In a report on preventative health published by Queensland Health, they state: “Most chronic diseases are preventable.”

Are we building a better country for us and our children? We must choose: a country built on a foundation of vitality through healthy lifestyles, or the other – as we are now – one with an increasing burden of mostly preventable lifestyle-related diseases. What is your choice?

This ANZAC Day, let’s choose to honour the sacrifice of our brave men and women. Let’s rise to the challenge of choosing a healthy future for this wonderful country. One we can look back on and be proud of!

At Living Valley Springs this is our passion and mission. Please contact us, we would love to work with you to achieve your health goals.