The woman who discovers she has diabetes in her early middle age, the male chain smoker who develops lung cancer, the child born with a disease for which no cure exists; the little boy who is crippled because he was crossing the road, on his way to school, and was hit by a drunk driver. Do we choose our health? Can we choose to be healthy?

Health is presently most commonly defined as the “complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This definition can help us break down the answer to if we can chose our health.

Our physical well being is a result of a several factors which can broadly be classified into biological, physical and social factors. A male individual can rarely develop breast cancer and males do not develop cervical cancer; conversely, women do not develop prostrate cancer. no one chooses which gender they are born as. And yet that plays a role in the risk for conditions that threaten complete physical wellness. Physical factors include exposure to chemicals and air pollutants. While one may wear a mask to minimize the damage, one may not chose how polluted the air in the neighborhood they live in is. The housing conditions and economic income affect the risk of contracting contagious diseases and affect access to healthcare and medicine.

Our mental well-being is affected by things that happened to us in the past. Individuals who have gone through trauma in the past may exhibit fear, anxiety and aggression; and that is a condition that needs to addressed by qualified personnel. Our mental well-being is also affected by the messages from songs, video, posters and billboards around us. Do we always chose those?

Our social well-being is greatly affected by those around us. For instance, a loving, supportive and present family boost a child’s mental and social wellness. How well we fit in society due to our race, socioeconomic status, temperament and personality traits also affects our social well-being.

What a deterministic way to see things! The truth of the matter is yes, factors we have no control over like healthcare, genetics, and the environment play a role in chosing our health. But today you can choose to do all in your power to be healthy, you can chose to eat right. You can choose to exercise or not to, to eliminate alcohol, to quit smoke, and to protect yourself from hazards in the environment. Yes, you can choose to be the best version of you. Say, I choose to be healthy.