Could you commit to exercising for seven hours per week and eating a whole-food diet? Physiotherapist and wellness coach Brad Dixon says this is optimal for reducing the risk of developing diabetes, Alzheimers, heart disease and cancer. He shares what he eats and how he exercises, and tells Megan Wilson how people can start with the low-hanging fruit to change their habits and use diet and exercise to take control of their health.

When Mount Maunganuis Brad Dixon adopted a pretty strict vegan, whole-food diet nearly 10 years ago, he lost 10kg, slept better, and recovered more quickly from exercise sessions.

Dixon says a good diet and exercise helps reduce the risk of developing the four horsemen of chronic disease cardiovascular disease, cancer, cognitive diseases such as Alzheimers and metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.

It also improves your health span.

Rather than needing 20 years of rest home care, you might only need two. And you might be able to live independently and functionally for a lot longer.

He describes the ability to move and live independently as priceless and something money cant buy.

The same with a good diet - if youre eating good quality whole food that hasnt been mucked around by man and hyper-processed with lots of additives and salt and sugar, then its again going to have a positive effect on all of those four horsemen.

Dixon mostly follows a whole-food, plant-based diet but occasionally eats dairy, eggs and fish.

He says his typical breakfast is soaked oats oats, soy milk, chia seeds, frozen fruit, cacao powder and water in a jar refrigerated overnight.

Lunch is typically peanut butter sandwiches with seeds sprinkled on them, and fruit and nuts.

He recommends raw vegetables and hummus for a pre-dinner snack if needed.

Dinner might be a plum and Chinese five-spice stir fry with tofu and seasonal vegetables, or a plant-based Mexican bowl with black beans, kidney beans and vegetables.

He says people should not get hung up on the [diet] label and find a nutritional way of eating that works for them.

Dixon says the optimal amount of exercise is 420 minutes a week including cardiovascular exercise, mobility or flexibility (such as yoga or pilates), and strength and core.

His weekly routine includes yoga, swimming, running, and biking with friends. Having training buddies is a great way to stay consistent.

Dixon says everyone should do resistance and strength work at least twice a week particularly people over 40.

People could work up to those goals by starting with the low-hanging fruit: Can you go to bed earlier? Can you not snack on crap food after dinner? Can you get up early and go for a walk for 10 minutes with the sun rising?

He says preventative healthcare through exercise and diet can help mitigate, avoid and reverse a large portion the Governments billions in annual health spending, and should be promoted more.

You can create an amazing momentum with just one small step with intention. And if you keep that in your mind, the changes that Ive seen in some of my clients, its just been mindblowing.

It hasnt cost them anything, in fact, its saved them money. Theyve gone to bed earlier, theyve watched less Netflix, theyre buying better food, theyre feeling better, theyre more productive at work.

Taup GP Dr Glen Davies says people eating more carbohydrates and ultra-processed food has led to escalating rates of diabetes and pre-diabetes.

The Government estimates more than 300,000 people have diabetes in New Zealand and that prediabetes affects about 20 per cent of Kiwi adults.

To combat this, the GP of 35 years says people should return to eating whole foods simple, unprocessed meat, fish, chicken and veges.

We will see a complete turnaround in these appalling statistics.

Davies was named General Practitioner of the Year in 2021 for his engagement with diabetics and pre-diabetics.

He established the Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Taup group to promote a diet that includes nutrient-rich, whole, unprocessed foods and natural fats, and avoids processed carbohydrates, industrial seed oils and sugar.

Davies says whole foods are things that have recently been growing, walking, swimming or flying.

He defines anything that comes in a packet as ultra-processed.

Examples of whole-food meals include an omelette for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch and steak, broccoli and cauliflower for dinner.

To help grocery shoppers make better choices, he believes the Government should intervene by warning about the dangers of ultra-processed food or introducing a sugar tax.

Davies and Dixon are speaking at a Prevention is Cure event in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday hosted by social enterprise Prekure.

Ministry of Health deputy director of public health Harriette Carr says some factors contributing to health and wellbeing are not under peoples direct control.

Differences in social, cultural, economic, accessibility, practical and personal factors contribute significantly to inequity in diet, physical activity and health.

The Ministry agreed a preventative approach to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes is critical for individuals and society.

She says eating well and staying active are important for physical and mental health and more than a third of health loss can be prevented by addressing common risk factors such as smoking, alcohol abuse, obesity, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

Carr says the ministrys Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults gives reliable information, built on evidence and expert advice.

Ppmoa 72-year-old Marie Benvin had not climbed to the top of Mauao for many years but recently achieved the feat after participating in a Sport Bay of Plenty challenge.

Benvin said her GP referred her to the organisations Green Prescription Programme this year as she was having trouble with her weight, exercising, and experiencing pain in her knees and hips.

She signed up for a challenge to climb Mauao.

Benvin said her fitness was reasonable before and she walked twice per week but had trouble with her blood pressure when she went on longer walks that included hills.

After making gradual progress in the five-week challenge, reaching the summit felt absolutely awesome, and her fitness and health improved greatly.

She got a puppy she walked for an hour each day, and is in a walking group.

Sport Bay of Plenty organised the Mauao Challenge to inspire people to adopt a more active lifestyle and improve their wellbeing.

Green prescription advisor Danilo led the Mauao challenge and said the goal was to support clients with achievable milestones starting with smaller portions up sections of Mauao.

The Green Prescription programme - which started in 2000 - receives about 250 patient referrals per month from medical practices across the Bay of Plenty.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.

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How to use diet and exercise to take control of your health - Bay of Plenty Times