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oday’s modern lifestyle reflects a desire to have everything instantly. With modern technology, most tasks suddenly get done faster and more easily.

What many don’t realize, is that the change in lifestyle also triggers illnesses that afflict people of the younger generation, whose busy schedule and career focus often prevents them from living healthily.

Non-communicable diseases, as they are often called, are a worldwide concern. According to data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), these diseases are responsible for almost 70 percent of deaths globally, with cardiovascular diseases being the primary culprit, followed by cancer, respiratory diseases and diabetes.

The WHO data is slightly different from what’s published in the last Primary Healthcare Survey (Riskesdas), which was released by Indonesia’s Ministry of Health in 2013, where hypertension accounts for the lion’s share of 25 percent, followed by obesity (15 percent), and stroke (12 percent).

Other lifestyle-related illnesses, like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver failure, although equally concerning, only account for a small portion of the overall numbers.

However, despite being one of the less common non-communicable diseases, diabetes has been dubbed the silent killer in Indonesia, because many are unaware about their diabetic condition.

Dr. Richard Jones, technical adviser at International SOS, shared with Healthcare Asia Magazine that “over the last several decades, an epidemic of ‘lifestyle diseases’ has developed in Indonesia. Unhealthy lifestyles, such as physical inactivity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and frequent alcohol consumption, are driving up the prevalence of chronic disease, such as diabetes, heart disease, and chronic pulmonary conditions.”

These non-communicable diseases, the Primary Healthcare Survey said, used to be associated with the older age group. However, lifestyle changes among residents of major cities means those diseases are now frequently found in people of the productive age group of 30 to 65 years.

According to the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, the main triggers of lifestyle diseases are a lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption.

All of those seem rather unavoidable when one is to survive in big cities, where after-hours networking and socializing often includes smoking and drinking. Poor nutrition, often caused by unhealthy diets, leads to many different risk factors, such as high blood pressure, excess salt or sodium intake, high blood glucose levels and high fat levels in the blood.

Physical activity is another challenge, as technology these days sees many employees sit and work at their computers for hours. The convenience of online and offline public transportation services also reduces the need for walking.

The chief dietitian of Singapore’s National University Hospital, Dr. Lim Su Lin, said in an interview with The Straits Times that many young Singaporeans consider the problems to be normal, because their peers have them too.

This tendency will make it hard to create awareness regarding non-communicable diseases and encourage people to take steps toward a healthier life.

According to Dr. Lim, “exercise about three times per week for 30 to 60 minutes each time” is what’s recommended. Exercise should easily fit your lifestyle, because nowadays many classes like Yoga or Zumba are scheduled after working hours to fit the employees’ need. It’s a good and healthy way to wait for the traffic to die off anyway.

If there is really no time for going to the gym or you tend to work overtime, then switch the elevator for the stairs and park your car a little further away from your office door to encourage walking.

Smoking is the main risk factor for non-communicable diseases in Indonesia. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey conducted by the WHO, smoking frequency reached 36 percent in 2011, which was relatively high. Alcohol, on the other hand, is less of a problem in Indonesia.

Nonetheless, when it comes to tobacco use and alcohol intake, the best thing to do is just quit. Of course, it’s never easy to leave an old habit, so you might want to find some support from your friends and coworkers. Skip the occasional cigarette breaks and opt for a coffee shop instead of a bar for after-hour get-togethers.