Melissa Doyle: Her family’s cancer battle was 'a big wake up call'

To celebrate National Prevention Week (April 7 to 13) – a nation-wide initiative to raise awareness of preventative health, created by Prevention Magazine – the mother-of-two explains why making simple changes such as eating well and staying active are essential.

For Melissa Doyle, it wasn’t a personal scare that made her realise the importance of preventative health, but it was something very close to home. “My dad Robert has survived to bouts of cancer [in the kidneys and bowels] and that was a big wake-up call for me. I know it’s not something we can necessarily prevent, but it brought into focus that you’ve got to do the best you can when it comes to your health,” she says.

So, after 14 years getting up at 3:30am to host Sunrise, the Channel 7 news presenter had a health overhaul. “For years I thought every magic diet would be the solution,” she explains. “I was a shift worker for 14 years, which had a big impact on my health.” The fix? Simple changes such as doing weights two mornings a week and daily treadmill sessions, which Doyle says have “transformed my life and energy levels. I even lost a few kilos last year.”

Doyle is the first to admit that, like in her father’s case, there are some aspects of health that are out of your control, (“he was fit, healthy, did all the right things”) but there’s a lot you can do. “Good health, and preventing lifestyle-related illnesses, is about eating well and staying active,” she says. “Keeping your weight under control helps prevent so many illnesses. From Type-2 diabetes to tooth decay, so much goes back to what you eat.”

When it comes to preventative health, it’s written in the research. Up to 60% of type-2 diabetes can be prevented; an hour of vigorous walking a day can reduce your breast cancer risk by 25%, while making sure you get seven to eight hours sleep each night can not only reduce your risk of type-diabetes, but also obesity and metabolic syndrome. Plus, according to Alzheimer’s Australia, if we’re able to reduce the current physical inactivity rate by just 5% every five years, the prevalence of dementia would drop by 11% by 2051.

While Doyle says, “cheese and a glass of wine would be my favourite thing”, she knows she has to take a practical approach to her health. “Looking at the worldwide obesity epidemic, rates of diabetes and heart disease, the big picture can be overwhelming. But it’s up to us to make changes individually. Look at the areas that really matter, like your health and change what you need. If you want to change your diet, then do it,” urges Doyle. “A preventative approach to health would not only save our hospital system money, it could actually save people’s lives.”

National Prevention Week is an initiative of Prevention Magazine, with ambassadors including Sally Obermeder, Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, Helen Dalley, Dr Joanna McMillan and Melissa Doyle. Read their full stories in Prevention magazine's May issue, on sale now.

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