3 minutes with Anja Taylor

Lifestyle, environment and chronic disease – a confluence of causes

This is the third part in a short series of interviews with the esteemed folk who spoke on August 11 at ‘An Evening with Dr David Katz. Lifestyle, environment and chronic disease: a confluence of causes.’ Co-hosted by the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine and the Charles Perkins Centre.

We find out what led them to their current field and what their thoughts are on recent health movements. And, just for good measure – as Roman poet, Ovid, said, “In our leisure we reveal what kind of people we are” – we look for a small insight into who they are outside of their work.

After graduating with a journalism degree Anja dedicated the next ten years to being an actor. It was playing the part of a marine biologist in the US series Flipper which suddenly immersed her in the world of science. She was hooked. Anja enrolled in science at Macquarie University and landed a job as a researcher for the National Geographic series Next Wave. Here’s what the now ABC Catalyst researcher, producer and reporter had to say:

How did you become interested in reporting on health issues?

At Catalyst we report on a really diverse range of science topics from climate to astronomy to biology. But health topics actually tend to rate the highest and have the highest levels of audience engagement. People are not just interested but also hugely grateful to be able to understand the complex science behind why a dietary or exercise intervention works, so this topic is really rewarding to report on as a science journalist.

With ‘clean eating’ and ‘fitspiration’ all the rage, people feel like they are being bombarded with healthy lifestyle messages. Why do you think this trend is not reflected in society’s health?

Lack of time is the most commonly cited reason for not exercising and I think people find it is the easiest item to strike off their long list of things to do in the day. This was the inspiration behind my story Fit in 6 Mins about low volume, high intensity exercise …even a very short amount of time exercising can be really beneficial – if you go hard enough! In terms of clean eating I think a lot of ‘health’ food labelling is confusing. Often people think they are making good choices when actually the foods they choose are over-processed and packed with sugar.

If you could address only one of the barriers facing a shift towards preventative health, what would it be?

As a non-clinical observer this is a hard one for me to answer. I can only reflect on the barriers to my own health and fitness and for me the amount of time I’m required to sit is a huge one. I’d love a standing desk, but don’t believe this in itself is enough to combat the excessive amount of time I need to spend in front of a computer. Interested in the perils of sitting? – watch Sitting is Deadly.

You have 3 hours of completely uninterrupted time; how do you spend it?

Playing guitar (trying), going for a paddle in Pittwater, gardening, anywhere outside away from my desk!

What is your number one snack item when on-the-go?

The humble apple.