It’s quite amazing how often when chatting to people young and old, how many of them go about their lives day after day without sparing a second thought to their health. There is always something getting in the way of self-care whether it is work, or going out, there is always too much to do and wellness takes the back seat. I have often asked people when last did you go for a medical and most say “well I took out a life insurance policy about 6 years ago and …” or “what’s that?” or “I don’t like going to doctors” and the reasons and excuses carry on.
Well, I am in risk management 😉 and the basics are, there are no guarantees in life, but mitigate the risks as much as possible, be aware of action and consequence, and you will have a better understanding and control of any situation as it arises. The same goes for your health, prevention is first of all better than cure, and no matter how young or old you are, mitigating health risks and looking after yourself are important, because the truth is without health, you have nothing. How many of you make sure your car goes for a service when it hits a certain mileage, you even check your oil and water periodically and if you are going on a long trip you will put new tires on .Wow, amazing, you will look after your car but never check your own engine for problems. Isn’t that ironic and careless. Come on people, make the change. When you are on the journey of life you need to make sure your own engine is serviced and can make the journey with as few issues as possible.
So how do you go about doing this?
Well first off, what is the status of your current health? Are you aware of any medical conditions, when last did you go for a medical?
I watch myself consistently, when it comes to nutrition, exercise and rest, I have been going for a medical every year since the age of 30, and people say I am over the top, but that’s nonsense. With an active lifestyle I still need to make sure my body is in good order from year to year, and if it requires some servicing (lifestyle change) well that’s not a bad thing, especially if it will minimize the risks of a severe health impact.
So go for an annual medical to your doctor, and get the full range of tests and make sure they do full blood works aside from the basic blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar and urine tests. At my age as fit as I am I do an ECG as well, don’t ever count out heart condition no matter how healthy or fit you are.
Secondly, check your body fat. I notice a lot of people standing on a scale after a workout in the gym looking at their weight. But most have no idea what it means and to be honest BMI (Body Mass Index) is not always the best reflection of a healthy weight it’s purely a statistical marker. Everyone has different body types and bone structures, so best bet is a body fat test, this will tell you whether you need to watch yourself more carefully.
Finally, analyse your lifestyle, I do it weekly, and I look at seven days, what I ate each day, what exercise I did, and what I could have avoided or done differently. Yearly goals and analyses are good, but you need to have short term successes to achieve long term goals. At least if you make changes within a weekly period it’s doable, but if six months go by and nothing has been done, well it’s a longer road to change.
Take control of your life, give yourself the best chance for health quality and know you are doing everything to ensure that your engine runs smoothly.
