At what age should you seriously consider being the manager of your own health? Your twenties? Thirties? Forties? Your sixties?
The short answer… today. Today is the day you should firm up your commitment to becoming ‘in charge’ of your health and wellness. If you’re alive… as in breathing, regardless of your age… now is the optimum time to add Health Manager to your resume.
Think of your health as you would a job and begin to reap the benefits almost immediately. No kidding.
To Do…
Get Educated
As with any employment, being well educated means being better qualified. When it comes to your health…acquiring the best and most comprehensive education is vital to your overall performance. Thankfully, the resources are plentiful and easily accessible… think Internet. (YouTube videos are very informative)
Focus on the Key Components of Your Education
There are several ‘courses’ to choose from and the sky is the limit when it comes to acquiring an education in all things health. Consider the following key aspects…
A Healthy Diet
- The quick and lazy method would have you accepting the basic food guidelines provided by the so called ‘experts’.
- However, a more thorough search, which does require your time and enery, would expose the errors, misconceptions, and possibly the deceptiveness of these guidelines.
- Do your ‘due diligence’ here and you won’t regret it. Don’t allow the sheer number of diets and diet plans to overwhelm you. Choosing low carb, carnivore, keto, mediterranean, and so forth will come easier once you’ve taken the time to understand the basic food groups, which are: protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
- Get familiar with how these food groups help establish your health and wellbeing. Understand how they benefit the body and learn to prioritize according to your body’s basic needs. Hint: carbs shouldn’t dominate the day. So prepare yourself (give yourself a mental headshake)… cut the cookies, donuts, crackers, bagels, and other ‘fun’ stuff that you’ve come to rely upon during coffee breaks. It takes time, but well worth the effort.
- Quick tip: If what you want to eat comes wrapped with a lengthy label…odds are that this ‘food’ is not actually ‘food’ but an ultra-processed substitute. So… focus on real food and … wait for it … learn to cook ‘real food’ at home!
- Renowned functional medicine expert, Dr. Mark Hyman, has the following to say…
“It is food – we now know that food is information, not just calories, and that it can upgrade your biologic software. The majority of chronic disease is primarily a foodborne illness. We ate ourselves into this problem and we have to eat ourselves out of it.” Mark Hyman
Consistent Exercise and Movement
- Contrary to popular opinion, exercise does not need to be a drudgery or a painful process. Well…okay…there can be some pain (sore muscles) but not the torturous pain designed to kill you.
- The benefits of exercise are..well.. phenomenal. No joke! Many more doctors have come fully onboard and they’ll tell you that regular exercise is super important towards achieving health and wellness and a leading method to decrease all cause mortality (that word alone makes a person shiver).
- Exercise ranks higher than pharmaceuticals when dealing with depression and studies now show that regular activity helps cognitive improvements and greatly lessens the likelihood of developing various forms of dementia in later life.
- Prominent physician and longevity expert, Dr. Peter Attia says it well…
“Exercise is by far the most potent longevity ‘drug’. No other intervention does nearly as much to prolong our lifespan and preserve our cognitive function.” Peter Attia
Sleep and Relaxation (aka… meditation)
- Getting your Zzzzs can’t be overemphasized. Research has shown that many necessary bodily functions occur when we sleep, including a major cleaning… really! It’s like your brain is so busy during the day that, like a busy office, the garbage collects. During sleep hours, the cleanup crew get their shot at setting the place to rights before the next busy day begins.
- Quality sleep helps in many ways: corrects and stabilizes immune function, disease resistance and overall well-being, including mood.
- Mindful breathing calms the mind and body and may alleviate depression and anxiety by promoting relaxation and stress reduction.
- Deep breathing may enhance focus and cognitive performance; it may positively impact mood and happiness, and… mindful/deep breathing may lower blood pressure, improve overall cardiovascular, better lung function to oxygenate the body.
- Quotes from Matthew Walker’s book: “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams…
“Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.” Matthew Walker
In conclusion:
Metabolic related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and obesity, to name a few, are steadily increasing. These types of problems are so widespread, we’ve almost come to the point of acceptance, as though it is inevitable to develop some sort of chronic disease.
But this need not be the case.
Those who choose to become managers of their own health – those who make their own fitness and wellness a lifelong job will undoubtedly reap benefits far beyond their expectations.
If you do not have ‘personal health manager’ on your life’s resume, the time couldn’t be better to begin the process of self-improvement.
You won’t regret it.
Suzanne Rightley is an author of childrens’ fiction. Her books are written for independent readers, ages 7-15 and can be found on Amazon. Her Granola Brea Series is an ongoing effort to enlighten today’s youth to make positive health and wellness choices for themselves.
Thanks for the visit.
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