When our new government was voted in there was a lot of talk about reform to the health care system. Talk about how we can increase expenditures for medications, especially for seniors and of course increasing the amount of beds in nursing homes. Although these may be band-aids to help remedy the situation we as a society have gotten ourselves into, they definitely don't fit my definition of what I want my health to look like in the future. How are you planning for your future health? What action steps are you taking today? Are your daily activities congruent with what you want your future health to look like? The reason I often write about this topic is because there is often a disconnect between how people live their daily lives and what they think their retirement years will look like. What is the point of going through life like a blur and looking so forward to retirement if you don't have your health?
Let's talk about cardiovascular disease for a few minutes as this is something that we spend a lot of money on and is also something that is highly related to lifestyle choices. They have estimated that the Maritimes has the highest risk in Canada for developing cardiovascular disease. I would assume that if you are reading a natural health publication we don't need to spend any time talking about smoking and the increased risk. How much of cardiovascular disease is preventable? Numerous physicians and cardiologists have thought that approximately 80% of heart disease is preventable and is caused by poor lifestyle choices.
What are poor lifestyle choices? Are you carrying around an extra 15-30 lbs? Are you eating as much as you did when you were a teenager or a young adult? Do you eat a lot of sweets or drink pop (diet pop is NOT a better option)? Do you consume alcohol as a habit? Do you eat late at night? This is often an easy way to shed a few pounds and you will probably sleep better as well. Do you eat breakfast each and every morning or is breakfast a stop through Timmy's on the way to work (no wonder we consume the most sugar per capita in the WORLD). Are fruits and vegetables a regular staple in your diet or just a good idea? Is your largest meal in the middle of the day when you still have lots of time to burn it off, or is it late in the day when you are very inactive? All of the above mentioned things are HABITS, which means they are easy to change as long as you are consistent. If you are looking for motivation for changing a few of your eating habits, think of the difference of enjoying your health as you age, or being limited and restricted in your lifestyle. I see plenty of health conscious people who are carrying around extra weight and still having many bad habits. We ALL have work to do but the pain of the discipline it takes to make change will far outweigh the pain of regret in the future.
What does your average day look like? There is no question that we are all busy. However, I don't think that being busy is an excuse to let your health slide. If we are being honest it is usually more about priorities than anything else. There are plenty of busy people who get up early to exercise or to pack healthy food for themselves all day. They do it because they value their health enough to make sure they do the daily things necessary to protect their future. We have seen very busy people make a few changes to their lifestyle that had an enormous impact on their overall health. Need some recommendations? Consult your health care team. (You do have a team, right?).
Let's mention a few things about movement. We are designed to move, plain and simple. Movement is necessary to good health but can come in many different ways. A lot of people will say they don't want to go to the gym or start running when we talk about movement. No problem, what would you love to do? For some people it may be a walk through the park or with their dog 4-5 times a week. Some people love to swim which is an excellent form of movement. There are many styles of yoga out there and I'm sure there is one that would suit you well. Some people like slow moving activities like Tai Chi or Qi Gong. These are often excellent techniques to incorporate movement, relieve stress and increase energy. Some people like working with a Swiss ball to improve core stability. For others the gym is their best option. So the bottom line is there is likely some form of movement that suits you well. Try a few different things and incorporate them into your routine.
How much stress are you carrying around with you? Our bodies were given the "fight or flight" response to get them out of harm's way. However, a lot of people spend each and every day in this response moving from one emergency to the next. They often rely on caffeine and sugar to get them through the day and at some point usually end up in some form of exhaustion or fatigue.
Do you love what you do? Do you live your life with purpose and direction or do you let life bring you up and pull you down like a roller coaster. There are many books that have had a large impact on my life but two of my favorites are: "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" by Robin Sharma and "Count Your Blessings" by Dr. John Demartini (both available at Chapters). Someone once told me the quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you are willing to ask yourself. So don't be afraid to ask yourself the tough questions. What are you willing to change in your lifestyle to protect your health in the future? What is good health worth to you?
There are many things that we cannot control in life. We only have one chance with our bodies and it really is an amazing machine. Why is it that we take better care of our vehicles than we do our bodies? It is never too late to get rid of a few pounds that have crept up on us over the years. There are a few habits that are easy to change and worth the effort. Busy is not an excuse to treat your body poorly. If you truly see the benefit to movement you will likely make it a priority in your schedule. Two of the greatest things that will impact your life are the people you meet and the books that you read. Pick up the two books that I've mentioned and I'm sure they will have an impact on the way you live your life.
Our system spends so much money on the treatment of preventable diseases. The scary part is that the incidence of things like obesity, diabetes and heart disease have all gone up over the last 30 years. What impact will this have on our health care budget? You can never underestimate the impact you may have on other people. By simply changing a few daily habits it may spark some other change in your workplace or your household. What if everyone who read this article made some small change or improvement with their self-care. What impact would this have on our community? I'll do my part. Will you do yours?
Dr. Jason Plotsky
Let's talk about cardiovascular disease for a few minutes as this is something that we spend a lot of money on and is also something that is highly related to lifestyle choices. They have estimated that the Maritimes has the highest risk in Canada for developing cardiovascular disease. I would assume that if you are reading a natural health publication we don't need to spend any time talking about smoking and the increased risk. How much of cardiovascular disease is preventable? Numerous physicians and cardiologists have thought that approximately 80% of heart disease is preventable and is caused by poor lifestyle choices.
What are poor lifestyle choices? Are you carrying around an extra 15-30 lbs? Are you eating as much as you did when you were a teenager or a young adult? Do you eat a lot of sweets or drink pop (diet pop is NOT a better option)? Do you consume alcohol as a habit? Do you eat late at night? This is often an easy way to shed a few pounds and you will probably sleep better as well. Do you eat breakfast each and every morning or is breakfast a stop through Timmy's on the way to work (no wonder we consume the most sugar per capita in the WORLD). Are fruits and vegetables a regular staple in your diet or just a good idea? Is your largest meal in the middle of the day when you still have lots of time to burn it off, or is it late in the day when you are very inactive? All of the above mentioned things are HABITS, which means they are easy to change as long as you are consistent. If you are looking for motivation for changing a few of your eating habits, think of the difference of enjoying your health as you age, or being limited and restricted in your lifestyle. I see plenty of health conscious people who are carrying around extra weight and still having many bad habits. We ALL have work to do but the pain of the discipline it takes to make change will far outweigh the pain of regret in the future.
What does your average day look like? There is no question that we are all busy. However, I don't think that being busy is an excuse to let your health slide. If we are being honest it is usually more about priorities than anything else. There are plenty of busy people who get up early to exercise or to pack healthy food for themselves all day. They do it because they value their health enough to make sure they do the daily things necessary to protect their future. We have seen very busy people make a few changes to their lifestyle that had an enormous impact on their overall health. Need some recommendations? Consult your health care team. (You do have a team, right?).
Let's mention a few things about movement. We are designed to move, plain and simple. Movement is necessary to good health but can come in many different ways. A lot of people will say they don't want to go to the gym or start running when we talk about movement. No problem, what would you love to do? For some people it may be a walk through the park or with their dog 4-5 times a week. Some people love to swim which is an excellent form of movement. There are many styles of yoga out there and I'm sure there is one that would suit you well. Some people like slow moving activities like Tai Chi or Qi Gong. These are often excellent techniques to incorporate movement, relieve stress and increase energy. Some people like working with a Swiss ball to improve core stability. For others the gym is their best option. So the bottom line is there is likely some form of movement that suits you well. Try a few different things and incorporate them into your routine.
How much stress are you carrying around with you? Our bodies were given the "fight or flight" response to get them out of harm's way. However, a lot of people spend each and every day in this response moving from one emergency to the next. They often rely on caffeine and sugar to get them through the day and at some point usually end up in some form of exhaustion or fatigue.
Do you love what you do? Do you live your life with purpose and direction or do you let life bring you up and pull you down like a roller coaster. There are many books that have had a large impact on my life but two of my favorites are: "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" by Robin Sharma and "Count Your Blessings" by Dr. John Demartini (both available at Chapters). Someone once told me the quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you are willing to ask yourself. So don't be afraid to ask yourself the tough questions. What are you willing to change in your lifestyle to protect your health in the future? What is good health worth to you?
There are many things that we cannot control in life. We only have one chance with our bodies and it really is an amazing machine. Why is it that we take better care of our vehicles than we do our bodies? It is never too late to get rid of a few pounds that have crept up on us over the years. There are a few habits that are easy to change and worth the effort. Busy is not an excuse to treat your body poorly. If you truly see the benefit to movement you will likely make it a priority in your schedule. Two of the greatest things that will impact your life are the people you meet and the books that you read. Pick up the two books that I've mentioned and I'm sure they will have an impact on the way you live your life.
Our system spends so much money on the treatment of preventable diseases. The scary part is that the incidence of things like obesity, diabetes and heart disease have all gone up over the last 30 years. What impact will this have on our health care budget? You can never underestimate the impact you may have on other people. By simply changing a few daily habits it may spark some other change in your workplace or your household. What if everyone who read this article made some small change or improvement with their self-care. What impact would this have on our community? I'll do my part. Will you do yours?
Dr. Jason Plotsky
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