Keeping up with a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing health issues isn't always easy especially when you're dealing with your own specific health issue. Let's say your back goes out and you are in severe pain. Eating vegetables won't be on the top of your must do list.
This is understandable and it makes sense. On the other hand, dealing with a health issue doesn't give you a license to go overboard with eating greasy fast food or becoming a couch potato. So what do you do?
Well or not well, you are still the captain of your ship – your body. I found that when I am dealing with a health issue, or a dilemma of one kind or other and growing more anxious because I can't figure it out, I need to take a time out. Taking a time out doesn't mean I'm going to get better or solve my problem but it does mean that I'm taking control of managing my health and managing my problem. Sometimes, just managing a health issue or a family crisis or business problem is all we can do simply because we do not have control of all the factors that went into making the problem in the first place nor those that can solve the problems.
When I take a time out to deal with a health issue it is my way of reminding myself to focus on wellness to prevent complications of the health issue I already have or open myself to new health issues. My reasoning is it is always better to prevent illness rather than try to cure or treat it.
Some risk factors I can't control such as my heredity, the fact that I'm female, and my age. On the other hand I can modify other risk factors by exercising, not smoking, maintaining a good weight for myself and eating those vegetables. What I always keep in mind is that some diseases are risk factors of other diseases and I don't want to get near that progression. For example, diabetes puts a person at a high risk for heart disease and stroke.
My time out helps me make keep to my goal for a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes it's the bathroom scale that reminds me of my goals. Whatever it takes to keep me in line is worth the effort.
By the way, please check out my relatively new blog, Secrets to Health and Aging. I will be integrating this Balance Your Health blog into that blog so please begin your subscription now. Go to Secrets To Health and Aging and on the top right either subscribe by email or by RSS feed using the orange icon.
The plan is for this to take place by June 1 of this year.
To your good health,
Ruthan Brodsky
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