We all have used or heard “at least you have your health”. Anytime you face a challenging phase in life, those six words are a common reminder to yourself of what to value most. Let’s face it, without your health, other successes and triumphs are not as meaningful.
Being healthy is much more than simply being free from illness and injury. At the risk of getting too controversial, managing health is much more than popping pills to manage symptoms of illnesses. There are two primary places to start when it comes to being healthy... nutrition and physical activity.
Dietary preventative measures are the best way to maintain health. This means consuming all the dietary choices we know are good for us, supplementing with vitamins and minerals as necessary, and limiting all the dietary choices we know are not good for us. Taking these three steps sounds simple enough. Staying consistent with these preventative measures is the challenge. The goal is avoiding unnecessary pills from the doctor. A common argument is the cost of “eating healthy”. The question to ask as a counterpoint is if you buy healthy choices AND consume the proper amount in serving sizes for your activity level, are you really spending that much more? The dietary preventative measure value increases when you really think about it.
Physical activity preventative measures are probably the easier of the two tasks. Overall, exercise takes a back seat (although a very important back seat) to diet when it comes to health. You may have heard the phrase, “out exercising a diet”. Maybe it has some merit if only discussing weight management. True health requires a nutritious diet, not just concerns of calories. Setting aside the time to exercise is usually the greatest challenge. There are many ways to accomplish exercise. Once you decide to make regular exercise a priority, it’s just a matter of choosing the best method for you. Joining a fitness center is one common method to regular exercise. As long as the center provides the equipment and amenities that you seek, the value of that membership goes a long way for your health. It is still up to you to be consistent, however. The combination of healthy diet and regular exercise can save you plenty of money due to preventing health issues before they start or progress.
Attempting to put a value on your health is impossible. Instead, simply value your health. Proper nutrition and exercise are the beginning of that process. Valuing your health means valuing yourself. Living healthy leads to what we all value, happiness.
