I heard a doctor at our recent anti-aging conference in Hollywood, Florida (Academy of AntiAging and Regenerative Medicine) say, “People would rather spend money remodeling their kitchen than spend it on their health!” I’m thinking most people would rather spend money on just about anything other than their health….unless, of course, it is covered by insurance. And I’m wondering why exactly is this? The more I know, the more I realize how very critical it is to OWN OUR JOURNEY to our very best health. The key operative words here are ‘To Be PROACTIVE.” Here is what I know: by the time symptoms of a disease/condition show up in our body, it has been developing for 5-10 years! I find this fact scary. The time to do something about it is at the very beginning or even better, BEFORE the disease even starts.
So having said this, what is YOUR wellness strategy?
-to hope for the best and do nothing
-to take a chance and hope you are one of the lucky ones
-to not think about it
-to get a yearly physical and be done with it
-to delay it until there is an issue
-to grab vitamins off the shelf at the grocery store and hope they work
-to embrace the philosophy, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
I used to think this way. Then the closer I got to middle-age, the more I began to realize how my actions today and every day DO affect my health and well-being tomorrow. Now that I’m IN middle-age, (and many of my friends are, too) I look around me and I understand the truth of this.
The fact is, those of us who invest in our health today have a significantly higher chance of being healthy tomorrow. So what might a helpful, beneficial wellness strategy look like?
1. Understand that you have to think for yourself and own your journey to your best health. This means taking responsibility for your actions in a plethora of areas:
-what you eat
-how you exercise
-how you view current standard of care’s limitations.
This will most likely involve a paradigm shift. Understand that we live in a country that focuses on dis-ease and not wellness. We typically go to our doctor when we don’t feel well. Our healthcare system (including insurance and drug companies) is focused on treating disease; which means by the time you see your doctor, you already have it. Yes, we DO also spend time and money on screening for diseases like: mammograms (Breast cancer detection), colonoscopies (colon cancer detection) PAP smears (detects cervical and uterine cancer) and PSA tests for men (detects prostate cancer). But I have to point out that screening for a disease is NOT the same as preventing a disease. Again, by the time a disease is detected, it has been developing in our bodies for years.
2. Understand that we ARE what we eat! Reading labels is imperative AND eye-opening. Dr David Purlmutter links eating wheat with a heightened risk of Alzheimer’s. We know consuming high amounts of sugar can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. High fructose corn syrup does not get metabolized like sugar does. Instead it goes directly to the liver where it gets converted to fat. Obesity is a growing problem in our country, which promotes diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Eliminating or cutting back on wheat, gluten, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup are positive steps in owning what we eat. And let’s talk about how our soybean and corn crops are sprayed with toxins like Round-Up (pesticides) and our crops are genetically modified and the environmental toxins that we are exposed to daily…..and we are set up for sickness and disease.
3. Your awareness that there ARE steps you can take to prevent disease:
> Be accountable for your health every day and believe that the choices you make today DO and WILL affect your health tomorrow. Every day DOES matter. A huge area of awareness and ownership is hormone health. Understand that the latest research shows “Hormones are to Women What Water is to Plants.” Refilling our hormone receptors as we age IS a definitive Wellness Strategy. This includes adrenal and thyroid health. Owning your journey in this arena of women’s health by educating and empowering yourself is imperative. Visit www.invigom98.sg-host.com for more information. Our Recommended Readings section has the latest books and studies. Knowledge is power.
> Find a Functional Medicine practitioner or facility, like my Happy Hormone Cottage, that promotes Holistic Health, and works to determine AND prevent your health risks. Are you aware that my Happy Hormone Cottage now offers extensive lab work for women (and men, through our sister company- BioMale Center for men) all billed to insurance, that provides a full lab panel from two prestigious labs: AML and HDL laboratories? The AML panel is a comprehensive blood panel that focuses on insulin, hormones, adrenal glands and thyroid. The HDL panel determines cardiovascular risk. With this knowledge, we are able to determine the correct holistic health strategy that will decrease your odds of getting a disease and increase your chance of staying healthy.
> 4. Practice gratitude every day. I believe attitude is everything. My 89 year old Dad still lives independently in a retirement village in Florida, walks his 2 dogs multiple times a day, works out in the fitness center 3 days a week, sings in a band and recently recorded his 2nd CD. His attitude is positive and upbeat. I think this speaks volumes!
> 5. Continue to serve others and work to make a difference in the lives of others. This is why I began my foundation-The Women’s Health Initiatives Foundation, whose mission is to “promote and support integrative health initiatives which prevent, treat or cure cancers that affect women.” I intend for this to be my legacy. Visit www.womenshealthinitiatives.org for more information.
My hope for you is that you don’t take your health for granted. Investing in yourself by protecting your health is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Having a daily wellness strategy can help guarantee a higher quality of life for the long haul. What steps will YOU today take to develop YOUR WELLNESS STRATEGY for YOUR healthiest tomorrow? Women, call us at 513-444-6343 to set up your step one consultation at our Happy Hormone Cottage. Men, you can call Jeff at 513-600-9879 to get started on your wellness strategy at our BioMale Center. Make 2016 your year to fully invest in you!
