Even with health insurance, you need to ensure your health.
The primary reason for buying health insurance is to reduce hospitalization and other medical costs. Health insurance is kind of like house insurance; you know you should have it and hope you don’t need to use it. Like our homes and our bodies; we want to also ensure good health long term.
What you do in between annual health exams should ensure and promote optimal health and well-being. Often times it requires a personal investment that your primary policy doesn’t cover or has minimal coverage. Such as seeing a dentist, an acupuncturist, a personal trainer, a massage therapist, or a CDE (certified diabetes educator). Optimal Health and fitness require making time for you on a daily basis. When you invest in yourself it yields high returns. If you feel like you are in a routine rut then a consultation may be all you need.
What will it take versus what can I take.
There’s a pill for that… there is a tendency to opt for a quick fix to an ailment, but these quick fixes may be doing more harm than good for our well-being. Ask yourself, “what will it take before you reach for what can I take?” A fast-paced society bombarded with constant input distracts us from more holistic approaches that are good for our mind and body. Have a headache, perhaps reach for a glass of water and take 10 for deep breathing and relaxation. Improve insomnia with taking time to prepare for sleep. Such as cooling down your house, dimming lights, and removing technology from your bedroom. Too much on your mind- write notes to clear your mind. If you are feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed- walk, run, bike, or swim for 10 minutes and clear your mind. There is no magic pill.
Eat Mindfully, Healthier and Un-diet.
So many people have spent much of their adult years on “yo-yo diets”. Attempts to establish healthy eating habits become a struggle; it is hard for the brain to re-wire years of coding. The Healthy Plate approach focuses on nourishing food choices not food control; and allows everyone in the household to benefit- no more cooking different meals. Drink more water and teas and less alcohol. Turn off cell phones to engage in conversation and enjoy the taste of food. Healthy eating is more sustainable and creates positive mindfulness; good for the mind, body, and soul.
Sleep for better fitness and health.
Sleep is critical for optimal health and well-being; and provides our cells and tissues the opportunity to recover from the wear and tear of the day. Lack of quality sleep causes alterations in hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, ADP; and is associated with weight gain, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. Sleep is the body’s prime time to restore and repair tissues, muscle growth, and protein synthesis. It’s also the time our body naturally detoxes. So when you get up in the morning, have a big glass of water, stretch, move your body, and prep for a fruitful day. If you’re not getting enough sleep then remove something from your to-do list or routine. You need to sleep for better fitness and health. (Sweet dreams!)