Example
Many years ago my grandmother became critically ill after an elective medical procedure. At the age of 84, she was not expected to live. She spent five weeks in ICU and then the hospital put her in a room to die. She rocked their world when she went home to live alone for 3 more years. Maw Maw ate well, slept well and made her world small. She didn’t waste time on negative people and made an all-out effort to be happy. It was not an easy task. As good as my Paw Paw was as a grandfather, he was a terrible husband in many ways. Her life was not particularly easy but she lived it well. She had tuberculosis as a young woman at 21 years of age and had most of one lung removed to save her life. She developed cardiac problems as a result of the extra load on her circulatory system but she lived to 89, a ripe age for anyone, much less someone with her history. She poured good food and good company and positive thoughts into her life and she thrived in difficult circumstances.
Choices
We all know that our food choices affect our present state of health. What some don’t realize is that our decisions about food, exercise and stress reduction play a huge role in our future health. (1) When we make poor choices, we can become obese and develop hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and even early death associated with these maladies. Our everyday decisions are decisions about how we want to live out our lives and what most people don’t realize is that we are creating our future one decision at a time. So much is within our control. We need to exercise the power that we have to shape our futures.
The Consequences
If we neglect putting the necessary nutrients into our bodies, we will begin to rob them from reservoirs in our bodies. The calcium will leach from our bones and we may develop osteoporosis, the iron will be pulled from our blood cells and we will become anemic . With anemia comes a great risk of falling due to dizziness and overall weakness. A fall can result in injuries of all kinds and even systemic, bloodborne infections at broken skin sites. Lack of proper exercise can also increase our fall risk due to weakened muscles and an inability to maintain proper body alignment and posture. Allowing ourselves to live with ongoing, excess stress can raise our blood pressure and that can affect our vision and kidney function. We are an interconnected organism. All of our parts affect every other part.
The Benefits
At David’s Way we teach extreme self care. We eat well, avoid added sugar, count our calories, exercise and reduce the stress in our lives. As a result, we live at a level of people who are much younger. We work full time jobs, blog and cook our food. We lift heavy and hike and take care of those around us that need care. We are able to do everything that we did in our 20’s and 30’s and that was 25 or 30+ years ago. We have chosen what kind of life that we want and are willing to do what we know to do to get it. How are your 50’s and 60’s shaping up for you? At 62, this is my best decade so far.
Government Opinion
According to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, (2), behavioral choices result in an increased incidence of chronic disease and cost five times more than the health care cost for those without those conditions. We cost ourselves and the country massive amounts of money when we make bad health decisions.
Choose to be healthy. While there are some illnesses that seem to be beyond anyone’s control, so much is within our ability to decide. Choose health. Before beginning any exercise program, always consult your physician.
(1) https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/eat-healthy/importance-of-good-nutrition/index.html