Have you ever heard the saying “Your health is your wealth?” There’s a lot of things that matter in this world, but the most important one is your health. You can be sitting on a pile of money with the most amazing family life and all the happiness in the world but if you’re not healthy, none of that matters. It can be difficult to stay healthy while busy or learn how to be healthy if you haven’t thought much about it. But we’re in this together.
A few days ago, Rob got a call from our doctor that his liver enzymes were off-the-charts high. Words like hepatitis and fatty liver were said. I pretty much forced him to go back to get blood drawn again the day she called with the blood test results to rule out error. Thankfully that’s exactly what it was. It was a lab error. Thankfully the blood test results came back very quickly, and our doctor reassured us that everything was fine.
Your mind starts to wander while waiting for medical test results. I had a similar experience about five years ago when I had a cantaloupe-sized cyst on my left ovary. Since the ovarian cyst size was so large, my doctor at the time had to rule out ovarian cancer prior to removing it. I had to wait days (felt like a year) for the results. This taught me a very valuable lesson about my health. I had ovarian cyst symptoms for about a year but was told all was fine. I should have insisted on further testing. I’m pretty in tune with my body and knew something was off. Lesson learned. You are your biggest health advocate and if you’ve been searching “what to do when your doctor doesn’t listen” or if something isn’t sitting well with you, speak up. I can’t say this enough.
Medical scares remind you to take care of yourself and to learn how to be healthy. Investing in your health and wellness is worth every penny. You should be eating healthy foods. There are many variations and thoughts on this. I do intermittent fasting, but you need to figure out what works best for you. When it comes to being healthy, you should be getting in strength and/or cardio training a minimum of three days a week. Learning how to be healthy has its challenges, but you’ll find being and staying healthy is completely worth it.
Everyone is busy with kids’ schedules and everything else that the modern family dynamic has heaped upon us, but you’re not doing your children or yourself any favors by not making your workout schedule, a healthy diet and regular checkups part of your routine. Make healthy living a priority. Period. No excuses. Adopt a healthy lifestyle and you’ll be amazed at how quickly other successes can follow.
I think if you are over the age of 35, you should be getting a yearly physical. Secondly, you should be getting regular cholesterol tests and having your blood pressure checked, a CBC with differential and a basic metabolic panel to get a baseline for yourself as you age. These simple tests could possibly detect something you may or may not be aware of. In addition, get all the other tests that doctors recommend at certain ages to help maintain a healthy lifestyle; Pap smears, colonoscopies, prostate checks (for the men reading, you’re especially bad at going to the doctor!) and mammograms (now I feel hella old).
The older I get, the more I value my health. I also invest more money in supplements, time at the gym and eating healthy food. All these things matter and do help in the anti-aging process. Learning how to be healthy and adopting healthy living doesn’t occur overnight, but everyone starts somewhere. My mother-in-law, who is in her mid-sixties (and looks amazing, check out her IG), once told me “you’re older a lot longer than you’re younger so you need to take care of yourself as you age”. It has always stuck with me. I don’t just workout and eat healthy for vanity’s sake. I do it so, no matter what age I am, I’m the best (whatever age) I can possibly be. Learning how to be healthy sooner rather than later definitely helps.
*I am not a medical professional and all ideas shared in this post are my opinion. Please see medical professionals about all health-related questions*
