Why should you care about your health, anyways?



Health is not just about nutrition (diet) and exercises, it is also about what you put in your mind and heart.” – Unknown

In 1948, the World Health Organization defined (WHO) defined health as the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. 


I guess it’s safe to say we all know the importance of eating light and right as well as living an active lifestyle. Yet we still hang on to our old and bad habits eating junk food and sitting passively watching television after 8-hours sedentary jobs at our work places.

As Thomas Moffet says, we are “digging our graves with our teeth” as we;
1)    Feed our bodies with high-fat, high cholesterol and non-nutritious foods,
2)    Poison our system with cigarettes, alcohol misuse, and substance abuse,
3)    Sit passively in front of our TV sets daily and spend long hours on social media,
4)    Subconsciously form bad habits instead forming good ones consciously,
5)    Participate in toxic relationships and friendships.

According to DisChem Pharmacies Wellness Clinic, one in every five deaths in South Africa is the result of heart diseases or stroke. The leading causes of these diseases are mostly traced in unhealthy diets that include processed foods with high fats and high cholesterol which eventually lead to overweight and obesity.

Cancer and Diabetes are among the most common diseases that are killing our people. Physical inactivity, smoking and substance abuse are also ranked high as major causes of these preventable diseases. The good news is that these diseases can be preventable.

The recent research findings indicate that people are not necessarily addicted to alcohol or drugs, but are addicted to escaping reality. They resort into alcohol misuse and unhealthy or bad eating habits to escape their stressful situations.

Depression and Anxiety have become so real and almost palpable to such an extent that young people resolve into substance abuse or chain smoking despite being aware of all the dangers involved. In some cases, these bad habits are formed either through boredom or stress.

Whatever the case maybe, we always have the choice to turn things around and start living a better life. At any given point in our lives, we have to power to change our mind-sets and love ourselves better. We have the power to forget what we been through yesterday and focus at the present moment with great expectations and excitement about the future.

Forgiving yourself and choosing to love and care for yourself better is the first step into the journey of recovery and/or self-discovery. It all starts with you.

To borrow the words of Malanda Jean Claude “Self-love is messy. Breaking old habits is hard. Telling the truth can be difficult. Falling in love after pain is scary. Losing yourself can be dark, finding peace isn’t cakewalk – honouring your emotions take work. May you learn to paint accurate description of love. Choice.”

As Jay Shetty beautifully puts it, “Self-care isn’t just about holidays and massages. It’s also about working on your habits, mindset and healing your past. It’s removing toxic thoughts, people and places in your life. It’s living intentionally, purposefully and consciously.”

Most importantly, “With every act of self-care your authentic self gets stronger, and the critical, fearful mind gets weaker. Every act of self-care is a powerful declaration: I am on my side.” Susan Weiss Berry

Often times people forget that health has a social aspect that is equally important as physical and mental well-being. These three must be treated equally and holistically if one is to enjoy long life with good health.

When you care about your health it means your care about yourself. When you leave a friendship or relationship that has become toxic means you care about yourself. When you look for the root cause of your ill health instead of treating the symptoms means you deeply care about yourself. 
 
To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. A study conducted during the year 2004 in London, UK showed that even 10 minutes of exercise could blunt an alcoholic’s craving. Nothing looks as good as being fit and healthy feels.

The conclude, I will remind you of the old proverb which says “When are young, we sacrifice our health for wealth. But when we are old and wise, we become willing to sacrifice every bit of our health just for a day of good health.” But with you, this doesn’t have to be the case.

What you want is to form good habits that improve your overall health by, helping you stay active, keep you fit and trim, sharpen your thinking, boosting your memory, improving your mood and attention, lower stress and anxiety, and help stave off addiction.  Always remember to eat well and stay active.

Orison Swett Marden says “The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably.”

Comments

  1. What a nice piece, I think this extrapolate why our values stem from the word H.E.A.L.T.H

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, thank you so much pointing that out. Much appreciated.

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