Of everything you can focus on in your life, your health is your most important asset. Without it, nothing else matters. You can have great wealth, the best career and even wonderful friends, but if you don’t have your health, you won’t be able to enjoy them.
I’m reminded of a saying by Confucious, “A healthy man wants a thousand things, a sick man only wants one”.
Don’t neglect your health. It’s easy when you’re young to feel like you’re invincible. And while your body does recover quite well, and can tolerate a lot of abuse, it will eventually take a toll.
The recipe for good health is quite simple, but not necessarily easy. There are only 4 basic ingredients. If you can manage these, you’ll have good health.
1. Manage what you put into your body
This one should be no surprise. We all choose what we eat and drink, what medicines or drugs we take and what vitamins or supplements we use. And it can be confusing. There is a ton of debate about what is truly healthy eating – low fat, low sugar, meat or no meat, and I could go on for days. The one thing that is never disputed however, is that fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you. Make sure you eat several servings every day!
2. Exercise
Most of the time when we think of exercise, we think of hitting the gym or running a few miles. But this isn’t what is necessary for good health. Just get moving! Walking, yoga, any sport, dancing are all adequate “exercise” for good health.
3. Limit exposure to toxins
This one is the most difficult. Toxins are everywhere around us. Most of you were already exposed to toxins and had them in your system before you were even born. But don’t give up hope. Use products that are free of chemicals, eat organic foods, use a water purifier and try to live in a clean, safe location.
4. Sleep
I think we all have underestimated the importance of sleep. It’s when your body heals and rebuilds and is necessary for good health. Six hours probably isn’t going to get you there. Plan on at least 7 hours and preferably 8-9 each night. And “catching up” on the weekends won’t do you as much good as getting a consistent amount of sleep each night.
Now we can’t really do justice to these topics in a few sentences. Literally thousands of pages have been written on how to be healthy. And we’ll explore them each in more detail in future blogs.
But the point of today is to get you to realize your health is your most important asset. What are you doing to enhance it? Are you doing things to jeopardize it? How you care for yourself in your younger years will have a big impact on you later in life. And while being middle aged might seem centuries away, it’ll be here before you know it. And then you’ll wonder why you didn’t work a little harder to be healthy.
Take care of yourself so you can flourish.
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