An active lifestyle improves overall health.

I saw a headline about Christianity like this many years ago. Three years ago, I used the same framework about being an entrepreneur when presenting business tips to a networking group. With the COVID-vacation coming to an end, will we stay the course of keeping as healthy as we can, or will there be a relapse?

Health Definition

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150999. The most common definition for health is the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. The nonexistence of disease, sickness, malady, disorder, or other infirmities is not the definition of health. You cannot prove something with a negative. Some people think if they do not have a health problem, and voilà! They are healthy.

My brain has been wrapping around this health thought for several months because we see healthy-looking people react severely to COVID-19, and some never recover. We see others that most consider unhealthy because they are packing an extra hundred pounds and have almost no symptoms. Yet, both kinds of people were infected with the same virus. What happened?

Health Description

https://en.tempo.co/read/899662/7-characteristics-of-perfectly-healthy-people. How would a health professional describe a person in good health? Healthy, thick hair is used occasionally. I guess I failed that one because I have been bald for decades. A reason hair is an indicator of good health is nutritional deficiencies can manifest as thin, dry hair. Thyroid deficiency can cause the same. Stress – ditto!

Moving on down the body, professionals want to see strong nails, teeth, and gums. Systemic problems in the body can be seen in the fingertips. What happens to our hair can also affect our nails. Lupus, anemia, or a fungal problem can be observed by inspecting the nails. Oral health is critical for overall health. The blood supply to the mouth can send toxins to reach any area of the body.

I prefer weight management to the BMI measurement many health experts like to use. Body Mass Index is used to describe populations of people, not individuals. We know when we see a person overweight from poor diet and the lack of exercise. We also see muscular people with agility and endurance who can be carrying an extra thirty or forty pounds, and it does not slow them down at all.

Weight is a visual clue for most people regarding overall health. Stay in the healthy range, and you can check off the visible appearance of health.

How can you tell when a friend or family member is not getting enough quality sleep? Sometimes, it is their job, new relationships, divorce, arrest, insomnia, and more. Stress and other factors affect the quality of sleep we get each night. Stop getting the consistent quality of sleep you need, and the risk of diabetes, weight gain, and cardiovascular problems goes up.

How many times have we heard about eating healthy foods? How many times have we chosen alternative food options? We need over thirty nutrients daily to achieve and maintain good health. Most of us are deficient in several crucial nutrients that can result in health issues over time.

Social intercourse is a term I prefer over social interaction. I believe it encompasses the mutual aspect of communicating with others. Thoughts and feelings are exchanged through social intercourse. Mental health is a criterion for overall health as much as physical health. The list of mental health issues is long and can be corrected many times with diet, exercise, and social intercourse.

Health Assessment

https://www.chartspan.com/news/medicare-annual-wellness-visit-vs-annual-physical/. I had 31 annual flight physicals in the Navy. In civilian life, I was lucky enough, and senior enough, to have annual corporate physicals as well for a couple of decades. Many companies do not require periodic assessments of wellness or health. I think that is a mistake.

Most health plans cover one annual physical. However, a yearly wellness assessment is not as involved or expensive. When you do not know where you are and are uncertain of where you are going, it is easy to get off course, and your health will incrementally decline because you are unable to take the right corrective actions in time.

The military requires annual physical readiness tests – push-ups, running, etc. Most law-enforcement organizations need periodic shooting qualifications. The FAA requires pilots over 40 years of age to have annual physicals twice a year. Based on the nature of the business, some companies require periodic examinations or qualifications, health-related or not. Why would an individual, other than cost, not want to have a track record of their health?

Life Expectancy

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/life-expectancy.htm. Americans live, on average, until their late 70s. As we approach retirement age, heart disease, cancer, coronavirus, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, influenza, pneumonia, and other illnesses become the leading causes of death. Most are controllable. When you catch a heart problem early, you can take corrective measures. The same with diabetes and other illnesses.

Why not be on the leading edge of your health so that you are not in the high-risk group in the post-55-age-group for coronavirus or other infections. Most health issues are the result of poor lifestyle choices. You can live with your choices for a few years without much of a problem, but it becomes a problem when you live with those choices for decades.

Conclusion

Getting back to my original question, what evidence is there to state you are in good health or not? Annual physicals are an excellent place to start. Are you current on your vaccinations, not just coronavirus? The number of prescription medicines is a clue. Have you ever asked your doctor what things you could do to get off a specific med?

On the good side of the ledger, how much physical activity do you do each week? Check your schedule. Is it a line item that is written down? Evidence, eh? Stress management is a factor not mentioned in many of the sources I checked before writing today. Yet, that one factor alone is the genesis of nearly every doctor’s visit.

Are you getting the proper medical tests? I always ask for a CRP (c-reactive protein) blood test on my annual physicals to know the level of whole-body inflammation. Why? Because chronic, low-level cellular inflammation is the cause of every disease. How can you take corrective action if you do not know you have a problem?

The evidence of your health boils down to what you can prove. What paperwork (or digital records) do you have that indicates the status of your health?

Evidence is seen in your social media posts, medical records, lifestyle choices, and more.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

 

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