Just Because You're Not Sick Doesn't Mean You're Healthy
Feb 28, 2021
So many people walk around and assume that because they are not sick, they are expressing good health. Is this what we should use as a metric for our health?
Should we ignore known indicators of health conditions because they aren’t impacting our daily lives at the moment?
There IS a difference and it is something that I’ve been discussing with my patients since we opened our practice almost 18 years ago. There are many ways we can determine if conditions, like metabolic syndrome, are present without waiting for a devastating symptom such as a heart attack.
Think about your dental health
We have check ups on a regular basis because if we waited for our cavities to present symptoms before we addressed them, we would all be in a lot of pain. Instead, we brush our teeth daily, “floss the teeth we want to keep” and have regular checkups allowing us to address potential problems before we get an actual toothache.
It also applies to your spine health
Many patients come to us for the first time because they “put their back out” bending over to pick something up even though they had “a strong, healthy back before this”.
Remember, it is not the last thing that you did that can cause the injury, it is usually all of the things that happened leading up to it.
Your back may have felt great up until the incident that allegedly caused the injury, but I would suggest that your spinal health was slowly and quietly deteriorating. In this case, regular spinal check ups could have potentially prevented this injury (not to mention all of the other health benefits that come with good spinal health).
So what can we do to check up on our general health?
Well, it is important to have access to metrics and assessment tools and that you pay attention when things change with your health.
For example, check your hip, shoulder and spine mobility. Can you still do things that you were able to do a few years ago?
Personally, I have noticed a decline in the range of motion of my right hip, so it is important for me to work on this to keep it strong and healthy. If you are finding your mobility is changing, now is the time to address it as it will not get better by ignoring it.
The next thing to check is your waist size. Are you able to wear the pants you wore last year? What about your weight? Have you gained 10, 15, 20 pounds? (If you have, you are not alone).
What if things have changed?
If you notice that things have changed, it is important to ask for help from professionals and make a plan.
Good health is not achieved from good luck or good genes - it’s from great habits. Yes, these habits take time, but I am willing to trade some of my time and energy now to ensure that I have good health for as long as possible (aka healthspan) and I know you are too.
We can't judge our health by how we feel
It's time to start focusing on the habits we need to master to create our best opportunity for long term health. And if you are having difficulty creating these habits, we are here to help via this blog and future posts, our social media platforms and our on-line courses.
For anyone who needs help losing weight and understanding how to finally master hunger hormones, I would strongly suggest you check out my Low-Carb Nutrition Program. This program takes you step-by-step through understanding your metabolism and creates a sustainable approach to nutrition that will improve your overall long-term health. For a limited time, I am offering 15% off our regular pricing with the code LC2021.