Did you ever wonder why so many human beings seem to take their health for granted? Why do so many individuals wait until they are ill to begin a plan to restore their health, when they might have been able to avoid their illness in the first place? With health care costs soaring, we may all need to reevaluate our personal philosophies regarding our health, and NOW is a good time to do so.
It's only after we age and mature that we wonder about all the "WHY DIDN'T WE'S" of LIFE! We usually use the excuse that we live in a world that is too hectic. We're bombarded daily with information overload, and have difficulty keeping up with all our responsibilities. However, as good health slips away from us, we begin to realize that the most important TREASURE that most of us take for granted every day is our HEALTH.
In this lesson, I would like to share an interesting story with you about Tom, a hard working, middle aged businessman who owned a prized racehorse. Tom would spare no expense for his precious horse. He would only feed his horse a diet of the very best nutritious food. He hired a trainer to methodically exercise his race horse on a daily schedule as well as make sure that his horse received proper rest each night. Tom hired a groomer to make sure his horse always looked great and a vet to make sure his horse was always in perfect health. Tom loved his horse so much that he would spend his last dime to make sure that this horse was a winner.
As for Tom himself, he was 55 years old. He was terribly overweight from eating and drinking excessively. Tom smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, down from two packs he used to smoke five years ago. Tom was really busy all the time, working lots of hours. It was convenient to eat fast food, because he never had a lot of time to eat. Tom also loved to eat junk food while he watched sports on TV at night. And at 55, Tom had a tough time climbing up 20 steps without getting out of breath. Unfortunately Tom's wife and teenage kids developed similar health habits and philosophies.
Is it any wonder why the horse was the only winner in this family? Also how easy is it to see that Tom was a walking "TIME BOMB?" The moral of this story is we are all a product of our values and habits. What's the point of working hard, accomplishing great things, and acquiring all types of material possessions if you don't live long enough to enjoy them? Or, what if you do live long enough and your life consists of constant medical procedures and doctors' visits with a supermarket of prescription drugs in your medicine cabinet? Is a life of poor health, developed from poor habits in your future?
Unfortunately too many individuals take their health for granted. The average fifty five year old American is already taking high blood pressure medication as well as a drug to control their high cholesterol. Tens of millions of others are taking drugs to control their diabetes daily as well as hundreds of other chronic ailments. Just turn on your TV and you will discover drugs to treat every ailment imaginable, being advertised by drug companies during the commercial breaks. Doesn't something seem out of balance here?
This is not a criticism of the pharmaceutical companies. They are filling a demand. Many people fail to make their health a top priority in their life. Then when the consequences of poor health habits show up in their lives they want a quick-fix; even if it means ingesting artificial chemicals in the form of pills that costs five times an apple, orange or a handful of blueberries. If these pills are what people demand, the pharmaceutical companies are more than happy to deliver them to the market. If more people treated their bodies like Tom treated his horse, the demand for expensive drugs would drop and the situation would be different.
The human body is a work of art. It has the ability to turn an apple or a piece of bread into blood, bone, and cell structure. It performs trillions of tasks, all without our conscious awareness. It is self-repairing, self-healing, and self-maintaining. The problem is that most people treat their bodies like trash cans, piling on one unhealthy food after another. They never let their bodies catch up. Pure logic dictates that no amount of pills will change anything in the long-run. Instead, the pills start piling up on top of all the unhealthy food.
The body is resilient, but you've got to give it time to do its thing. It doesn't have an infinite amount of energy. It has to allocate its energy, and if you're constantly piling it on, it can never do its job properly.
People take showers and bathe their outer-bodies, but most don't take the time to bathe their inner-bodies with lots of water, fruits, and vegetables. Take care of your body, and it will take care of you. Start planning a healthier life in 2008 for you and your loved ones. Don't wait until you become ill. Make HEALTH a TOP PRIORITY in your life!