Health is the great equalizer of all humankind.  You have heard it said in so many ways, but in the end, it is true.  We are dust in the wind without our health.  Ask any billionaire whose physical body has finally given out on them, and do you think they would give up all those billions for a year more of good health–maybe even a month or day?  Of course they would, because wealth is an empty well in comparison to health, which is the whole castle.

Our health is the denominating currency of our life as a whole.  Well, you might argue that if you have money, you can buy health.  Not true.  You can buy the best surgeon to cut you open, drugs, possibly a liver or heart replacement, but that isn’t good health, and all of us know it.  Those are bandaids, or last minute survival tactics for the inevitable.  And ironically, the most common excuse for not being healthy is money.  “I have to work,” some say, and “What good is health if I can’t pay my bills?”  Hmm.  How would you pay your bills if your health failed is my question to that question.  Or, “I’m too busy to eat healthy or exercise.”  Or, “healthy food is not accessible to me.  I have to drive to far, and then its more expensive.” 

Okay, I understand that healthy food can be more expensive, and we will do some cost comparisons in follow up entries to help everyone become a more precise shopper, but regardless of price comparisons, I have to at least offer this question that is at the root of this entry, Is it more expensive in the short and long run not to spend a little more on that healthy food?  Think about it this way – If you are taking care of your body and health on a daily basis, most liekly you will have minimal sick days if any and be spending much less on doctor and prescription bills.  Think about how much people spend on pharmaceutical drugs!  Most health issues can be reversed or better maintained through proper diet and exercise!  A healthy lifestyle should be thought of as “preventative medicine”.  The medicine is your healthy food/lifestyle choices and they are preventative because you will avoid a majority of health problems and illness.

Whatever the excuse, time understandably trumps health as the currency of lifestyle, and that, while not being the most obvious factor to why too many Americans are sick, tired, and generally unmotivated much of their daily lives is the reality of living in 21st century America.  What I will be doing on occasion in entries to come is discussing about how investing (including time) in our health returns the most gains, not annually or quarterly, but on a daily basis, and just by simplifying your lifestyle, cutting out the excess, and investing more time and in some cases, more money in your health, you can figure out how to improve your life in total by the hour, minute, and ideally, the moment, so that you are truly practicing carpe diem.  This is truly one of the best gifts you can give your family and without your health you can not 100% be there for your kids, spouse and family!

In the meantime, think about it a little, and ask yourself what you would give up in your life for better health, or do you even agree that health is one of the most valuable things in our lives.  Feel free to tell me.

Rebekah Kjose

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3. 7 Important Tips for Men’s Health
4. Health Promoting Super Red Foods
5. 7 Foods Dangerous to Health