Mindset
How many times did you take your car in for an oil change last year?
How many times did you have it cleaned, maybe even detailed?
How many times have you paid extra to have some work done that was needed before the car broke down?
If you’re like most people, you take your car into the shop on a regular basis, you sit in the waiting room waiting to find out what you owe, and you shell out the money, even after you scream “It’s how much?!?!”
But a lot of people seem to have this strange viewpoint around proactive care of their bodies.
They avoid going to the doctor?
They don’t go to see a manual therapist of any kind unless they are in pain?
They cringe at the idea of spending money on a massage, or treatment of some sort.
They don’t invest in the services of a Neuro-Reconditioning professional who can build them a program that will make them more resilient and fit.
They’ll spend hours waiting at an emergency ward when they’re sick as a dog, but won’t spend a quarter of that time waiting at their own doctor’s office for a check up!
Early detection has been proven to cut a lot of pathology off at the pass, and make some things that used to kill us, very treatable!
But the only way to detect early is to get in the habit of being examined.
In my personal Neuro-Reconditioning practice, I have so many people say to me; “I only wish I’d met you ten years ago”.
Because we sort so many movement dysfunctions out, get them moving better, and all of a sudden they are performing better, and they are injured less often and for less time.
I often say to them, “If you met me ten years ago, you probably wouldn’t have done what I told you to do”.
Truth is, people are averse to putting in the work until they reach a point where sickness or injury are getting in the way.
Unfortunate really!
So what should we be doing regularly anyway?
A Yearly Check Up with Your Physician
Every year, get in to see your doctor, discuss how you are feeling, have your BP checked, blood chemistry, and let them send you for any tests they think you should have based on preventative care recommendations.
It’s that easy! Most of this stuff is covered by personal insurance or government healthcare, but even if it isn’t, what did you spend on your car last year please?
See a Good Manual or Massage Therapist Once a Month
Making sure your body is in alignment, keeping things moving pain free, and clearing the limiting factors can make a huge difference in your day-to-day movement. It also keeps the bigger issues at bay.
What’s that? It costs $100 to go see a therapist, maybe more, maybe less?
How much does an oil change cost?
Do 20 Minutes of Exercise Three Times a Week
That’s all you need to do to get the beneficial effects of exercise when it comes to heart disease and stroke.
Just get out and do something three times a week for 20 minutes that raises your heart and breathing rate to a level where you struggle to have a consistent conversation.
More exercise than that, or harder exercise than that is great, but when you’re doing it, it’s all about your fitness goals.
What do you want to accomplish?
If you want to move more efficiently, feel more mobile, and perform at your best, then spend more time with a qualified training professional.
But if your goal is simply to increase longevity and quality of life, just get those three little sessions in a week!
Buy A Scale and Weigh Yourself Regularly
Yes, you read the correct heading.
If you weigh yourself regularly, you are more likely to do something about the occasional rise in the number.
But if you never weigh yourself until that trip to the doctor’s office, well, now you have even more reasons not to go!
Being overweight, especially getting close to obesity (which some 60% of the population is considered to be these days!) is a huge health risk.
So monitoring your weight, and managing your weight are very effective ways of staving off pain and suffering down the line.
Eat Good Quality Food
Some people are filling their gas tanks 2–3 times a week to the tune of $200–300, but won’t spend that on groceries because they’re too expensive.
Instead, we buy processed foods, quick low quality snacks, fast food, and junk food to solve the energy demands.
That’s like filling your car with gas that has sand in it!
Eventually the motor is going to seize and your car is going to be useless, and eventually your body is going to crash and you will be in a very dark place.
Eat more real food. Cook for yourself. Stop buying stuff that’s already made for you.
There is just so much to be gained through good quality food and so much to be lost through eating crap!
Take better care of yourself than you do your car, that’s just the minimum you should be doing.
KISS Principles are key.
