"Please take good care of me." Signed, Your Heart

February is American Heart Month. Most people probably don’t know it, and really don’t care. I don’t think much about it….my heart seems to work just fine. When you’re feeling fine, you don’t really think about what your heart does for you, do you?

Of course we all know that without a heart, we wouldn’t be on this earth. I think what is really amazing though is that people forget that they need to take care of their heart, just like they need to take care of their car, their yard, the dog and the kids.

It is even more amazing how people put value to things….like cell phones, cable tv, or buying music for their IPod. They don’t blink at spending $100 a month on cable, and even more on a cell phone bill. But they think it’s too expensive to join a gym for $50 a month to take care of their heart (and their entire body). They don’t want to spend the money (or time) to go for their annual physical.

I have helped many employers coordinate biometric screenings in their office in an effort to give an employee a convenient way to get some basic health tests done without having to make a doctor’s appointment. In more than one case an employee has walked away from the screening knowing that they are pre-diabetic, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and they shouldn’t wait a minute longer to get to their doctor.

What will it take for more people to put a value on their health? Do they really have to wait until they have a heart attack to wake up and realize they’ve been deferring some very important maintenance? That those 10 pounds they gained turned into 20, then 50 or more, and they should have done something about it before it got any worse?

When you’re not feeling fine, you can’t help but think about it. So if you allow yourself to get to that point, don’t wait a minute longer…..get to your doctor and do what you need to get yourself back to good health. With a little effort put into lifestyle and dietary changes, many symptoms of poor health can be turned around.

Better yet, don’t allow yourself to get to the point of not feeling fine. If you don’t want to spend the money on a gym, get outside and start walking. Set a goal to complete a local 5k run or walk to benefit a charity as well as your health. Do some research on ways to change your eating habits to reduce fat intake, increase fruits and vegetables and add more fiber to your diet. (We have helpful information on our website).

Take care of yourself now, and you will be here for the joys of life – your children’s weddings, your grandchildren growing up, the energy to travel the world if you want to.

Your heart (and body) will thank you for it!