It’s that time, when the holidays conjure up thoughts of gifts, wrapped in shiny paper and colorful ribbons. For many of us the end of the year comes with more than a little carefree over-indulgence—in the form of spending, celebrating, and yes, eating too much. Concerns about our health and wellness find themselves on the back burner until after the New Year, which we often meet with both remorse and new resolve, at least for awhile.
So, let’s take a big step back. Good health is a condition in which our bodies and minds work well and work in sync. We each get one body—are we taking care of it? Do we pay attention to what we put into it and what we ask of it? Do we look for excuses to abuse it—I’m too old, I’m too tired, I’ll do it later, I’ll take a pill instead?
Think about this . . . Chronic diseases kill more than 1.7 million Americans every year, and account for 7 of every 10 deaths. These are truly staggering statistics!
And there’s more. The foods we choose to eat on a daily basis contribute 80 percent to whether we will develop diabetes, heart disease or cancer. Approximately 40 percent of deaths in the U.S. are caused by behavior patterns that could be modified. As a whole, Americans are 4.5 billion pounds overweight. But, just a 7 percent loss in weight (12.6 pounds for someone weighing 180 pounds) can reduce the risk of progressing from prediabetes to diabetes by as much as 58 percent.
The solution here is up to each of us—as family members, parents and individuals. The question here becomes this: What do you think happens when we consider, and cherish the gift of good health?
We’re not suggesting a gift-wrapped scale. We’re not even suggesting a literal gift (although we do have some suggestions for healthy gifts). What we’re after is for each of us to treat our bodies as the gifts they truly are. Each of us can give ourselves and our families the gift of health and wellness, and we can do it over and over, every day of the year. We can do it through the choices we make, not the excuses we find.
What do you think? Are you ready for a gift that really does keep on giving?
