Your Health is Your True Wealth

How do you measure wealth? For many of us, wealth equals a fine home, nice cars, and designer clothes. All of those things do signify material wealth. But if you look a bit deeper, you realize that all the money and things that it can buy pales in comparison to having good health.  If you spend as much time on building a healthy body as you do building a healthy portfolio; you’d be a rich person, indeed. It’s time to realize that your health is your true wealth.

Let’s talk about some things you may want to monitor and change in your own journey to wealth.

The silent killer

Hypertension, or more commonly “high blood pressure” affects nearly half of all adults in the United States. For some, this is genetic, unfortunately many are predisposed to certain health issues. If this is where you fall, you need to be even more careful about your lifestyle.  We continue to be one of the most clinically obese nations in the world. When you couple carrying excess weight with every day stress, that’s a recipe for disaster.

The list of damage to your body that high blood pressure can cause are great. Stroke, aneurysm, and heart attacks, are just a few of the catastrophic results untreated high blood pressure can cause. Being clinically obese as well has high stress can cause high blood pressure. Managing your weight and stress levels is imperative if you want to live a long healthy life.

Effectively managing chronic conditions

If you have chronic health conditions it’s very important that you manage them according to your doctor’s plan. Many people live full lives even though they suffer daily with chronic health conditions. The key is managing them. Diseases like diabetes don’t have to keep you from living a fulfilling life. But you cannot ignore your symptoms. Checking your insulin levels cannot be neglected, for instance. Maintaining a diet conducive to controlling your illness is doable and important.

Conditions that affect your mobility must not be ignored. If you have arthritis, be sure you are treating it as your doctor has instructed. Take your medications according to the scheduled laid out for you. And sometimes, you just have to fight through the chronic pain. The important thing is to keep living your life. Men and women face some different chronic conditions. You can read more about the most common forms of chronic illness in women, here.

Take care of your heart

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in this country. There are heart issues that you can inherit; we’ve discussed this. But most heart issues people face are because of the lifestyle you lead. Having a diet that is high in fat and sugar will lead to obesity and that leads to clogged arteries and possible heart failure.

Heart attacks are generally thought to be something that men will experience. But, cardiovascular disease is also the leading cause of death for women. Diet, smoking, alcohol intake, as well as stress all contribute greatly to heart disease in both men and women.

Diet

You cannot have a discussion about your health without addressing the elephant in the room. That elephant is, of course, your diet. In this country, at least in the south, eating is more than just fuel; it’s a social event. The key besides food choices, is moderation. The foods we eat are processed with so many chemicals and additives that we really have no idea what we’re putting our bodies.

 Eating healthily doesn’t have to mean eating “boring”. It takes planning on your part to create weekly menus that include delicious dishes that are also more healthy. I’m not talking about eating bland tofu and flavorless chicken. You can create amazing dishes using fresh and healthy ingredients. Do your research. Search for recipes. Learn about the foods you eat. Here’s a simple example, cooking fresh green beans is simple and easy with this guide and beans are loaded in Vitamin K and antioxidants which have a natural detoxification effect on the body and are heart-healthy besides.

Equate wealth with your health

Don’t lose sight of the fact that without good health, all of the wealth in the world is meaningless for the most part. Take care of yourself so you can be there to care for your family. That is where true wealth lies.