Being proactive about your health means caring for your body before it breaks down. An old adage states, “Your body will let you know if something is wrong.” This default approach for most people has been the reactive approach, waiting until something goes wrong and then addressing it. Unfortunately, this approach puts many lives at risk.
A proactive approach to health care recognises the importance of addressing issues before they arise or before they become serious. Proactive health care happens when you take responsibility to proactively manage your own health. You want to move from a doctor “treating an ailment or disease” to you practising “self-care” activities such as exercising, taking prescribed medications and vitamins, drinking water, and eating healthily (most of the time!).
Practising proactive health care prevents disease, detects disease early, and improves your health care results.
Here are some great lifestyle changes to start:
Sleep
Your bed is for sleeping. Try not to eat or work while in bed. Develop a sleep routine, wake up at the same time each day. Go to bed around the same time every day, around 8 hours before you expect to start your day. Find calming, relaxing activities to do before bedtime like reading or taking a bath and avoid watching TV or using a computer near the time you want to fall asleep. Make sure your sleep area is quiet, dark, and is at a temperature you like.
Alcohol & Smoking
Physical Activity
Drink more water. If you like soft drinks you can first try flavoured sparkling water. If you can’t stand plain water, infuse it with fruit. Snack on berries and almonds. Try to sneak in something green and healthy into your diet.
It’s important to remember that being proactive is largely a state of mind.Positivity breeds positivity, so if you consistently tell yourself you want to be more in tune with your health and your body, it’ll happen!
