Prioritizing Health

So I went to have my blood pressure, weight, and body mass index taken at work today.  Before I walked in I had an idea of what the situation would be because I had already knew I was going to make this post to my blog.  The reason I did go in is because I needed concrete numbers and I needed to face reality.  The reality is that I have not been taking care of myself properly - improper diet, lack of exercise, and lack of proper rest. 

My weight is about 60 lbs above what it was in high school.  Anyone who knew me in high school knows that I needed at least 30 of those lbs. to fill in my rather skinny frame (lol).  But now according to my body mass index (BMI), my weight is in the overweight range.  Anyone who knows about this number knows that it can be very inaccurate because it doesn't take into account different body types. But in my case, I know that it was dead on because of my aforementioned habits and the area of fat around my abdominen where a very visible 6 pack formerly resided.  As far as blood pressure, I had done a few things just before I came in for my reading that would negatively influence the numbers but it had been a little high during a previous check and my habits had not changed much.

I cannot hide from my reflection in the mirror. I cannot hide from the effects of being overweight which can negatively affect some things that no man ever wants to hear.  And I cannot hide from the deadly effects of high blood pressure which can lead to 2 of the top 3 causes of death in the US, heart disease and stroke.  And it doesn't  discriminate based on age as evidenced by some of the deaths of popular young celebrities.

The bottom line is this:  I have to make conscious health changes in my life.  I owe it to my wife, my children, and most importantly MYSELF.  Someone once said "You can't do things the same way and expect different results".  So what will I do differently and what can you do differently if you are in a similar boat?  In my experience (from being in better shape at one point in time), the most important thing really is diet.  Diet is not a fad that lasts 2 weeks; it is a pattern of healthy eating that you intend to follow to promote a healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life and affects you both physically and mentally. The next important thing is physical exercise.  You don't need a lot of time really devoted to physical exercise.  You just need to make the time that you have count, meaning that you make sure your workout is challenging, and work out at least 3 times a week. Rest is something a lot of us need more of but it is typically undervalued.  However, it does affect you physically and mentally as well.

I plan to give an update and more details about every 3 weeks on the progress I have made as far as lowering my weight and blood pressure (when available).  If you like this post, please leave a comment below and you can always follow me @naivevoice.

Image: Nutty Professor via Chud.com