Choice: prevention or reaction
Many in the US culture treat their bodies like their cars. They ignore all of the early warning signs and drive the car (our body) until the vehicle breaks down requiring a tow (ambulance ride) back to a repair shop (hospital). At that point, we spend lots of money to repair the problem in order to keep going, but never changing our driving (health) behaviors or taking the preventative measures to avoid future tow jobs. We feel it’s so much easier to be reactive and fix things after they happen than it is to be proactive and avoid the big problems by sticking to a preventative maintenance schedule.
We tend to look down at individual who stick closely to the prescribed maintenance schedule for a car, but when it comes time to buy a used car, it is these types of well-maintained cars that we search for knowing there will be less problems in the long run. From a health perspective, we have created a business world where unhealthy items are more prized and cheaper than things that are good for our bodies. A snack bag of potato chips or energy drinks are more prized than fresh fruit or vegetables. The problem arises when we don’t realize the damage we are doing internally until pain drives us to visit the doctor. Just like a car, we humans need to make the switch to adhering to a regular preventive schedule to keep our bodies fine-tuned and working at their optimum. Below is a two for one – car and human preventative maintenance schedule to help avoid those costly tow jobs.
Preventative Maintenance Schedule
Daily
Car: Check fuel / tire pressure / gages
Human: Healthy eating / daily movement / brushing teeth
Every 3 months
Car: Oil change
Human: Check blood pressure
Every 6 months
Car: Fluids / battery / belts
Human: Blood test – checks for changes in hormones and risk factors
Every year
Car: Complete engine tune-up
Human: Comprehensive wellness exam with doctor
With a little bit of care and attention to the body it can last a long time. The choice is yours – take an hour for some simple prevention or take a week laid up in a hospital bed on pain medications.