Today is my Dad's 72nd birthday, and this was his famous line throughout my childhood! I've lived by it every day of my 44 years.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

For example:

I brush twice a day to prevent cavities.

I always close the front door. (After all, we're not heating the neighborhood! lol)

And especially the big stuff like...

don't do drugs or you'll get addicted.

It never occurred to me just how important prevention is when it came to my general health. I mean, of course, it does, I'm a life coach! But it really hit home this weekend when my ER doctor told me how important it is to eat right and exercise often.

Why was I even in the ER? Because I slipped. Not physically on the floor though. What I mean is I forgot the golden rule of prevention! I overdid it lifting odd-shaped objects (helping a friend move) and found myself with back pain... which I ignored and went on with my life. (oops)

Fast forward 3 days later to a coughing fit because my son so generously shared his flu with me! I literally coughed so hard... I threw my back out! 😰

Now rewind back to my ER doctor's point. Apparently, 35% of adults walk around every day with bulging discs of some sort, and my CT scan plunked me right into that group. Some anti-inflammatories should have me back on my feet in a few days; but, what he said after that was the real pinnacle of the conversation for me...

He reminded me that keeping a healthy diet and fitness as part of my daily routine allows me to move past something like this quickly, and it won't really amount to anything in the long run. Essentially, this minor setback won't affect my quality of life or its longevity.

On the flip side, if I were obese, or had other underlying health conditions, back pain could lead to so many worse issues.

For instance, what if I ate junk food all the time and had an iron deficiency? Weakness and fatigue are symptoms of anemia, which could easily be confused with back pain or simply not wanting to move. The more health-related maladies, the harder any new malady is to diagnose!

The moral of the story: Follow the advice of my dad, my ER doc, and me, your life coach! Take good care of your overall health on a regular basis. and avoid the clutter of overlapping symptoms so you can pinpoint any flare-ups and treat them accordingly.

Have a great week everybody!

In Health,

Coach Amanda B.