Five simple tips to keep your “human engine” humming along everyday!
I’ve often wondered why we seem to care more about the quality of the fuel we use to get the best performance from our cars, and less about the quality of nutritional “fuel” we eat to get the best performance from our bodies, our “human engine”!
Most of us wouldn’t dream of pumping gas into our valuable cars with anything less than the manufacturer recommended fuel octane level. Some pump a higher level to obtain even better engine performance. Car handbooks warn us that we risk inflicting serious damage to the engine if we select the wrong type of fuel. My vehicle handbook warns me that I risk losing the warranty coverage if I fail to properly maintain my vehicle according to the specified maintenance requirements.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a human handbook that came with all the specific general maintenance tasks we need to do to ensure our own “engines” are in good running order and free from malfunctions? Plus tips on how we can achieve even better than expected performance results!
I recently received a note from my car dealership reminding me it was time for my car to receive its 30,000-mile service. It’s a high performance vehicle and needs to be well maintained. If not, I risk expensive repairs. If I neglect to take care of the car there could even be financial penalties for failing to respect the terms of the lease agreement.
I wonder why I don’t receive this same type of reminder from my healthcare provider. A friendly, customer service letter to let me know I was due for my own “service check” and to make sure I am being “well maintained.” After all, the penalties for ignoring my own health are a lot more significant than just financial. We only have to tune in to the latest debate on health care reform to understand the larger problems, but closer to home … it’s my life and I want to live it “penalty-free” for as long as possible.
On my survival journey with brain cancer, I’m often asked, how important is your nutrition? My response: “Oh, it’s about as important as my desire to live a long life!”
The health of my body IS a lot more important than the performance of my car, yet recently I did take my car in for its routine service without hesitation and cancelled my time at the gym because I didn’t have enough time to accomplish both tasks. I depend on my car and it was important to get this done. To make things worse, while waiting for my car, I became hungry so I ate snack food from the waiting room vending machine! A short time later I had a raging headache and an upset stomach as I drove my perfectly healthy car home!
I know this type of situation happens to many people at some point. We get so busy in our lives that we get off track and forget what our priorities are. Yes, I depend on my car, but I depend a lot more on my health! My health and wellness is a priority and much more important to me than my car, but I didn’t act that way. My “maintenance” checks with my doctors and my time at the gym are essential. Good nutrition and vitamins provide the fuel to help me get up and go everyday. Exercise keeps me energized and well maintained. From this small example I learned the importance of setting up a routine and remaining true to my own health priorities when I realize a busy life has taken over.
So quite literally here are five things I wrote down to conduct my own routine “service check “on my human engine.
1. Recognize the healthy value of natural/organic food: eat food I recognize (not processed, convenience, packaged food) carry around healthy snacks just in case good food isn’t available.
