Someone famous once said that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and I couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately, sickness often knocks on our door before health becomes a priority. If the desire is to be healthy, you must bathe yourself in it. Health starts one drop at a time, but eventually it soaks you. The first drop is the most difficult but many drops turn into a bucket that can then water a garden, wash your body of the previous bad habits and bathe you clean.
The first drop of wellness starts with making the decision to be healthy. We live in a society of have, do, be. Meaning we think once we have the lean mean body (by enduring the crazy diet or invasive procedure), then we will exercise, eat more organic, and therefore we will be healthy. Once we have conceived a baby, then we will automatically make better choices for them and therefore be healthier people. Instead, think of this in the opposite order. Be a healthy person by making the right choices so you can have a life of longevity and health. I’m sitting in the hospital waiting for my dad to come out of an exploratory “procedure” where the doctor will eventually tell us if he has cancer or not. We’ve been through this before, this particular waiting room is all to familiar, but I gotta tell ya, I don’t want to go through this again. Watching my mom squirm is heart wrenching and scary, and I’m looking at my little niece hoping she gets to know the amazing man my dad is and compares ALL her future boyfriends to him. I knew my dad would never quit smoking when we lost a close family friend before he reached 50, at the time that seemed old to me. He never made the choice to put down the cigarettes. Nor did he decide to pick a salad over a hamburger and now we are terrified every time the doctor’s office calls him. Make the choice, just one, today. Maybe don’t start with smoking, that’s a big one, even gluten and dairy are difficult, but pick one thing that will take you one step closer towards health instead of sickness and disease.
That first drop can turn into a bucket full. This looks like making consistent choices and a dedicated effort to your health and well-being. Getting regular chiropractic adjustments, yoga, cardio, and/or eating a well-balanced diet that includes all food groups can be included in this bucket. Our “Crunchy Moms” group that meets every Tuesday has a vast array of bucket filled mommas! Some make their own toothpaste and face cream, some are avid gym members, others had a home birth and feed their entire family with organic food, some get adjusted regularly, and others meditate. None of us do everything the same. As knowledge is shared and experiences seen from others, we can all grow and develop more ways to eventually shower wellness throughout our entire lives. Buckets are filled and eventually we are bathed in a lifestyle. A way of living that is far different from that of our neighbors. A lifestyle that sometimes gets questioned and even ridiculed, but most of our wellness members know better. They know that showering themselves with health looks differently than taking a pill. It looks like the hard work, the sweat, the saying no to wine or dare I say it, chocolate! It looks like one less pass through the coffee window and drinking water instead. It looks like living longer and happier for not only yourself but for those you love and most importantly for those that love you.
In health,
Dr. Inhulsen
