If you can count to 4, you can improve your health!

By Dr. Toby Silverton & Dr. Bev McLagan

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Do you make your health a primary priority? If you don't think what you do 'now' has an impact on your quality of life 'later', you are wrong. Right now, today, you could implement less than a handful of simple changes that potentially could make a huge impact on the rest of your life. Small, everyday choices that optimize your chances of staying strong, healthy and fulfilled, now and in the future.

Based on our experience, we advocate living in a way that promotes Proactive Wellness each and every day instead of waiting until you find yourself overwhelmed or in a time of crisis and then discovering, that you do not have enough "health points" racked up to keep you going. When it comes to your health you want to be living in the PLUS column before the storm hits!

Now, speaking of "health points" we were really interested in reading some research about lifestyle and stroke risk (www.news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7900224.stm) One of our primary premises in working with clients to develop more balance-friendly lifestyles is Proactive Wellness. It is one of the Non-Negotiables in our upcoming new book LIVING BALANCE: THE ONCE-AND-FOR-ALL BALANCE SOLUTION. Proactive Wellness is about optimal living. It is about your commitment to your health, strength and resillience. If you want to practice Proactive Wellness then you must believe in having an ongoing, good relationship with your body, by taking care of it, listening to it, and respecting it.

Proactive Wellness requires making decisions for your life with your overall, continuing health in mind. That means getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising regularly, practicing relaxation, and releasing tension as it builds over the day. Many stress related diseases are preventable and most life stress is manageable.

Here are some research findings that really made us sit up and take notice, we are hoping they will do the same for you. In a nutshell:

The study is fairly simple. It followed 20,000 participants between the ages of 40-79 years old, for 11 years. (That's a big study)! Participants were given one point for each of the 4 variables: 1 point for not smoking; 1 point for drinking moderately (between 1-14 units of alcohol/week); 1 point for consuming 5 portions of fruits & veg. a day; 1 point for being physically active.

Research numbers can be hard to decipher, but put simply, your lifestyle can double your risk of stroke. Said another way, over the study period of time, 6 out of every 100 who practiced no healthy behaviours (zero points) suffered a stroke, as compared to 1-2 out of every 100 who had 4 positive health behaviours (4 points).

When you dig into the numbers, what becomes apparent is the impact of the combination of risk factors in apparently health people. With every point decrease in score, there was an increase in the likelihood of having a stroke.

We worry about heart disease and change our behaviour, we worry about cancers and change our behaviours, but we don't always factor in our stroke risk. A stroke is a "brain attack" and it is the 3rd biggest killer. If it doesn't kill you it can leave you severely disabled. You can make significant decreases in your chance of having a "brain attack" with just a few simple changes. Yes, small changes can reduce that potentially fatal, definitely life changing risk.

Just start with one change and remember, with each additional change you get a point, with each additional point you lower your risk factor. We'll say it again, four simple health points, each additional point you earn means you live a longer, healthier life.

So we urge you to think about and plan how to live your life, in terms of your health...NOW. We want you to consider, develop, and integrate new ideas, skills, habits, and energy patterns into your daily living. Proactive Wellness, so simple, but potentially revolutionary. It maintains the quality of your life in calm times and during stressful or crisis times. After all, you want to be able to count on your body being there for you when you need it the most!

We know the arguments: you haven't got the time, you will think about it later, it is just too hard, there are too many other things to think about right now, or you have to put the kids first. Well, that is all fine, but if not now...WHEN? "Later" can be here before you know it, and it will certainly arrive before you expect it. Wouldn't you rather be ready?

BUILDING BALANCED SOLUTIONS: There is no "magic" to Proactive Wellness, it simply goes like this, no excuses...

**no matter what...you still eat
**no matter what...you still sleep
**no matter what...you get some activity
**no matter what...you take breaks
**no matter what...you can still breathe
**no matter what...you can relax

When it comes to lowering your stroke risk, it's just as simple:

** don't smoke
** drink in moderation (1-14 units of alcohol per week, one unit being one glass of wine, one ounce of spirits or half a pint of beer)
** get enough exercise/activity
** eat 3-5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day

It is so simple it is a no brainer. Just one change and you get one point...you only have to add up to 4! We can all do it.