My mother always used to say, the best gift you can ever get in your life is good health. She always used to vow she would rather be poor but have her health intact. I think being well is something we take for granted until we watch someone close to us suffer from an illness or we ourselves fall sick.
Growing up I watched relatives fall sick and lose their lives. You would think that was the wake-up call I needed to the importance of health, it was not. When I learned that I was born with the same condition that took my mother’s life, the dizzy in me disappeared.
GET SCREENED FOR STI’S
Sex is all fun and games until it is the reason you are lying in a hospital bed feeding on nothing but cooked banana’s. (My mother also liked using this to scare us) It is advised to go and get screened with your new partner regularly because ay, things happen out there. Know your status and take the necessary precautions if need be.
BREAST CANCER SCREENING
It is advised to go through a breast cancer screening every 1-3 years starting at age 20 and once every year when you hit 40. The earlier cancer is detected the better for you, so make sure it is a part of your yearly routine.
PAP SMEAR
Papsmear’s are advised to be done once every 3 years from the age of 21 to the age of 65. I used to ignore the need to get a pap smear, for a long time I did not know the purpose of this. Then I decided to read on it, a pap test checks for abnormal cells that could cause cervical cancer.
KNOW YOUR FAMILY HISTORY & SCHEDULE FOR CHECKUPS
There are some illnesses that are passed on from generation to generation for example diabetes and cancer. Listen to me, we all believe in a higher power but there is also a reason we have doctors in the world go and get checked. Early detection means you go under treatment earlier and guess what? You could live longer too!
KNOW YOUR VITALS
What are your vitals?
- Blood pressure
- Weight
- Height
- Pulse
- Respiration
- Temperature
You can do this from home or a nearby clinic. Stay in check.
With all this said, so many parts fall into your health too. Your lifestyle is key to this discussion. What are you eating? What are you drinking? How often are you taking drugs? Do you exercise at all?
Sometimes our health deteriorates faster because we choose not to take care of ourselves, ver saddening if you ask me. The first blog post on the self-care series spoke on healthy eating habits, you can read it here. Then we had a fitness expert teach us on exercise and its importance, check it out here. We can not avoid death but we can delay it.
“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of silver and gold.” – Mahatma Gandhi
CIAO!