If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself. - Mickey Mantle
That sums up today’s message, Podcasters. Taking care of your health is something you do for the long-term benefit rather than immediate gratification. There are a few things that you need to sustain a good life as a living organism. You need a good diet, exercise, and an adequate amount of rest. Most importantly, you need to take care of problems as they arise. If you neglect your body’s systems, they will turn into some really awful problems down the road.
Your Body is a System
Speaking road, the automobile is a great example of systems that work together. Each car has a braking system, steering system, fuel system, electrical system, and so on. This is a simplistic model for your body’s systems, but today’s concept is simple. For example, if you have a wobbly tire and neglect to take care of it, that wobbly tire can affect your steering and braking systems over time. It’s no big deal if you get that wobbly tire balanced right away. On the other hand, that wobbly tire can cause damage to your steering, braking, and suspension. A simple $5 balancing up front could save you hundreds of dollars and a lot of down-time.
Your body, as mentioned earlier, is a mashup of systems. There is often little direct connection between one problem and another. For example, gum disease can lead to heart problems. People don’t often die from diabetes if they take care of themselves; what kills them is the complications that result from poorly managing their condition. Drunk driving aside, hard drinking doesn’t kill you, it’s the cirrhosis and nutrient deficiency. Lack of exercise affects your skeletal system through bone loss, your muscular system through atrophy, and generally leads to an overall tendency to gain weight. Most people don’t eat less when they exercise less. We eat the same amount even after cutting back activity. A constant starve/feed cycle also affects your body by causing it to slow down your metabolism to deal with the starving phase more effectively.
Your Good Care and Maintenance Show
I’m sure you know people who are very careful with their vehicles, and others who are not. Those who take care of their vehicles often have great trade-in value, whilst the others are lucky to have it running. You can tell when a vehicle gets frequent oil changes and other regular maintenance. It really shows in the performance. It holds true for people as well.
If you take care of little health problems before they become big and treat your body well, it shows as you age. Frequent exercise maintains good muscle tone and slows down bone loss. Constant brushing maintains your teeth in good health. Keeping a low cholesterol level can help prevent heart disease. Prevention is the key to long-term health. Once you are afflicted with something serious, there is little that can be done to reverse it.
You Won’t Live Longer
You don’t care for yourself with the goal of living longer. I think those smoking warnings that each cigarette takes so many minutes out of your life are dumb. We have no control over how long we live. Even if we take perfect care of ourselves, we could die young. The point in all of this is that if you get to live to a ripe old age, you’ll enjoy it better if you you can breathe without an oxygen mask. You’ll enjoy your longer life better if you didn’t get your leg amputated from diabetes complications. You’ll enjoy life better if you don’t have to worry about your heart giving out. Also, think of all you’ll save on medications to treat all the preventable conditions. Don’t take care of yourself so that you live longer, take care of yourself just in case you do live longer.
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