What is your end game? 

 

Where do you want to be in 2 year, 5 years or maybe 10 years?

 

Do you have your future planned? Are you retired? Working? Skiing? Maybe...you see yourself playing with grandkids. 

 

Are you healthy?

 

Most people would say yes, of course. The tough reality is that most people over 65 y.o. aren't very healthy. I have a lot of experience with older patients and finding someone vibrant, energetic, and not taking medications is rare. They exist and they have some commonalities. 

 

What if you could predict your health in 2 years? 

 

This test may do it. Holmes-Rahe Life stress inventory. 

https://www.stress.org/holmes-rahe-stress-inventory/

Stress is a big part of everyone’s life. It seems to have the ability to over rule most good healthy life habits. Take this test and see how you fair.

 

What Does Your Score Mean?

 

150 points or less = a relatively low amount of life change and a low susceptibility to stress-induced health breakdown

 

150 to 300 points = 50% chance of health breakdown in the next 2 years

 

300 points or more = 80% chance of health breakdown in the next 2 years, according to the Holmes-Rahe statistical prediction model

 

If you are constantly frustrated or stressed you are being reactive to life. Being "reactive" means that you wait for life to push you around and then you respond. That could mean waiting until your boss tells you to do something, or it could mean you wait until your out of underwear to do laundry. I used to wait until the last minute to study for an exam. 

 

I see this every day in the office. People wait until they have pain, before coming in.  

 

Being "reactive" is a much more stressful way to live. Unfortunately, human beings seem to be hard wired to be reactive. How often have you goofed off all day, then 10 minutes before a project is due, you sit down to do it. 

 

This is a paraphrase of what I heard a pastor say about relationships and being a better person.

 

-Self control is the opposite of being impulsive. It is to be disciplined and invest your time and energy wisely. The best way to do that is to invest small amounts of time over a long period of time. If you lack self-control you are always reacting to life around you. In a twist of irony, you will also try to control other people if you lack self-control.

 

 

So, let's go proactive for a minute. At work you could be doing the projects ahead of schedule. You'll look like a super hero and drastically up your job security. You could plan your meals on a schedule.  

 

If you know your lifestyle produces poor posture or you have old injuries, getting adjusted before the pain hits, is a better plan.

 

Same goes for eating nutritious food before you need a bigger pants size, or exercising regularly so you don't have a heart attack climbing stairs. 

 

This is one of the main reasons so many people have health problems, they are reactive and wait, and wait some more until the body breaksdown.  

 

You might be thinking " that sounds so boring". Maybe, until you think about how much more peace it brings to your life. Our lives run more effectively and smoothly with order. 

 

Think about this. Would you want to drive to work with no traffic lights? I can't even image the chaos that would bring here in Salt Lake.

 

If you want more peace in your life,

 

#1 Get up earlier. Even 15 minutes will help. This will give you a little more time to plan.

 

#2 Plan your top 3 things to do each day. Really successful, high level achievers have very short to-do lists. 

 

#3 Be on time. Everything in your day will be smoother if you are on time. If you are perpetually late, plan to leave 5 minutes or even 10 minutes earlier.

 

#4 Plan on being healthy. This is of utmost importance and and the same time one of the most difficult things. Being unhealthy is fast, cheap, and easy.

 

If you go through life doing what you want, when you want, with no regard to the future, it may turn out very different than you'd do hope.

 

Your priorities will determine your future. 

 

If you want a retirement, you'll save money. If you want to know your kids, you'll spend time with them. If you want a great marriage, you'll spend time with your spouse. Pretty obvious, I know, but do you do it.

 

When it comes to health the same rules apply. They are just often forgotten in our rush, rush society.

 

This is very difficult, especially in health care because there is no immediate consequence or reward. If you are grabbing a burger at a fast food place, you'll feel the same tomorrow as right now.  I take supplements every day, but I don't feel different from day to day.

 

It takes vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc to run your body. Just like it takes gas to run your car. You need raw materials to grow, repair and keep moving. So how does that affect you over time?

 

If you don't put enough in, nutrient deficiencies happen over time. You have reserves in which to draw upon, so you can eat junk food for awhile, but it does catch up with you, generally not until you're over 30. I see this more and more with each mineral analysis I do with patients. 

 

The most common cause is lack of nutrient density. The food we eat simply doesn't have enough nutrition in it. If it's processed at all, it most certainly won't.

 

So what can you do? 

 

This is a 5 step basic formula that I use.

 

#1 Get your spine checked by a chiropractor every month or so. Once every 5 years isn't often enough. Physiological joint destruction starts happening in 1-2 years after an injury, if left untreated. Pain isn't always present, especially if it happened when you were young.

 

Once degeneration gets a raging head start on your body, you won't be able to undo it. You can only manage it. 

 

#2 Eat more organic, whole foods (lot's of nutrients). No more junk food (no nutrients.) It's called junk food for a reason. The simplest way I’ve found for someone who wants to learn, is the Purification Program.

 

#3 Do a hair analysis to look for toxic metals and mineral deficiencies. I do 2 a year. I can 99% guarantee you have some deficiencies. It is the simplest, cheapest and easiest way to get your energy systems back online and working again.

 

#4 Do a parasite cleanse. Yes, I know it has a certain ick factor. It is important for a lot of people to do at least once. I may have picked up a parasite in the Dominican. I also got food poisoning about 3 months ago and my guts were not right until I did the parasite cleanse and the purification program.

 

#5 Work towards simplifying your life. "With a clear a purpose installed as the heart of simplicity, you live a life that is unified and focused; everything flows out of this center, and you move steadily and directly towards your goals.” (The spirituality of simplicity) Stress really is a killer.

 

To be healthy, wealthy, wise, or self-controlled, it takes a conscious choice to pursue those things. They don't come automatically. It's human nature to rebel against those. It's much easier to wait until things breakdown before we notice them. 

 

Try and do small things everyday. Your future will thank you. 

 

 

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P.S. My formula= Better body function (get adjusted) + better nutrition + yearly (and daily) detox + periodic parasite killing + simplying life + Bonus points if you can be active every day.

 

This simple formula will take you a very long ways in your health journey.