An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say it – perhaps your grandmother, and perhaps often. Like other things you’ve been told over and over – you’re just borrowing trouble, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, you need to eat something that will stick to your ribs – you may just roll your eyes and immediately dismiss the idea.
The traditional statement would typically be accompanied by an admonition of some sort – lose weight, get a flu shot, exercise more, eat healthy, get plenty of rest, don’t drink too much, blah, blah, blah. We try, we struggle, we feel guilty, sometimes we succeed and then life throws us a curve ball that makes us wonder why we bothered.
We feel betrayed because things didn’t turn out like we thought they would. We convince ourselves that what we do doesn’t really matter and we go back to doing whatever is easiest at this very moment. We no longer feel bad about it. In fact, we may convince ourselves that we have reduced our stress level and therefore are now doing the best thing possible.
Presto chango, that’s how easy it is to create a scenario that keeps us happily entrenched in horrible habits.
When it comes to our health, horrible habits can lead us down a miserable path. It is in this area that a little planning can make a significant difference in the quality of choices we have down the road.
This thought is fresh on my mind. I’ve spent many recent hours driving to and from hospital visits with an older relative. I’ve watched the cascade of diagnoses solidify to renal artery stenosis and the treatment options dwindle from medical to angioplasty to surgery to dialysis…maybe. During this three-month journey, I’ve observed many previous decisions that are resulting in limited options for improvement at this point.
A 20 year diet of saltine crackers, Dr. Pepper, and cherry pie; inactivity; mega consumption of unregulated dietary supplements; off-book use of chelation therapy; refusal to consider surgery at a time it was viable – all of these choices have led us to today when the news from the doctors was, “We’re not going to do anything.”
I know it can take more planning to eat properly. I know it takes time to get out and walk or run or play tennis or eat properly. I know it’s hard to get enough rest or have enough down time. I also know that planning enough to make healthy habits possible can result in a longer, higher-quality life. I know your children want this for you. I hope you want it for yourself.
Still can’t get your mind around an ounce of prevention? What if we rephrase and say, “A little planning now puts you in a position to have both higher quantity and quality of choices later?” Does that sound easier to accept and absorb? What do you think?
