Reactive vs. Proactive Health: How To Invest In Your Health
Are you really investing in yourself when it comes to your health? Let’s stop and think about this. 99.99% of us (I may be exaggerating this a bit) are quite reactive when it comes to our health. Often, something has to get our attention whether you notice you’re having some difficulty getting to church because of your hip pain, you notice you can’t get yourself to the golf course to hang out with the guys, or you have a stroke that may have incapacitated you to the point that you are not able to go to work. What I just described can all be life altering, limiting your ability to maintain a social life, maintain your independence, or maintain your financial stability. There has to be a mindset shift in how we invest in our health and to be more proactive.
Here is where my job as a licensed Physical Therapist plays a major role. Yes, I do maintain a steady job with the reactive healthcare set up. Sometimes illness falls upon us despite how careful we are with our self care.. There is this thing called proactive health. As a physical therapist, it is my job as a corrective exercise movement expert to work with people with movement disorders and improve your quality of life. It is also my duty to educate you on any preventative measures that you need to take heed to maintain your health. You could actually lower your healthcare cost by being more proactive!
Now you should be asking yourself, what should I be doing to be more proactive and invest in my own health?
Watch what you eat! Eat less processed foods. Eating processed drinks such as sugary carbonated soft drinks, sugary coffee drinks, energy drinks or foods such as sweet or savory packaged snacks such as chips and cookies consistently cause lots of inflammation in the body that can lead to joint pain.
Drink water! Drinking water and plenty of it actually helps you flush out any toxins that are in your body that could lead to disease.
Exercise Regularly! Keep it simple and go for a power walk in your neighborhood. Or go to that Zumba class at your local gym.
Sleep! Get 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night. Your body needs rest so that you can carry out your purpose!
Let’s tackle our stress!. Find something that is enjoyable to you that alleviates stress such as meditation, yoga, and taking a walk.
Maintain a balanced physical body by seeking a personal trainer or a physical therapist who can keep you active!
Wellness Screenings: Don’t forget to get your annual screenings from your primary care doctor and your local Physical Therapist.
Last but not least, do your homework! Healthcare has certainly changed (not in a good way) during this pandemic as most practitioners are overworked, burnt out, and under pressure to see 20 to 30 patients a day; limiting your time to a measly 15 minutes to talk about your concerns. On a good note, there are great practitioners out there. Find a practitioner who you can trust your care with. A practitioner who takes the time to listen to your concerns and who sees you as 1 whole person taking into account your personal goals in maintaining your health. Shift your mindset from reactive to proactive when it comes to your health so that you can see your children become adults, play with your grandchildren, and/or take that international trip you’ve been saving up for!
Dr. Katrina Banks, PT DPT, CCI, CSRS, LSVT-BIG, NCS
Board Certified Neurologic Specialist
