By Dale Avery
It is that time of year again for this old guy to get his annual physical. Like many of us do, as the date get closer I start paying more attention to my vital health statistics that the doctor will be focusing on. Things like my weight, I gained a few pounds over last year – ouch! – my blood pressure, pulse rate, sleeping and eating habits and so on.
I am committed to a complete physical once a year – so you would think I would keep up with my health in preparation for this appointment every year. I do try to pay more attention to and work on my stats as I get older, but there sure are times of the year that are harder than others. I have some medical issues in my family history, which makes my focus on health all that more important.
People often talk about slippery slopes or vicious cycles – the path to good or bad health seem to follow those routes. When we have external pressures from work and family or too much business in our lives it becomes too easy to put ourselves on the back burner. My experience is the times I have given in to the whirl and churn around me are the times I have let me health slip and the end result is not only declines in my vital health statistics, but also a decline in how I feel overall.
In the same respect, it doesn’t take much to add a little exercise, healthy eating, and improved sleep habits back in to your life. My wife and I recently joined a new gym. We picked one that didn’t break our budget and doesn’t have a lot of fancy classes or equipment to overwhelm us. We had gotten out of the habit of exercising and this was a great way to make a fresh start. We went in to it realistically knowing we weren’t going to be making it over there every day – but that every day we went was an improvement on not going at all.
Don’t ever let a decline in your healthy habits stop you from going to see the doctor for an annual physical. I am certain I will not be the first patient in history to have to tell his doctor that I let things slip a little this year. And I pray that the review of my vitals will still be positive. I will let my doctor know that while I had some bad habits this past year, I also made some strives to improve my health. He will probably have some great suggestions for me – some of which I will do and realistically some of which I won’t.
Those of you who maintain great exercise and eating habits I commend you. Many of you are an inspiration and encouragement to others when you share the outcomes and successes of your routines. For those of you that have some struggles, don’t give up! Even small changes can have a big impact.
For me, as my physical health improves, my mental health improves. When I “feel” better I am able to live out my spiritual path, get closer to my loved ones and friends, and contribute to the work to make this a better world to live in. So join me in keeping track of your important health vitals and make a few small changes to set you on the path to joy and peace.
Dale Avery, CPCU, is the assistant vice president – Enterprise Services at State Farm® Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington, Ill.
Avery began his career with State Farm in 1982 as a personal lines underwriter in Lincoln, Nebraska and assumed his current position in 2006. Avery, a native of Missouri, received his bachelor’s degree from Central Missouri State University. He earned his CPCU in 1991.
Dale resides in Bloomington with his wife, Laura and their two daughters; Megan and Jenna.
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