Journeys Begin

In a recent interview with a prominent selfcare supporter and podcast host she asked me why I became such a passionate advocate for selfcare. There are certain moments in each person’s life that can lead to a transformational process. I vividly remember the impetus for my self care advocacy and the subsequent creation of the Selfcarehub.com.

Here is what transpired and the story I related to her. I was preparing a presentation that I was to give at 8am the next morning at a health conference. As I was getting ready to review my presentation, I overheard an advertisement on the television. The advertisement started with this statement, “there are 26 million Americans with diabetes, and 74 million are at risk, don’t worry, we can treat and manage your diabetes, so you can lead a normal productive life”. I almost fell out of my chair when I first heard this commercial. “Don’t worry”, that proportion represents nearly a third of our population and to me that is more than enough to worry about. This is brainwashing, inferring that type 2 diabetes (chronic disease) is a normal part of life. It is not!

Welcome to The Matrix

Many people believe that chronic disease or issues that impact our quality of life are normal. Let me unequivocally state, chronic disease is not a normal part of life. How many times have we heard someone say, “That’s just part of getting older”, as if the headaches, joint/back problems, weight gain, blood sugar problems, memory problems (and the list can go on and on) are just a “normal part” of life.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease control (CDC) estimate that as high as 80% of our world’s biggest killers can be prevented. I concur and am of the belief that just a few simple self care principles can lead to a vibrant heathy life and prevent many chronic issues.

The Red Pill

The Self Care Awakening series was designed to bring back common sense and some sanity to what I consider to be an insane notion that chronic disease is a normal part of life. It's not, but if we look at it statistically most of our population has chronic health issues.

For decades we have been taught that the key to a healthy life is primarily based on two modalities, diet and exercise. Of course, what we eat and our level of physical activity are important factors, however, we ignore or don’t pay enough attention to four basic principles.

We think being healthy is difficult when it's uncomplicated if we make the right choices. Our health, good or bad, is about our personal choices. Knowing this, I think it’s safe to say that we would all prefer to be healthy. Our tag line, Be Healthy by Choice, Not by Chance is a simple but empowering statement.

Within the Self Care Awakening, we look at four vital areas that lead to a healthier life. Here are a few links to previous posts and video recordings of recent Healthy by Choice Masterclasses.

Water Matt ers discusses the importance of hydration and what happens if we don’t drink enough water. Proper hydration is essential to a healthy life. Water comprises over two-thirds of our body weight and is one of the most essential elements to maintaining well-being. The fact is that most of us live our lives in a state of chronic dehydration. Water Matters discusses the importance of hydration and provides simple everyday solutions for you and your family’s hydration needs that are healthy, cost-effective, and eco-friendly.

Sleep Matt ers addresses the fact that many of us walk around every day sleep-deprived. Sleep is considered by many of us to be an unproductive endeavor when it is our most productive physiological activity. The average adult gets less than 7 hours of sleep each night. To quote Dr. William C. Dement, considered to be the father of sleep medicine, “Healthy sleep has been empirically proven to be the most single important determinant on predicting longevity, more important than diet, exercise, and heredity.” Sleep Matters discusses the health ramifications of poor or inadequate sleep and offers tips for a healthy, rejuvenating quality sleep.

Weight M atters concerns itself with one of our biggest health challenges. This video discusses why we have the problem and what we can do to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. To achieve a goal, it is important to become aware of all the factors that may affect your outcome. When trying to achieve a healthy weight keep in mind that more is involved than just what we eat and physical activity. Weight Matters discusses self-care principles and offers simple solutions that go far beyond diet and exercise that can help us achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Environmental toxicity an d our body burden “the pollution in people” and what we can do personally to limit our toxic exposures and reduce our body burden of toxic chemicals. There is no such thing as a pristine environment. Toxins are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat and represent a major health challenge. The term body burden was first coined in the early 2000s. Although we as individuals may not have a big say in the chemicals in our environment, we do have control over those which we may ingest, breathe, or absorb. Body Burden Matters gives insight into ways we can reduce the pollution in our bodies and what we can do to turn our personal environments into wellness environments.

These four concepts are easy to understand but are vital for our health. Self Care is a practical and simple way of Being Healthy by Choice and not leaving our Health to Chance. The reality is, if we leave our health to chance, chances are that we are not going to be healthy. The major impetus for the Self Care Awakening is to bring this and other aspects of good health to light.