Traditions are hard to break. They are born of cultures, entertainment, society, geography, and generational habits. In western countries, when it comes to health, the tradition is to wait until there are some symptoms, and then go to the doctor to be treated. A person then buys the medicine from the pharmacy and follows the instructions on the way to recovery.
Maybe this tradition goes back to the way some students dealt with finals in high school or college. For some, school was a time of fellowship and fun, and not too much worry about books, until the week before the final. Then, it was… push, push, push… to try to cram enough in to overcome a semester of bad study habits. It would have been easier to study daily. Then, being ready for the exam would have been a natural outgrowth of daily habits.
Likewise good health habits are better done on a daily basis, than waiting for a crisis that drives someone to the doctor or emergency room. People tend to know when they need to change their lifestyle. The pounds begin to pile up. Weight is not as easy to lose. Headaches may be a little more frequent. Constipation may become a more serious issue. Sleep habits are interrupted. The stomach and digestive tract is uncomfortable after eating. Energy levels may be lower, with sugar highs and lows. Rarely does sickness come without some kind of warning symptoms first.
For that reason, when a person begins to notice that health is slipping, it is a good time to begin to be proactive about health. It is time to begin to study what constitutes good health and a good diet. It is time to implement good health practices.
While some may feel that that is too much bother, the fact is, health is one of the most important assets anyone can have. Some would say money is very important, and that is true. However, without health, a person cannot keep a job to earn money. Or, a person is limited in what type of job he or she can hold. Furthermore, in cases of ongoing sickness, even if a person still has some kind of earning capacity, or someone in the house has some earning capacity, sickness will eat up money in the way of medical expenses and the need to hire extra help of one kind or another during the duration of the sickness. Therefore, being proactive about health is very important to one’s life, and the life of those of nearest kin. The best time to think about being proactive about health is now.
