Invest in the Health of your Future Self
In my job as a reflexologist, I see many people from different walks of life who come to me for a variety of reasons, but they all have one thing in common; they realise that they need to start taking better care of themselves.
It got me thinking about our expectations for health and wellbeing.
Do you assume that as you reach a certain age, your health will deteriorate?
That you will then spend the rest of your days in a care home?
Do you give much thought to the health of your future self at all?
If you look at the chart below, you can see the ever-increasing number of Centenarians in the world and that figure is set to rise to 3.5 million by 2050 according to the latest research by the United Nations [1].
A study carried out on 303,589 people aged 35 and over, found that 54% of people above the age of 65 already had two or more chronic illnesses in 2015. It was further predicted that by 2035, this figure would increase to 67%.
Lifestyle factors are being attributed to the rise in chronic illness. In general, we have more sedentary lives and eat a lot more processed food than our ancestors. Add a good helping of stress and we’re heading towards a life of doctor’s surgeries and pills.
Please don’t be disheartened by what you’ve read. The fact that you’ve got this far is great.
It means you have the opportunity to make some changes. You’re aware of what lies ahead of you and awareness is the key ingredient to change.
I have spoken at length about this to family, friends and clients over the years and have suggested people liken their health to an investment. The more you put in, the more you get out of it.
It comes down to the simple but powerful question we need to ask ourselves now, whatever age that may be. How can I ensure that I live a life of quality?
This is such an empowering question to ask yourself. The answers will be different for everyone.
Perhaps you need to take stock of your eating habits, perhaps you need to get more active or maybe you need a career change from that insanely stressful job.
Whatever comes up for you, start by making some simple changes.
What small investments can you make today?
It could be as easy as swapping the daily chocolate bar for a piece of fruit, starting your morning with a ten-minute meditation practice, taking the stairs instead of the lift at work or making time to connect with your nearest and dearest more.
The changes don’t have to be huge, but small consistent doses of goodness will help bump up that investment over time and before you know it, you’re living in a way that will greatly improve the health of your future self!
Amanda Dungate