Make Sure to Plan For Your Personal Health

What exactly is a free personal  health plan then? It is not  the same as a medical insurance plan and it does not cover any medically related expenses. Instead, the goal of a personal health plan is to minimize those expenses through healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle.  A   personal health plan is  designed by you, not some administrator, and paid for with daily choices and actions geared towards health.

You define the terms of  your personal health plan. The minute to minute choices  each of us  make  about what and how much we eat, drink, and exercise influence both the quality and length of your life. You can make these decisions on the fly or follow your written plan. You owe it to yourself to write it down.

It can be one  page  long or  a vision board which depicts your idea of a healty lifestyle. Businesses have business plans before they even open their doors. An elevator pitch is great but without  a business plan that great idea  usually  remains an unfunded concept. If we can write and sign other important agreements/contracts that affect our lives, why not a personal health plan?

At a minimum, a  personal health plan should include balanced  meals, daily exercise and stress management. The what, when, where and how's you  provide determine the details. Your health plan is determined by you for you to help you  live your healthiest life. Discuss it with your physician first who along with a nutritionist, personal trainer, counselor or coach can be also part of the  advisory board for your health plan .  

Nutrition.What will you eat, when and how much ? The recent Choose My Plate initiative gives us guidelines on healthy eating. Colorful fruits and vegetables should cover half of your plate with a healthy meal and now is the perfect time to enjoy local seasonal produce.  farmers throughout Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania are picking, packing and selling seasonal fruits and vegetables at local farmers markets and CSA's. Freshly picked vegetables and fruits are screaming " bite me."

Don't be rude. Heed their call.

My daughter recently told me that she eats breakfast like a queen. The statement comes from this German proverb; "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper." 

Breakfast  provides the fuel for your body  for the day. Too busy for breakfast or does your  breakfast come from  a can? Really? Fresh fruit and whole grains make for a quick and easy breakfast; a bowl of oatmeal  or quinoa filled with fresh blueberries or strawberries is a good start. It doesn't get any easier than that. Eating  a heavy meal right before bedtime ? There's a word for that-GAS -and not the $4.oo per gallon kind. Instead if you eat meals  right before bedtime, walk around for awhile to burn some calories and help your GI tract move things along. 

And don't  forget about what you drink . If  your current health plan includes a can of soda or brightly colored sugary liquid with every meal rewrite that plan to include a  glass of water with each meal  and  before and after exercise.

Exercise.What kind of exercise, where and how long will you exercise? Include the details in your plan. The Let's Move  video is a cute marketing tool which drives home the point that Americans need to move...more. Thirty minutes every day at a minimum; write it down. Gardening, biking, hand dancing, climbing  stairs, and walking the baby in the stroller-all of these count.  A personal trainer can help  jumpstart your exercise plan and keep you on track if you write down their recommendations. "Let's Leave'" the high intensity dancing in high heels to the professionals before you end up in your nearest emergency room or even worse on YouTube.

Stress Management. Got moody teenagers in your house? Is that an oxymoron? Do you have boomerang children ? Do your  neighbors with the muffin-tops like to sunbathe? Do you work 9-5 , cook, clean  and help with homework ? You get the point. A stress management plan  helps you deal with  everyday and unexpected stressors. Cleansing breaths, yoga, meditation, therapy, household help and even hitting  a punching bag  can be a part of the stress management portion of your health plan.

And don't forget  about  the importance of  sleep. The lack of sleep due to toddlers,  sleep disturbances, obstructive apnea and fibromyalgia can affect weight gain, heart disease, erectile dysfunction and marriages.

Your  personal health plan is a  commitment to yourself. It is a fluid document  which changes  as your health  changes.  It is by you and for you because you deserve to live the healthiest life possible.  

Write it down.  Read it daily. Do it. It's free.