We all desire to have good health and to properly maintain our health which is why being actively interested in your health is an important key to being healthy.
According to Wiktionary, Health–conscious (comparative more health–conscious, superlative most health–conscious) Describes an attitude in which one has an awareness of the healthiness of one’s diet and lifestyle.
Every living thing grows and dies. In between this period, there are challenges that affect how long it takes for the being to die. Good management of these challenges will prolong the time of death while the neglect of these challenges leads to an early death. Humans, therefore, need to take control of all these life challenges to live long.
Our body is made up of cells. Cells grow and die and are replaced by new ones. We start ageing at birth which continues till death because ageing starts at the cellular level and manifests in the physical structure. Some of us age faster than others and this is determined by various factors such as race, lifestyle, environment, genetics, etc. Being aware and conscious of your health promotes health wellness – a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
As we age, it is important to note that some of our organs age with us and are not functioning as when we were younger which is why we must understand how to help them function better and stop them from breaking down. We must know their functional status at each time which can be done through a regular medical checkup.
Regular checkup usually involves the regular check up of the following:
- Blood pressure
- Blood sugar
- Blood fat – cholesterol
- Body mass index (BMI)
- ECG
- Ear, nose, throat check-up
- Eye examination
- Dental care
- Breast examination/mammogram – for females
- Pap smear – for females
- Pelvic exam – for females
- Prostate examination – for men
- Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) – for men
In addition to regular checkups, we must feed the cells of our organs with healthy food and avoid poisoning them with harmful chemicals such as alcohol and tobacco etc. We must also give our body the much-needed rest it needs to build and recover. Exercise should not be forgotten and must be incorporated in our daily lifestyle.
