In thumbing through the Clarion Ledger health articles I've written at the year's end, there's a couple of ideas that red flag themselves. I guess you might call them my big take home lessons.
Through researching topics such as our high infant mortality rate, preterm birth rates, soaring rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and the recursive topic of chlamydia, the lack of preventive care is a recurrent theme. Over and over the lack of prevention measures and life style choices bite us in uneducated places. Health reform is ground zero in Mississippi. We simply must have improved care access with heaping doses of prevention and health education.
As a youngster I watched black and white episodes of the Jack LaLanne fitness show with background organ music and his big dog onlooking his exercise moves. A couple of weeks ago LaLanne, "the godfather of fitness," appeared on one of those afternoon talk shows discussing his longevity. At 95 years of age, he is a walking picture of healthy lifestyle choices. LaLanne said it quite simply, "Dying is easy. If you want to live a long time, you've got to work for it."
He is right. Health takes work and sacrifice. It's easy to die. Do nothing - - no exercise, no dietary plan over the course of a lifetime, no stress management, no doctor well visits, no preventive care and disease will take its course. This is a thread of commonality running through the people I've interviewed and talked with for background information. Health and a long life require work.
I have health goals for 2010 including major dietary modifications and another long distance cycling goal. From this point forward in my life, dying will be easy. Living is my target.
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