Preventive care

Preventive care can be started at any age. It is essentially the measures that we take before getting into trouble. There are a variety of things one can do. The following are for general guidance and applicable to most people. If you have any health issues or have concerns, please check with your doctor.

1.       Diet: whole food vegetarian items are better. Take more fruits and vegetables. Carbonated drinks, white sugar are the worst. The so called “health” drinks and breakfast cereals contain a considerable amount of added sugar. Check it out. Less amount of processing involved in food processing, the better. Reduce salt intake. Limit the hours you consume food and beverages. Keep it to 2 or 3 meals a day with no munching in between.

2.       Do regular exercise. Doing in open air is always better. Any exercise is good. Do as per your personal circumstances and facilities available. Make it a habit. Even if you cannot do the whole 20 to 30 minutes as advised, do for 5 minutes. Once you get the hang of it, you can increase.

3.       Yoga is a good way to keep your body and mind fit. Irrespective of your religious faith, you can practice yoga. By practicing yoga, one will not become a Hindu. Yoga is beyond religions and is the technique to align the individual energy with cosmic energy. There are a variety of programs available online, choose any of them. Even if you cannot do the whole process, at least meditate for five minutes each in the morning and evening. Have faith in God (of any religion) and thank everyday for everything. Do not keep complaining and blaming others. Try to improve your own self.

4.       Make sure your weight is in the optimal range. If you are not a diabetic, fasting (not dieting) is an excellent way to lose weight. There is a large amount of information on the net about “Intermittent fasting”. Even if you are not overweight, you can still do fasting. It is shown to improve the health.

5.       Sleep on time and give adequate rest to the body. Do not get habituated to substances like gutka, cigarettes and alcohol.

6.       Take simple precautions like wearing a helmet, seatbelt, carrying a torch in dark areas and going slow in poor visibility. Most of the prevention is common sense!! Be aware of your circumstances and take precautions as the situation demands. Take preventive measures in workplace also; having a good chair and correct posture is a simple example, but the list is very long.

7.       You should not become paranoid about health and stop living! You must enjoy life but do things in moderation.

8.       Take health insurance for at least 5 lakhs from a good company that covers all diseases. Take a policy that has least exclusion clauses. One never knows when the ill health visits. Modern healthcare costs can cripple most people’s finances.