As I have gotten older and more banged up over the years it has become more apparent than ever the importance of taking care of myself. Unfortunately, as a busy father, husband, business owner, and student I tend to always put other priorities in front of my own. This can oftentimes lead to me getting injured or sick and when you are injured and sick you can’t really take care of anyone else. The key to long-term health, fitness, and fat loss is what I like to call self-maintenance.
Imagine for a minute that the car you have now is the only car you can drive for the rest of your life. I’d bet you would take great care of that car, wouldn’t you? You would get all the maintenance done on time, keep it clean, use the best gas, etc. Well, our bodies are like that one car. It’s our only vessel for this lifetime so if you want it to last and run optimally you need to keep up on the maintenance. To keep this simple I created a checklist below. It’s kind of like the maintenance schedule in the owner’s manual of your car.
Priority 1: Medical Maintenance
- Annual Physical and Blood Work. This should be done annually and always keep a record of your blood test results. Getting a regular check-up and blood work can help you discover if certain health markers are out of range and let you know of possible early illness or disease so that you can take the proper actions to fix the problem early. The basic blood test should be these, CBC with different DHEAS, free T3, free T4, TSH
Total and free testosterone. CMP, B12/folate, GGT, Insulin, Glycomarck, HgB 1AC, PSA free PSA, Vitamin D. You doctors will also do a urinalysis. - Colonoscopy. I know this is most people’s least favorite exam. The prep for the test alone sucks. Nonetheless it is important to get it done. The ACS recommends that people at average risk* of colorectal cancer start regular screening at age 45. This can be done either with a sensitive test that looks for signs of cancer in a person’s stool (a stool-based test), or with an exam that looks at the colon and rectum (a visual exam).For people without a family history of cancer it is recommended to get this exam beginning at age 50.
- Annual Mammogram and OBGYN Visit: All women should have an annual exam by their OBGYN. Women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual breast cancer screening with mammograms (x-rays of the breast) if they wish to do so. Women age 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year. Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every 2 years or can continue yearly screening.
- Prostate Cancer Screening. Yup time to bend over and take it like a man. Age 50 for men who are at average riskof prostate cancer and are expected to live at least 10 more years. Age 45 for men at high risk of developing prostate cancer. This includes African Americans and men who have a first-degree relative (father or brother) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65). Age 40 for men at even higher risk (those with more than one first-degree relative who had prostate cancer at an early age). It is also important for your urologist to exam your testes for lumps, varicoceles, etc. and testicular cancer signs.
- Biannual Dental Examination and Cleaning. Going every 6-months for a dental check up and teeth cleaning will not only make the person you have to kiss happy but can help prevent developing more painful and serious conditions such as cavities, and gum disease.
- Optometrist Exam: Having properly scheduled eye exams is important to keep your vision sharp. It is also important to discover any possible underlying conditions that may cause problems down the road. If you don’t have any symptoms or vision problems, doctors recommend getting regular eye exams based on your age:
- Ages 20 to 39: Every 5 years
- Ages 40 to 54: Every 2 to 4 years
- Ages 55 to 64: Every 1 to 3 years
- Ages 65 and up: Every 1 to 2 years
Priority 2: Self Care
- Body Work and Massage Therapy. Getting a massage or other form of soft tissue work done weekly, once a month, or as needed is a great way to prevent injuries, and address, and care for injuries before they get worse. It will also keep you feeling great.
- Chiropractic Care. Getting adjusted weekly or monthly is another great way to prevent you from getting injured. It can also keep chronic conditions that can flare up if left unchecked at bay.
- Energy Work, Acupuncture: Energy work is something most people haven’t tried but I can tell you from personal experience that it works. Not only does it work, but it also can work wonders. The key is finding a qualified practitioner. If your body’s energy is not flowing properly it can lead to a host of injuries and illnesses. Getting energy work done once a month or as needed can make a huge difference in keeping you mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy.
- Yoga and/or flexibility/mobility training. As people age, it is common to lose more and more flexibility and mobility. This can lead to injuries, poor movement, and aches and pains. Practicing yoga or other forms of flexibility and mobility are great ways to prevent injuries, decrease aches and pains and keep you moving young and nimble.
- Weight training: Resistance training 2-3 days per week is the best way to add or at least prevent muscle loss as we age. It is also the best way to stay strong. Having more muscle mass and strength is one of the best indicators for longer life. Resistance training is also a crucial component for maintaining independence and quality of life as we age.
- Anaerobic and Aerobic Training: Anaerobic fitness or interval training is a great way to improve and/or maintain fitness. Aerobic training or steady-state cardio is a great way to improve cardiovascular fitness. Incorporating both into your exercise routine will help keep your energy, physical stamina, and endurance high so that you can stay healthy and conditioned to be able to continue to participate in all types of physical activities.
- Stress Management: Stress is a leading cause of disease. Aside from that, too much stress is just miserable. The key is to take steps to manage stress. Among these are meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, praying, getting outside in nature, exercise, improving sleep, massage, etc. By creating a routine or experimenting with different stress management techniques you can create a plan that works for you.
- Improve Your Nutrition: This should be at the top of the list but I wanted to leave you with one of the most important aspects of self-maintenance, nutrition. The best way to help assure your health, fitness, recovery, and overall well-being is healthy nutrition. If you are putting crappy fuel, excess alcohol, or drugs into your body it cannot and will not run optimally. I will have a great new blog post soon on simplifying and saving time on nutrition coming soon. In the meantime, you can start by just choosing one of the following.
- Reduce your sugar intake
- Reduce your intake of unhealthy vegetable oils and use olive oil, coconut, and avocado oil
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Eat more protein
- Drink more water
If you are not doing any of the above already I recommend choosing just one and starting with that until you have it down pat. Then add another etc. This makes it much easier to get going and stay consistent.
There you have it. It may seem like a lot but don’t let it overwhelm you. The first key is to stay on top of the medical aspect by staying up to date with the appropriate doctors’ visits. The second key is to choose which of the self-care techniques above resonates with you. You may need to experiment with different techniques or different practitioners until you find the modalities and practitioners that work for you. Once you do, however, you will always have a toolbox available to keep you fine-tuned and running optimally. It’s also great to have to fix you up when you have a breakdown.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please comment below.
Wishing you the best in health, fitness, wellness, and happiness.
Kevin