5 Questions to Ask Yourself on World Health Day!
It's 'World Health' day today, and what better excuse to have a sit down and review your current health status!? Not something I do often personally, although I should do it more regularly that's for sure! I've always been about 'mental health', and psychology, which is often a fantastic justification for scoffing down on some kind of 'trend' pastry, like a 'cronut' (yes...I personally sought out the fabled croissant crossed with a doughnut) in order to make my soul happy! But recently, and as I'm getting older, I'm realising the enormous impact your physical health has on your mental health. No amount of sausage rolls are ever going to boost my self esteem!
So here are 5 questions to ask yourself today to check up on the state of your physical health!
1. How's my sleep?- The quality of your sleep, and how much you are getting, is a good indicator of your current physical health. Getting regularly less than 6 hours sleep a night has a big impact on the functioning of your brain and your vital organs, however, regularly sleeping excessively also indicates health issues. Think about the quality of your sleep as well; do you wake frequently in the night, or find you jolt awake suddenly? If you need to get up to use the toilet more than once in a night this could indicate potential health risks as well, including urinary infections and diabetes, among others. It's normal to go through brief spells of poor sleep quality, but if you haven't had a good night's sleep in a while, perhaps it's time to talk to a Dr.
2. Do I have a Muffin Top? If you do one thing today, on World Health Day, grab a tape measure and measure the width of the widest part of your tummy. According to an article I found on NBC, a 'muffin top', or middle measurement of 35 inches or more, could be a warning sign of metabolic issues, as well as illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. You may not consider yourself overweight in general, but if you find your fat tends to hang around your middle (guilty!) then it's definitely time to cut the sugary refined starchy carbs, and start some exercise. This is my current mission!
3. Do I hurt anywhere? It sounds obvious, but spending some time scanning your body for aches and pains is a great way of giving yourself an at home 'diagnostic' test! Here's a good way of giving yourself a full body scan at home. Lay down on your back and relax. Start at your feet, tensing the muscles in your feet and 'screwing them up', holding for 5 seconds, and release. Move up to your calf muscles, tensing for 5 seconds, and relaxing. Move up your body in stages, tensing your thighs, buttocks, stomach, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, head and face (yes...screw up that face!), holding for 5 seconds and relaxing. If you notice pain anywhere that seems out of the ordinary, it might be time to go and tell a Dr.
4. What's my poo look like? Ah that old cringe worthy question! Yes...it's true, you can tell a lot from your poo! I don't know the 'ins and outs' here, I'm no poo expert, but I found this great link for you to look at! They even have a 'chart' for you to compare!
5. When was the last time I had a headache? I regularly hear people complaining of frequent headaches, and I myself have 'put up' with regular headaches for quite some time. The thing about headaches is, they should not become 'normal'! A pain in your head is nothing any of us should be 'learning' to live with! The list is extensive as to what this could mean, from fatigue, to stress, dehydration to high blood pressure to the dreaded 'c' word. Time to start taking note of how regularly you suffer with headaches, and if it's more than just 'occasionally', see your Dr!!
This is not intended to freak anyone out, but rather to get you thinking about the current state of your health! There could be a few simple changes you can make to your life that would make a huge difference to your health, but you have to be aware of the issues before you can do anything about them!
If you do one thing today, give your health a once over!
