My Health Choices
By Dr. Heather Karls
As my patients know, I love plans. I often ask, “How do we get you to the activity you want to be doing one week, one month, one year or even 10 years from now?” Health is not simplistic and I think planning can help with health maintenance.
In my family, we have a strong history of cardiac issues, cancer and Alzheimers as well. This does not have to be my destiny, but I would be unwise to ignore this. I look at what I can do to limit my chances of these diseases. To continue to live the life I feel I am meant to lead requires an investment in both my current and future health. So, what can I do, based on what we know in 2018, to help me lead my best life?
Chiropractic Care! I think everyone needs chiropractic care for good health.
Exercise: I practice sports chiropractic, so this is high on my list. I love to be active and believe our bodies were made to move! I like to hike, kayak, paddleboard, waterski, do balance exercises, bike, dance, swim, snorkel, sled, and rock climb. I also like to ice skate, rollerblade and play various sports with my 3 boys. Do you see where I am going with this? Find something you like and do it regularly. There is an app I like to use called Zombies, Run! which actually makes running exciting for those that need a little more motivation. Do at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day; this helps prevent a variety of diseases and it is fun!
Nutrition: Yes, I take supplements and I do personally take the brands we sell because of the quality assurance. I take Chondro-relief for my joints. Fish oils are important for heart and brain health, and they also have anti-inflammatory properties, I take Omega Pure Citrus. I also take Co-enzyme Q-10 for my heart. I take Florastor and I also like to eat my probiotics in skyr, yogurt and kefir, which are good for digestive health as well as mental health! I am osteopenic so I take Cal apatitie Bone Builder for a calcium supplement which builds bone QUALITY. I try to eat mostly fruits and vegetables and take Fem essentials multi vitamin. I eat less red meat than I’d like and more chocolate than I should, but there is something to be said about balance when it comes to nutrition.
Mental Health: I take the time to do the things I love to do and I appreciate the world around me, especially sunsets! I love reading anything, and love to learn new things. Playing old style pinball machines, video and board games are also fun for me. I don’t smoke. I put this under mental health and here is why: living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t guarantee we will avoid problems. However, it does lower our risk factors for many types of illnesses and if something does happen, you will know you did what you could and not regret your choices. Praying and saying thank you for the gifts of this world helps keep me stay grounded.
I will end with the story of “Banana” George Blair. He started waterskiing when he was over 40 years old, after recovering from a back disc fusion operation. He learned to barefoot waterski at 46 years old. He continued to barefoot waterski in his bright banana yellow wetsuit and snowboard until the age of 92. He died peacefully at home at age 98. At the start of this article, we discussed future plans. Waterskiing at age 92? Why not?
