For some, this may seem like a talk about finances because material things or bank accounts come to mind quickly when we think about assets. Those things, as long as they possess value, can easily be considered an asset. However, you may not want to look at your retirement account statement as that hasn't been so good lately.

A question that most often interests people is, "what is your greatest asset?" The definition of an asset can follow three different areas:

1.     A useful or valuable quality, person, or thing; an advantage or resource.

2.     A valuable item that is owned.

3.     A spy working in their own country and controlled by the enemy

For the sake of this article, we can exclude #3, but #1 and #2 fit into this article quite nicely. I like to think of my health as one of my greatest assets, the others are family and friends, but health will be the focus of this article. At some point, our health will deteriorate, and we will be gone from this earth. In a podcast I was listening to, the guest asked the host, "how do you want the last decade of your life to look?"

We will all have a last decade of our life, and if you asked an older person if they felt like they were in their last decade, you might be surprised by your answer. The question of how you want that decade to look is important because whether your last decade is in your 60s, 70s, 80s, or greater, you need to prepare appropriately over time to make that come true if that is your goal.

My personal goal is to stay as healthy as possible, so I can run and play with my grandchildren and actively do the things I enjoy. I have always told my family that I will live to 104. I wonder why that number always comes up, but that is a long way away, and my body is aging. How do I slow the aging process and maintain muscle mass, balance, and flexibility?

I have a group of colleagues I get together with at conferences and now via zoom regularly, and one of them recently turned 50. He asked, what should I do at this stage of my life to help the aging process? One of them chimed in, "start a stretching routine." That is excellent advice and one to consider, as you will find out below.

At the beginning of summer, our 7-year-old neighbor challenged me to a rousing game of tag, and early in the game, I tried to cut to avoid him and felt something pull in my ankle/calf area. The first thing I thought was that I had torn my Achilles tendon. Walking was extremely difficult, and explaining how and why it happened without laughing was tough. Fortunately, it was a calf strain, and I was up and at it in a little over a week. Note to self: only do something with limbering up first, as that would have prevented my week of suffering, or I could have listened to my buddy and started a stretching routine before the injury.

One of my favorite quotes regarding our health is by the Dalai Lama.  When asked what surprised him most about humanity, he answered, "man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money, then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.

What do you do to try to strengthen your health asset? There is a saying that "you can't eat an elephant in one bit." The same concept should be used when trying to turn your health around. Small changes can lead to big rewards.

This last week I had a great conversation with one of the patients at the pharmacy. I commented on how good he looked and that he appeared to have lost some weight. He went on to explain that he had stopped drinking pop and started eating better, leading him to drop 20 pounds and have tons of additional energy. In this instance, he did two things that led to significant results.

Another patient enrolled in our 7 Systems Plan spoke about her 20-pound weight loss and the trickle-down effect it has on people around her. Her family and friends had noticed her changes and how she looked differently, leading them to offer healthier options at gatherings that were not done before she made the changes.

This is an example of leading by example. Let's face it, people notice and often want the exact fix you might be experiencing. Rather than a trickle-down effect, we need this to be a tsunami wave coming to our community.

I've spoken previously on Covid-19 and the patients most susceptible to succumbing to the illness; people over 55, those having multiple disease states, and carrying too much weight on their frames. We can't change our age, and by losing weight, we can truly reverse some diseases and illnesses, ultimately setting ourselves up as disease-fighting machines. For some of you, this may seem like I'm preaching to the choir. For others, you might be thinking, "how do I get some of that?" What can I do right now to start righting the ship? The keys include changing your diet, regular exercise, and targeted supplementation to fill in the gaps in your diet or focus on specific issues you might want to address.

Diet is an area in which we can all strive to be better. We can think of our food as medicine or a toxin that can harm our health. If you embark on a modified elimination diet for a month and feel markedly better, that is a sign that your food is a problem.

I hope this article has you thinking differently about your greatest asset and how to grow and protect it—finding a way to make eating the right foods and exercising a fun and enjoyable part of your life. Enlist your spouse, family member, or friend to join you on this journey. The tsunami starts now!!

Please stop in or call the pharmacy for help with options for taking back your health. You can access this and other articles on our website at irsfeldpharmacy.com. Until next time, be vigilant about your health!!