Your health, your treasure
By Jean Ricot Dormeus
As I lay over at the Miami International Airport in August 2020, I took the extent of the impact of the Covid-19 on our lifestyle. A buzzling hub in normal circumstances, the airport looked a shadow of itself, with many stores closed, few passengers waiting, and the number of flights on the schedule screen down to a minimum. Countless people who considered business and travel as a must had to remain confined in an effort to stave off infection risks. I took in the stark realization that when life and health is on the line, nothing else matters.
Nonetheless, most people struggle to embrace a healthy lifestyle in prevention of chronic diseases and premature death. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. That’s about 73% of all deaths and 60% of the global burden of diseases. At the top of habits causing chronic diseases feature unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco. What if we apply to the prevention of chronic diseases an adequate level of proactivity and urgency, the same type we apply to fight the coronavirus infection?
Jesus said, “What would a man give in exchange for his life?” and Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “The first wealth is health”. Let’s learn a lesson from the pandemic and realize that our health does not take care of itself. Knowledge and adjustments to our lifestyle are key. When our body and mind works optimally, then wealth and well-being is just a matter of ambition, skills and time.
Every successful day takes a fair mix of the right diet, physical activity, social connection as well as cultural and spiritual upliftment. Sometimes, we need to bring the load of our professional activities or other concerns down to a Miami Airport in Covid-19 time traffic level in order to focus more on what matters the most, our health.
Jean Ricot Dormeus
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