Take Care!

I find that I frequently sign off an email or end a phone conversation with the phrase Take Care, which has become a sign-off for many people at the end of their communications.

What I am wishing for the person I am speaking with is safety, caution and active guarding against misfortune.

On the positive side, I also use these words to mean take care of your health, of your family, your finances, your job, and of your life. That means nourishing them, building them up, developing them and giving them your full attention.

At this time of the year in northern climates, I find taking care of our bodies is one of the biggest challenges. In the past few months many of my family and friends have suffered colds, flues, and other health concerns.

It is January, and at 60 years of age, I am restarting the annual battle of diet and exercise to bring my body back into fighting trim.

Having survived many difficulties in my career, in my travels, and particularly with my health, I am ever more keenly aware of how easy it is to neglect proper care of my body.

Most of us know almost everything we need to know about caring for our bodies:

• Get regular daily exercise, or at least 3 times per week
• Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains
• Avoid too much red meat, fats and processed foods
• Avoid smoking, and go very light with any drugs or alcohol
• Get plenty of sleep and take a few naps on weekends to restore your strength; take one day off per week to relax
• Keep your thoughts and emotions positive; avoid worry and negative emotions
• Don’t overwork or run your body down too far!

I could go on. Most of us know what we should do to take care of our bodies – we just don’t put it into practice consistently enough. That may work adequately in our youth, but poor habits in younger years turn all too quickly into significant health concerns by middle age. As I am now at retirement age, it is sad to see many friends who have virtually ruined their health through lifetime neglect.

Good physical health is as important for people doing desk work as it is for those doing physical labour, if not more so. Clear thinking is nearly impossible when our bodies run down.

So why do we take chances with our physical health? Why do we over-work, lose sleep, over-eat, and party too much? I can’t answer that question for you. I am still trying to understand myself better.

But don’t be surprised if you sometimes hear me say

Take Care!