Dare to be Average…or Great!
Dec 06, 2021
What is average? Another word could be common or normal. Average is the best of the worst and worst of the best. In school it was a “C” average. In baseball statistics one of the key indicators is the batting average.
Normal or Average could also be just enough to get by, to keep your head above water or even keep yourself alive. In health we reference average all the time. Height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, temperature etc…. We even have an acronym: SAD – Standard American Diet which is actually sad. The average American is overweight, does not exercise, eats too much, is on 2.5 different prescriptions and has a life span of 76-78 years and this says nothing about the quality of life only that they are alive.
Does this sound appealing? Being average? How about daring to be great!
The enemy of great is good enough or average, not bad. Being great requires discipline and great discipline creates great habits. Great habits are harder to put in place but they are much easier to live with. Bad habits are easy to put in place but difficult to live with. Most average people have good and bad habits, a balance but those bad habits are energy drainers, good habits are energy enhancers. The drainers are more powerful than the enhancers. Who feels and functions the best? It is those with the most energy. The good habits manage and replenish, bad habits just drain.
Everyone has habits. What are yours? Are they building you up or tearing you down. We have the power of choice. Between stimulus and response is a gap and that is where our power lies. Good habits optimize that gap and make calculated good choices to manage and build up health. Bad habits react and make impulsive choices tearing us down. We have the power to choose.
The two most powerful choices we have will be in the areas of eating and exercise. How much and how often?
Did you know that 70 to 90% of visits to the emergency room at hospitals are related to deficiencies in diet and exercise? Therefore these problems are preventable. By eating right and exercising 70-90% of problem could be eliminated or minimized. What would this do for the health of our communities and country?
Our bad habits have created a society where 60% of the US population is overweight. One out of every three people will die of heart disease, cancer and the side effects of obesity like diabetes. The focus has been on better drugs and surgeries and they do have their place but the focus on prevention and education has been lost. The system is “sick” and not working as the US ranks last in many key health indicators compared to the rest of the world. One thing is we are number one as the most expensive health care system in the world and we consume more medications than everyone else.
We need a wake-up call!
When it comes to health you can make choices to improve your health, optimize your health and minimize the conditions that afflict most people. Will you choose to be average or great in your life? It’s the only life you get. How will it play out, average or great?
Let us help you make better choices and receive safe, effective and affordable care to build strength and health and get you to great instead of settling for average or worse.