Premier Wellness

Wellness is a catch word that has been used to describe anything from herbal remedies to marathon running. For us, a more accurate description would be the sense of well-being that comes from being healthy, active, and nutritionally wise. We like to call it premier health.

To achieve this goal of premier health in your life, you need four things:

--Expert professional guidance
--Proper attention to nutrition
--Regular exercise
--Emotional balance

Professional guidance is a given. You need to know the status of your health. What is the state of your cardiorespiratory system? Is your blood pressure normal? What is your cholesterol? Is your digestive system healthy? Only your doctor can tell you these things with any accuracy. If there are any abnormalites, s/he can then tell you what to do to make it better. If you follow his/her instructions, you will be on your way to completing the first step in achieving wellness.

Attention to your nutrition is the next step and can't be ignored. "You are what you eat" is about as true a statement as there is. If you eat a lot of fat, that's what you will be. Obesity is a huge cause of poor health in this country. Billions are spent on taking care of people with complications of this problem. The most important thing for you to know about it is that it is preventable and correctable. Your doctor and your nutritionist can show you the way to eat properly so that you can get on the track to wellness. Make an appointment with our nutritionist at your earliest opportunity to review what you're eating and see if there is anything you can do to improve your health from a nutritional standpoint.

Regular exercise is one of those things that many people just never seem to have time for. We're all too busy and when we're not busy, we're exhausted and don't feel like getting back on another kind of treadmill right away. Plus, for many, exercise is just not an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, our bodies need this to be healthy, and regular activity of some kind is an absolute requirement for premier health. Many studies have proven the effectiveness of exercise in reducing the risk of developing diabetes, heart attacks and strokes as well as many other illnesses. We have to do this. We just have to find a way to fit it into our schedules and find a way to do it that is less unenjoyable. Discuss this with your physician. Try to explore ways that you could get started in a routine exercise program. To paraphrase Richard Simmons, "Do something, anything!" Get active! Walk to the store instead of driving. Climb stairs. Do 5 sit-ups every morning. Once you get it started, it will become a routine. Soon you will find your overall strength and endurance will be improving in your everyday activities. You will feel yourself getting healthier!

Emotional balance is another step in your path to premier health. Everyone needs a balance between work and play, stress and relaxation, socialization and solitude, leading and following, teaching and learning, giving and taking, etc. The more balanced we are, the better we feel about life in general. If you feel your emotional life is not well balanced, once again, talk to your doctor. S/he can often help sort things out with you so that you will feel more comfortable and get back to enjoying life again.

One thing to remember is that all of these things are interrelated. If one improves, it will likely help you improve the others. For example, if you start paying attention to your nutrition to help you get healthier, it will follow and make sense for you to begin some type of exercise routine and vise versa. If your emotional balance is better, your will have more motivation and mental energy to do the other things. If you're exercising regularly, you will feel better mentally, and so on. If you do any of these things, you will be healthier, be happier and live longer. That's the bottom line, after all.

The above elements of wellness are not pipe dreams. They are definitely achievable goals and well within your reach. They do require some motivation, but the steps to get there are not that difficult. Let your doctor know you are interested, not just in good health, but in premier health. S/he can help you get there! After all, one of the beauties of concierge medicine is that your doctor actually has the time to help you with this.