“Health is not valued
until sickness comes.” 
Thomas Fuller

This past Wednesday, I drove over to Kaiser Medical Center in Santa Clara for my annual physical examination. My primary care physician, Dr. Pratheepa Singh, is conscientious, caring, and competent. I am blessed to have had her as my doctor for the past several years. I arrived at Kaiser confident that I was in relatively good physical condition. Dr. Singh confirmed this with her evaluation.

Yes, I’m feelin’ good! This has not always been true. Just two years ago, my weight was alarmingly high, my blood pressure needed attention, and my sedentary lifestyle was beginning to take a toll on my overall health and quality of life. I knew it was time to make some changes. I’ve dropped the excess weight I’d been carrying around for many years. My blood pressure is now right where it should be. My eating habits are significantly improved. And I’ve been walking 7,000 to 12,000 steps per day on average. Dr. Singh approves of these changes in my life.

I always knew I should be exercising more, but I used every excuse possible to justify why I didn’t have time to do so. It was the words of Edward Stanley that motivated me to make some changes in my life. He said, “Those who think they have no time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” Fortunately, I got the message before it was too late.

In addition to regular exercise, responsible eating is also a requirement for good health. Sadly, for the longest time, I ignored the warnings of so many that I was making food choices that were not only detrimental to my health, but downright dangerous. Pizza, pasta, baked goods, candy, donuts, burgers and fries,… These foods, combined with enormous portion sizes, have become the standard fare for many Americans. This might explain the national obesity epidemic plaguing America today. Mark Twain sarcastically encouraged such an attitude when he quipped, “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.” 

Mahatma Gandhi offered much wiser words of wisdom. He said, “It is health that is the real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” It’s pretty clear that in order to have good health, we must consistently make good decisions. Our good health is advantageous not only to us. It is the greatest gift we can give to our loved ones.

Morgan Spurlock was the filmmaker who rocked America with his controversial documentary Super Size Me. In that film, Spurlock ate only McDonald’s food for thirty days, resulting in a gain of 25 pounds and an alarming spike in his cholesterol levels. His words are straight and to the point: “Sorry, there’s no magic bullet. You gotta eat healthy and live healthy to be healthy and look healthy. End of story.”