When it comes to exercise I’d rather go to the dentist than to do it.  I’ve made up 101 reasons why I shouldn’t have to do it.   Recently, though, as I looked across the room I saw two wonderful reasons I not only should but MUST do it,  my eight year old daughter and my husband.

It’s funny how wanting to take care of myself materialized as something I’d do for them yet have avoided doing for me.  When you’re young you feel invincible.  Then something happens.  A year goes by and then another.  You learn about a shocking young tragic death.   You finally realize it’s time to take care of this thing called your body.  It begins with caring for your heart.

The first step to caring for your heart is food consumption.  I hesitate to say diet because the word diet somehow infers temporary.  This has to be a way of life and not just something to lose a little water weight.  I had a wake up call about sodium.  I had no idea that a person who consumes food high in sodium on a regular basis is at risk for sudden heart failure.  That’s enough to make me want to put the salty foods down.

High sodium consumption can also lead to high blood pressure which can lead to stroke or heart disease.  That’s reality.  Many processed foods and fast foods are loaded with sodium.  It’s crucial to keep that intake to a minimum.  For details visit  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284.  Reading how the body works was quite the eye opener.

The second step in caring for your heart is elevating the heart rate.  Even if you’re on a tight schedule with no time to get to a gym you can power walk through the day in small spurts.  Everything helps.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Park your car farther away from the stores’ entrances so you walk longer.  Walk in place while you watch TV.  Just move.  Get your heart pumping.  Jumping rope is another great way to get exercise on a budget.  You can take the rope with you anywhere you go.

No excuses.  The quality and length of  life are what’s at stake.  When you tell your kids to listen to what you have to say you take no excuses from them.  You mean business.  So it’s time you lay down the law with yourself.  No excuses.  When you elevate your heart you’re elevating your life.

Last but not least.  Nothing is more important than your health.  Stop pushing yourself to the back burner.  Your health has to be upfront and very personal to you.  You do better in other areas in your life when you tend to your wellbeing.  Running yourself down without building yourself back up is a recipe for disaster.

Remember.  Move more.  Eat better.  Live longer.

That’s the recipe for life.