Preventative care saves lives
- Christina Overstreet Gonzalez
- Jun 10
- 2 min read
What’s the point to working 40+ years of your life if you’re not well enough- or not here at all- to enjoy the fruits of your labor when those years are complete?
I say this as someone who has lost loved ones and fears losing more due to lack of preventative care (ie: annual physicals/gyno). We gotta keep it real!
Preventative care is any care that involves the prevention of disease and promotes health, and typically refers to your annual physical (& annual gynecological exam if you have a vagina).
Preventative care or PREVENTION of disease also includes:
>Adequate nutrition & hydration (meeting nutritional needs in energy & micronutrients)
>Adequate sleep: (includes not only enough hours of sleep (7-9, women generally needing more than men) but also sufficient quality of sleep- did you know SILENT sleep apnea is a thing!?)
>Stress management (chronic stress unchecked leads to chronic health issues & disease. BTW-if you’ve lived with stress for a long time or experienced trauma, you may have chronic stress without noticing it! (see: type A, people pleasers))
>Optimizing mental health (go to therapy, set boundaries, get outdoors, etc.)
>Adequate dental care (reminder: can impact heart health among other things!)
>Adequate movement (dyk we start to lose muscle at a more rapid rate after age 30?- yes, THIRTY!) strength training & cardio
>Building/maintaining positive relationships (social life plays a role in wellbeing & longevity.)
That being said- this country (USA) doesn’t make it easy to take care of ourselves in all these ways. Many of us have to work 40+ hours a week to make ends meet, and trying to keep up with all the other responsibilities on top of this and maintain healthy relationships- WHEW. Lack of universal healthcare further limits access to preventative care (and healthcare otherwise!).
We’re also conditioned to put productivity above all else, even tying our self-worth to it- so much so that sometimes people put off going to the doctor for years because they "don't have time". You can unlearn this! And you should MAKE the time. (I understand this is incredibly difficult for some people, and a privileged take).
Prioritize the needs of your body and preventative care. You only get this one- in this lifetime, at least.
Check out my recent post on socials about preventative care, if you haven't seen it yet.
And reach out here if you are ready to make nutrition part of your preventative care.
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