My Journey With Health And Fitness – The Importance Checkups

Another hard run this morning. I managed to knock another minute off my 6k and am hoping with some challenging training at the lake this week I can shave even more time off that run. I am just so determined that I am going to significantly up my speed by the end of the year that I look forward to my training sessions right now. Ok, maybe not so excited about the hill intervals I plan on doing tomorrow but I will get them done. I should note one of my regulars on the promenade commented on how much faster I seem to be running. Kinda made me feel good.

The past couple of days I have had some medical appointments and while I know I have spoken about this in the past I thought it would be good to remind everyone about how important it is. Many men I know don’t bother to get checkups often saying, I don’t feel sick so why should I go see the doctor. Hmm, I don’t know, maybe to check for some hidden illnesses such as hypertension? It took me years to convince my husband that getting an annual checkup was really important but it wasn’t until his best friend was diagnosed with cancer that he finally agreed to do it. Even now it is sometimes like pulling teeth to get him see the doctor but at least he does it. I believe it is even more important to do this especially as we get older. Diagnosing illness early can literally be a lifesaver.

Yesterday was the dreaded mammogram for me. Dreaded not because I find it embarrassing but dreaded because squishing your boobs into that imaging machine is physically uncomfortable. I know how important it is for me and my sister to get this done annually because our Mom was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer and maybe if she had been a little more diligent about getting her mammogram then it could have been caught sooner. I now just have to wait a few days and then I will get the results, no big deal.

Today I had another appointment that some consider not essential, the dentist. I admit I didn’t go the the dentist for a number of years but have been at least twice a year for the last 2 decades. I very seldom need to have anything done other than a cleaning (which is a good thing now as my pension plan barely covers the cost of 1 cleaning each year). Most of the stuff they have done in the past decade has been replacing 30 year old fillings that were way past their expiry date. Do I like getting my teeth cleaned every 6 months? No, but that kind of preventative care is what is keeping my teeth healthy.

I know that over the past 3 years my health has improved significantly so much so that I normally only need to go to my doctor now once a year for my annual physical. I do this without fail every year to make sure my health is where I want it to be. I also have my eyes checked annually (a must for diabetics due to things such as retinopathy) but because my diabetes is so stable the optometrist said after my next appointment she will recommend that I go to a bi-annual protocol. Finally, what is now part my routine, seeing a podiatrist who recommends getting my feet checked once a year (or if I develop issues from my running). Again, this is all preventative but in my mind it is all part of keeping me healthy.

So, if you have been avoiding seeing your doctor/dentist/optometrist or any other medical professional, now is the time to suck it up and get it done. Yes, sometimes you find out things aren’t quite as peachy as you would like but knowing that gives you the opportunity to hopefully do what I did, start that journey to health and fitness.

I am heading up to the trailer tomorrow to enjoy the last big weekend of the summer so won’t be posting for the next week. Hopefully when I am back I will be able to proudly say that I met all my training goals while there. Wish me luck!